Rookie Bomber starter Drew Willy faces Argos vet Ricky Ray to open CFL 2014

WINNIPEG – Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea knows exactly what the Toronto Argonauts and quarterback Ricky Ray can do to an opponent.

“They’ve got a lot of weapons. It just so happens that the ball always travels through Ricky first,” he said. “But obviously I’m quite familiar with all the guys they have and what they can do offensively.”

But the former Argos special teams co-ordinator still wants to set a pace for the Bombers’ season with a win in their CFL season opener Thursday at Investors Group Field.

If the Bombers want to see how rookie starting quarterback Drew Willy performs under pressure, they couldn’t ask for a better opponent.

Ray has thrown 3,780 completed passes for 251 touchdowns and three Grey Cups over 11 seasons in the league with Edmonton and Toronto.

Willy has completed just 101 for nine touchdowns and has only four starts in his prior two seasons as a backup in Regina.

The Bombers are staking a lot on Willy as they try to appease fans turned off by recent struggles, while the Argos want to get back to the Grey Cup after stumbling in last year’s East final.