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“We all do that and I still do that,” chuckled Ray. “It’s about getting experience and it’s my 14th year. You still get a little antsy back there sometimes and skip through your progressions or go through them too quick. But as you get comfortable, the game starts to slow down for you.”

It’s something Ray had to adjust to after seven starts in the Arena Football League. Like any other U.S.-born quarterback, the NFL was his focus, but he would only dress for six games with the New York Jets in 2004 as the holder for field goals and extra points.

The longer and wider CFL field can take any pivot out of his rhythm, but seemed perfectly tailored for Ray in his CFL debut at age 23. In relief of the injured Jason Maas in the fifth week of the 2002 season, Ray threw four touchdowns in a 37-27 win over the Lions. He would finish with 2,991 passing yards and 24 majors that season for a quarterback rating of 101.3 — a league high — and direct the Eskimos to the Grey Cup, where they lost to Montreal. Ray would become the franchise leader in all passing categories before being traded to the Argos in May 2012.

“I got my opportunity to step into a veteran team — I just had to go out there and do my job,” recalled Ray. “I didn’t have to do anything special and it gave me a lot of confidence as a young player.”

If he gets time, Ray can still pick a defence apart, occasionally run out of trouble and methodically work his offence down the field. And he can still air it out. But it will be harder Thursday against quick and hard-hitting linebackers like Adam Bighill and Solomon Elimimian. Bighill can take away time and space in the pocket and Elimimian can eliminate short outlet passes.