While James Franklin has all the pieces in front of him to learn from to become the next best quarterback in the CFL, he’s adamant that he doesn’t want to just become a copy of those who came before him.

“(I had) a lot of comparisons to Warren Moon and everyone’s like, ‘oh you have big shoes to fill,’” Franklin said during Mark’s CFL Week in March. “No way, I want to wear my own shoes. I wear size 14, they’re extra wide and I like my shoes. I’m comfortable with them.”

“I want to take things from other quarterbacks and other players that I can learn to help my game but I want to be the best me,” he continued. “I don’t want to be the next such and such, I want to be the next James Franklin.”

The Argos acquired the rights to the 26-year-old quarterback in December and signed him to a two-year extension in January.

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Franklin spent the last three seasons in Edmonton, waiting in the wings behind last year’s Most Outstanding Player, Mike Reilly. He suited up in all 18 games in 2017, throwing 142 yards and two touchdowns. His best game was in Week 10 against the Roughriders where he came off the bench and threw for 111 yards and a major score.

Now with Toronto, Franklin is looking forward to learning from one of the best in the business – Ricky Ray.

Franklin will keep a close eye on Ray this season, watching how the veteran pivot prepares for a game, how he interacts with his teammates and the intricacies that make him one of the best in Canadian football.

“Ricky has his own game,” said Franklin. “No one can ever duplicate that and if I can do something similar to him, of course there’s going to be comparisons but that’s why I want to try and take what he does and has success with it and make it my own and see if I can have success with it.”

Not only does Franklin have a future Hall of Fame quarterback to gain knowledge from, he has a current one as well.

Toronto hired Anthony Calvillo as the team’s quarterback coach in mid-March. The 44-year-old holds the CFL’s all-time passing yards record (79,816) and is a three-time Grey Cup champion (2002, 2009, 2010).

“I think that’s the biggest thing that makes quarterbacks different,” Franklin said, explaining what he’s looking forward to learning from Calvillo. “Yes, there’s arm talent, but the decision making, how we think about things, how we execute a play (is different). On paper, it says the same thing, XYZ, this is how we’re supposed to read it but in our heads, we all process that information differently.

“Getting to see how he (Calvillo) processes that information, I’m pretty excited about. To see if it’s similar to mine and then it will kind of give me some hope like, ‘okay, maybe I can get to that level’ or see if it’s different.”

As he spends his first year in the double blue, Franklin isn’t just going to soak up information from the quarterbacks that surround him in the locker room. He’s also excited to sit down with someone that will be catching his passes, SJ Green.

“He can tell when I’m throwing him the ball and he sees me out there making decisions, making reads, he can tell if I’m doing good or if I’m doing bad,” Franklin said. “Really, hearing his feedback, even though he’s not a quarterback, can be really beneficial to me because he’s been around a lot of good quarterbacks so he knows what to look for.”

Heading into training camp next week, Franklin will take the opportunity to get to know his new teammates, including Ray and Green. He’s also heading into camp with the mindset that he is the starting quarterback, even if that isn’t the direction that the team is looking to go.

“I always try to think that I’m competing for it (the starting job) whether it’s true or not,” Franklin said. “Just so that way I don’t get complacent like, ‘oh, he’s going to be the starter so I don’t have to work as hard.’ Or ‘I’m going to be the starter so I don’t have to work as hard.’”

“Ricky, I know he’s earned that spot to be the starter,” he continued. “I don’t want to step on his toes and I don’t want to try and make it look like I’m going behind his back or try and undercut him for being the starter. I want to make sure he’s doing his thing and he’s going to lead the team how he wants to. Lord willing if I can get to the point where he’s at then I can worry about that then. But for now I still have to earn it.”