Ricky Ray and his Toronto Argonauts teammates will tell you they can’t yet say for certain what kind of team they will have in 2017.

Regarding coach Marc Trestman, however, there is no grey area.

“He is probably the most structured, detailed coach I have been around,” Ray said.

“Every little thing matters. He is thinking about every situation that is going to help us out with our preparation.

“He is a big guy on having standards, not a lot of rules, but standards that he wants us to live by. Guys have been really focused throughout this camp and have bought into what he is preaching.”

Linebacker Bear Woods, signed last week and expected to be the club’s leader on defence, had a similar take. Woods, during his first week of practice with the Argos and first pre-season game on Friday night in Hamilton against the Tiger-Cats, required a mere few days to see the results of Trestman’s diligence on the field.

“When Trestman and (general manager Jim) Popp put a team together, they find guys who love football,” Woods said.

“When you come to watch a practice of ours … I don’t know if other teams are practising like we are. I’m sure they are practising hard, but the level of energy on every play is really remarkable. That’s what fits me.”

Trestman, Popp and the rest of the football staff spent much of the day on Saturday coming to decisions on final cuts, as the club’s 46-man roster was to be determined by 10 p.m., the Canadian Football League deadline.

The Argos won both of their pre-season games, and when Trestman walks to the sideline on June 25 at BMO Field for the Argos’ season opener that day against the Ticats, it will represent his first CFL game since Nov. 18, 2012. Trestman’s Montreal Alouettes lost to the Argos that day in the East final, bringing to an end a five-year tenure during which Montreal won two Grey Cups.

After two years as head coach of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League, followed by a stint as the offensive co-ordinator of the Baltimore Ravens, Trestman is more than ready to resume his career in the CFL.

At the same time, he’s not going to prattle on about expectations as the Argos look to get back to the playoffs after missing in 2016. Never mind the fact the team has no choice but to garner new fans in a city that often shrugs when the CFL is mentioned.

“I tell (the players) all the time, we are not going to know what kind of team we have until the end of November,” Trestman said. “We have so much to do between now and then.

“Our team is going to be fluid. We’re going to learn more about each other (in the coming) week when the chemistry changes because there will be fewer guys.”

What kind of team does Trestman envision?

“I want us to walk off the field each week and have a team that we can be proud of and that our city can be proud of,” Trestman said.

Veterans such as Ray and Woods have witnessed the blocks being put in place.

Training camp was a success in that regard.

“You can lay a lot of good groundwork for what kind of team you want to be, but there is just so much season to go,” Ray said. “We have to get out there, face some adversity throughout the year and really kind of find out what kind of team we are. But things are going in the direction we want, for sure.”

There were no real surprises among the Argos’ final 12 cuts on Sunday, which included cornerback Aaron Berry who played for the Double Blue last season. Among those that did make the team were running back James Wilder Jr., and Canadian wide receiver Jimmy Ralph, who scored a touchdown in each of the pre-season wins.

RAY SAYS HE IS READY

Fans of the Argonauts didn’t see much of Ricky Ray in the pre-season, but not to worry.

The 37-year-old quarterback played in just one series in Toronto’s two exhibition games, completing all three passes he attempted for 26 yards in a victory against the Montreal Alouettes on June 8.

“I have been a part of everything (in the past), played in both (pre-season games), played in one, I have done it all,” Ray said. “Getting reps helps, but you just try to get out there and do the best you can with the opportunities you have.”

Barring injury during the next week, Ray will start on June 25 when the Argos play host to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the season opener.

The future Hall of Famer is champing at the bit to get his 16th CFL season under way.

“We have played hard these last two (pre-season) games and I am just excited to see positive things happen,” Ray said.

ARGOS RELEASE WILLY

The Drew Willy experiment in Toronto didn’t last a year.

The veteran quarterback, acquired from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers last September, was given his walking papers by the Argos on Saturday.

Willy was among the group of final cuts announced by the Argos as the club had to get down to its 46-man roster by the 10 p.m. deadline.

There was the thought that Willy, given his experience in the Canadian Football League, might be second in line on the depth chart after veteran Ricky Ray. Instead, the new regime of general manager Jim Popp and head coach Marc Trestman has decided that incumbent Cody Fajardo and free-agent signee Jeff Mathews give the club more stability in backup roles in 2017.

Also surviving the final cut was quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson. Rookie Dakota Prukop, who looked good in the pre-season finale on Friday in Hamilton, earned a spot on the practice roster.

Of the 17 players released by the Argos on Saturday, Willy easily was the biggest name to be let go.