Ricky Ray is stoic on the field as he meticulously dissects opposing defences with sharp, pinpoint passes.

But running back Brandon Whitaker said there's another side to the Toronto Argonauts' veteran quarterback that might surprise people.

"He's hilarious," Whitaker said recently at a CFL promotional shoot. "He's one of the top-five funniest people I've ever met.

Story continues below advertisement

"You'd never know that because of who he is but when he actually cracks a joke you're like, 'You've got to be kidding? I can't believe you said that."'

That's because Ray's on-field play speaks volumes. The 14-year veteran is fifth in all-time passing yards with 52,486 and needs just 770 yards to move past Danny McManus (53,255) into fourth.

Ray, 36, is also the most accurate passer in CFL history with a 67.7 per cent completion average. But Whitaker said what makes Ray so funny isn't so much what he says but how and when he says it.

"It's a dry humour," Whitaker said. "If I told you a joke, you'd be like, 'OK,' but it's the timing of when he does it.

"It's like a serious moment, you're not supposed to say anything . . . and he just makes a one-line comment and you're in the back of the room and it's just hilarious. He says stuff kind of under his breath so you really have to catch him. I've caught him a couple of times and I'm just busting out laughing and people are like, 'Dude, what you laughing at?"'

Whitaker said Ray's sometimes funny disposition reminds him of former Montreal teammate Anthony Calvillo, now the Alouettes' offensive co-ordinator.

"They're like coaches, you look at Ricky and Anthony like coaches," Whitaker said. "So when they say something you're like, 'OK, that's funny as hell, man. I don't know if I'm supposed to laugh because I might not get the ball.' So I just keep it to myself and laugh under my breath."

Story continues below advertisement

Whitaker said Argos head coach Scott Milanovich, who can be intense on the sidelines, also has a wicked sense of humour.

"He always starts the morning meetings with something unexpected," Whitaker said. "He'll lighten up the mood and then back it up with a joke and you're like, 'What? We supposed to take him serious? We supposed to laugh right now?'

"He's like, 'Guys, it's OK, relax, it's fine.' He definitely expects you to do your job but wants you to have fun doing it."

Toronto is banking heavily on Ray's healthy return after he missed most of last year recovering from off-season shoulder surgery. Fortunately for the Argos, Ray says he's thrown pain-free this off-season for the first time in two years.

With backup Trevor Harris now in Ottawa, Ray's health is crucial this season for Toronto.

"Hearing he's not feeling any pain when he throws is huge because he wasn't 100 per cent even after he came back," Whitaker said. "You want to do your best when he's out there.

Story continues below advertisement

"You want to run the best route for him, you want to block for him and that's something you also had with Anthony. You don't want to let them down."

Ray's absence wasn't the Argos' lone challenge last year as scheduling issues at Rogers Centre forced them to play four home games on the road. That won't be a problem this year as Toronto moves into a refurbished BMO Field, hosting arch-rival Hamilton on June 23.

"That (relocating home games) was an experience I never had before last year," Whitaker said. "It's really big for us and we're really excited about it."

So is Hamilton. Last month, colourful linebacker Simoni Lawrence suggested Toronto should've considered scheduling its BMO Field debut against a lesser opponent.

"Simoni's living in the past, he's still stuck on what happened last year," Whitaker said with a smile. "But it's a whole different story this year.

"It's a rivalry game and opening the new field, the environment is going to be crazy because you know Hamilton fans are going to be there and now Chad (former Argos slotback Chad Owens) is in Hamilton. The guys are excited about it, we've been talking about it."

Story continues below advertisement

The five-foot-10, 200-pound Whitaker enters his second season with Toronto after spending his first seven CFL campaigns with Montreal, where he won two Grey Cups. He also ran for a CFL-best 1,381 yards in 2011, averaging a stellar 6.1 yards per attempt.

These days, the 30-year-old native of Edmond, Okla., is more about winning than gaudy stats and hopes to hoist the Grey Cup at BMO Field on Nov. 27.

"That's something we talk about all the time," Whitaker said. "It's something that's got to happen, we have to play there.

"Barring no injuries and if guys stay healthy, we have a team that can do it."