He’ll wear a mic but Mike Reilly might not have much to say Saturday when the Edmonton Eskimos host the Toronto Argonauts.
Edmonton (9-8) will know long before kickoff the relative importance of its regular-season finale. The contest will mean nothing if Winnipeg defeats the Ottawa Redblacks on Friday night because that would leave the Eskimos fourth in the West Division and visiting the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the East Division semifinal.
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If Ottawa wins, the Eskimos could finish third in the West with a win over Toronto. That would force Winnipeg to head to Hamilton as the crossover squad.
But if there was nothing on the line, chances are Eskimos head coach Jason Maas would play Reilly sparingly against Toronto, limiting on-field insight he could provide.
Not surprisingly, though, Maas wouldn’t say who he might rest Saturday.
“I don’t have to say anything right now,” he said. “We’ll put out the best roster that we need to put out there.
“We want to win the ball game no matter who’s out there.”
However, Reilly, the CFL passing leader (5,554 yards) wants to play regardless.
“I want to play the game, the whole game,” he said. “I don’t want to come out for a single snap.
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“I want to play every pre-season game, I want to play every post-season game and every game in between. That’s how I prepare every single week. Until I’m told differently I’ll still prepare that way but those are decisions that are above my head.”
Last month, the CFL fined Edmonton $20,000 and Maas $15,000 for refusing to wear live microphones Oct. 10 during a 40-20 road win over the Montreal Alouettes. The Eskimos later apologized.
READ MORE: Edmonton Eskimos, head coach Jason Maas fined for not wearing live mics
The league added if Maas refused to wear a live microphone again, he’d receive “the maximum fine allowable” and be suspended for Edmonton’s next game, which in this case would be a first-round playoff contest.
The live mic games are being promoted as a way for fans to hear interactions between coaches and quarterbacks. They were mandated by the league’s board of governors and agreed to by all teams.
Reilly and Maas decided against being mic’d up against Montreal because it made them feel uncomfortable. But Reilly will wear one against Toronto.
“It’s a situation (now) that I’m comfortable with doing it,” he said. “But again that doesn’t mean that’s how it will be in the future.
“No matter how much anybody wants to act like that’s a rule you have to follow, we have a CBA and it protects us and it specifically states we have the choice. Maybe that was not known by some people earlier but that’s the reality.”
Reilly said another concern he had initially was exposing fans to the sometimes salty language that’s spoken on the field.
“I’m colourful on the field and that honestly was one of my major concerns,” Reilly said. “I have a lot of faith in TSN . . . they’ve proven to me in the past they’re not going to make the player look bad in terms of the heat of the moment you’re saying stuff.
“It will be in the back of my mind but again when you’re on the field you’ve got to play how you play because that’s what makes you the player you are.”
Toronto (5-12) is playing for next year having dropped six straight and 10 of their its 11 games. Veteran Ricky Ray will make his 200th career start and look to improve to 3-3 against his former team.
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Ray began his CFL career with Edmonton in 2002 and led the Eskimos to two Grey Cup wins before being dealt to Toronto prior to the 2012 campaign. Ray has amassed a 103-95-1 career record but injuries have limited to just eight starts this season (3-5).
“We’re just trying to play our best football,” he said. “That’s all we can do each week regardless of the situation, just go out there and try and play our best game.
“I’m looking for us to go out and execute, make plays on offence and score some points.”
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