RICKY COLLINS CAN’T SAY NO TO THE CFL

By: Allan Ly
RP Show Intern

Ricky Collins Jr. called it a career on February 25  and retired from the CFL. Now, he is coming out of retirement and intends to suit up for the Toronto Argonauts in 2021.

“It started with the kids that I was training,” Collins said on Wednesday’s Rod Pedersen Show. “It made it easier for me to sign back to the CFL.”

According to Collins – a former Roughrider, Lion, Eskimo and Texas A&M Commerce grad – the reason he signed with the Argos was familiarity.

 “Just me knowing some of the coaches and some of the guys over there on the team. I know that I will be able to mesh well with the coaching staff then also with the players,” Collins explained. “So that made it an easy choice.”

CFL training camps begin on Saturday, and Collins has quite the position battle with the Argonauts.

Collins will be in training camp with a talented group of receivers such as Dejon Brissett, Martavis Bryant, Eric Rogers, DaVaris Daniels, to name a few.

Brissett was selected with the Argos’ second overall pick in the 2020 CFL draft, so he has something to prove while Rogers and Daniels are former teammates when the Calgary Stampeders won a Grey Cup in 2018.

Meanwhile, Bryant comes from the NFL where he played for such teams as the Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders. He last played for the Indoor Football League’s Massachusetts Pirates.

“We got so many pieces it is hard for teams to just focus on one receiver,” said Collins, praising his Argo wide receiver group.

With so many receivers, the Argos Quarterbacks Nick Arbuckle and McLeod Bethel-Thompson will be like kids in a candy store.

“Everybody got to stay patient, that’s all it is, you got to stay patient and know your number is going to get called and just make a play when your number is called,” said Collins, and that is his mentality playing with a bunch of receivers.

Currently, the Argos are staying at the University of Guelph for their training camp.

“Right now, we wake up in the morning and do meetings and then we’re just done for the day,” said Collins about what a regular day looks.

Collins gave further detail on what he does to pass the time while at Guelph besides football: “shout out to my wife, she set up a projection screen…… so I can play my system on it.”

The last time the Argos won the Grey Cup was in 2017, and leading the way were Ricky Ray and coach Marc Trestman.

Unfortunately the following seasons the Argos finished with identical 4-14 seasons, so they are ready for a turnaround. So is Collins.

“I want to help restore what the Argos once were,” said Collins about his plans for the Argos for the upcoming season.

Collins and his Argonauts will have the chance for a turnaround when they do battle with the Calgary Stampeders for their first game of the CFL season on August 7.

(Follow Allan the Intern on Twitter @AllanTheIntern)