Scott Milanovich: Time To Turn The Page

TORONTO – The Toronto Argonauts’ reign at the top of the CFL’s Eastern Division standings was short lived as the team dropped to second place in the East following their difficult 26-17 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos on Monday night.

The Argonauts’ played one of their worst games of the season against the Eskimos at Rogers Centre. The team struggled on both sides of the football and could not develop any momentum in the second half in order to mount a comeback in the football game.

Argos’ Head Coach, Scott Milanovich has been the play-caller for one of the most inconsistent offences in the CFL so far this season. Ricky Ray and the rest of the Argonauts’ offence was out of sync yet again on Monday night. Ray was 26-for-38 with 251 yards passing, one touchdown, two interceptions, and a fumble in the football game. Milanovich’s offence has showed flashes of brilliance over the course of this nine-week old CFL season but consistency remains a concern and Ricky Ray admits it’s time to turn things up a notch.

“It’s time to play better. I have to play better and as a unit, we all need to play better”, said Ray following the Argonauts’ loss to the Eskimos on Monday night.

The Argonauts’ currently own a modest 4-4 record and there is no doubt that with just a bit more consistency, the Argos’ could have been atop of the Canadian Football League’s overall standings following nine weeks of play in 2012.  However, Argos’ Head Coach, Scott Milanovich is not making any excuses and he says it’s the necessary time for his team to make improvements if they want to succeed down the stretch of this 2012 season.

“We have to find a way to get this (loss out of our system) and we have to understand that everything we want is still in front of us and that these next couple of weeks are definitely going to be big for us”, said Milanovich during his post game press conference on Monday night.

Milanovich understands that it takes a while before teammates develop complete chemistry with one another but it is especially concerning on the offensive side of the football where Ricky Ray and several of his receivers continue to work towards developing a good rapport with one another.

A difficult loss to former running back, Cory Boyd and the Edmonton Eskimos provides Scott Milanovich with the opportunity to “start fresh” and prepare this team for one of the more critical stretches of the 2012 season.

Milanovich noticeably upset following Monday’s loss to the Eskimos attempted to find the positives from a loss, in which the Argonauts’ struggled in all facets of the game.

“The only positive I took from the game (against the Eskimos) was at halftime when we were down 16-3 and the guys still believed (they could win). The guys came out and made a game of it”, said Milanovich.

It is evident that the Argonauts’ have not fully gelled as a unit so far this season and following an off-season in which many changes occurred within the organization, it may be understandable. However, the Argonauts’ have shown several glimpses of what could develop into one of the most dangerous teams in the entire CFL as the team has already recorded impressive victories over the likes of the Montreal Alouettes, Calgary Stampeders, and Winnipeg Blue Bombers in this CFL season.

A record of 4-4 can also be translated as 0-0 as the Argonauts’ currently sit with an even win to loss ratio and remain at the .500 mark while approaching the mid-way point of their season. However, this may actually be an ideal situation for Scott Milanovich as it provides him with the opportunity to “turn the page” and begin a new chapter in the Argonauts’ season as he attempts to lead this group to a Grey Cup title this November.

– Daniele Franceschi –