Pogue: Logan Kilgore adjusting to life in CFL

MURFREESBORO – Albeit a preseason game, Logan Kilgore finally got a taste of Air Canada.

Not the airlines, but rather the Canadian Football League, where the former MTSU standout quarterback has started the season on the practice squad of the Toronto Argonauts.

That initial game experience for Kilgore in the pass-happy CFL came a few weeks ago in the first of two Argonauts preseason games. He took second-string snaps and played the second quarter against the Winnipeg Jets and completed 8 of 12 passes.

"It was a great experience," said Kilgore, who this time last year was readying for training camp with the NFL's New Orleans Saints after signing as an undrafted free agent after his senior season as a Blue Raider.

While Kilgore showed the strong arm that made the three-year MTSU starter the program's all-time leader in touchdown passes (53) and second-most in passing yards (7,849), he also tossed two interceptions.

"There were a few throws I would like to have had back," he said. "Getting out there on the field and playing as a professional in the CFL was great. I was really excited about moving on from that game."

But then the unexpected happened. Kilgore was sidelined for nearly two weeks with a virus, missing the second preseason game and the final days of training camp.

With Argonauts starter Ricky Ray, the former New York Jets' quarterback, already on the shelf for the first six weeks of the season with a shoulder injury and Kilgore sick, Toronto signed former Florida State quarterback Adrian McPherson as insurance as the No. 3 quarterback.

Backup quarterback Trevor Harris started the season-opening win last weekend over the Edmonton Eskimos. Meanwhile, Kilgore was finally getting back to full speed from the illness that had him quarantined in his Toronto apartment for six days.

"My first full day of practice back was last week," Kilgore said. "I'm excited to be on the roster and feel very positive about being in Toronto with the Argonauts. I couldn't be more thankful for the opportunity."

Such was the case last year when Kilgore went through all of Saints training camp, watching and learning from star quarterback Drew Brees. As soon as the Saints released him last September, Toronto signed him to the practice squad for the remainder of the CFL season and re-upped the contract last December.

"I learned so much from being around Drew Brees," said Kilgore, the first MTSU quarterback to have three-straight 2,000-yard passing seasons. "Last year when I got to Toronto, it was the middle of the season, so I observed and learned a lot. And I have learned a lot from Ricky Ray.

"He is a true veteran. He has seen every different type of scheme and has shared his knowledge with me. He has really helped me out."

Digesting CFL nuances

Certainly, there was a learning curve for Kilgore from U.S. football to the CFL, where there are 12 players on each side of scrimmage rather than 11. Plus, there is one less down to get a first down, more than one player can be in motion at the same time going vertically as well as horizontally, deeper and wider fields including the end zones, 18 regular-season games, and a 3-minute warning at the end of each half instead of 2 minutes with the clock stopping on every play thereafter.

"Obviously, it's a different game in the CFL," Kilgore said, "but the training camps are very similar. We run a pretty complex system. It's 'west coast' and protection based. It's an offense that passes first to get a lead and then runs the ball to keep it."

The California native is also adjusting to life north of the border. Kilgore said CFL fans have a passion for the game similar to that of college football fans in the United States, and he has found a home away from home in Toronto.

"It is a great city," Kilgore said. "The fan base is very passionate. It's not so much corporate like in the NFL, and I am surrounded by a great group of guys on the team."

With NFL training camps starting in less than a month, Kilgore said his agent — Mississippi-based Bus Cook, who represented former star quarterbacks Brett Favre and Steve McNair — has received interest from teams concerning Kilgore, but that is not anything that is on his mind right now.

"I am totally bought in here in Canada," Kilgore said. "It is all about helping the team win a (CFL championship) Grey Cup. I want to be prepared when I have my opportunity to get on the field.

"You can't lead a team and win games until you get on the field, so it is my job to be ready, if and when my opportunity comes."

Greg Pogue is former executive sports editor at The DNJ. E-mail him at grpogue@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @ThePoguester.