The Edmonton quarterback was pulled in the second half of the West semifinal in Calgary this past weekend after the Eskimos were trailing 23-12.
The Eskimos came back to win the game over the Stampeders, thanks to the play of backup quarterback Jason Maas, but Edmonton revealed earlier this week that Ray will start against the Lions.
Ray said the experience of being pulled was humbling, and he's looking forward to redeeming himself Sunday in Vancouver.
Quarterback Ricky Ray will get the start for the Edmonton Eskimos against the hometown B.C. Lions in the CFL's West final on Sunday. (CP File Photo)
"You've got to understand not everybody is going to like you," Ray told Canadian Press on Friday.
"You've got to ... try and not listen to the people who don't believe in you."
Edmonton erased a 23-12 deficit to pull out a 33-26 win over the Stampeders as Maas completed 15 of 18 passes for 146 yards.
Maas, who hadn't taken a snap until he supplanted Ray a week ago, capped his outstanding performance with a game-winning, 25-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jason Tucker with four minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Maas showed great poise in the final quarter when he marched the Eskimos down the field, going 7-of-7 to four different receivers before fullback Mathieu Bertrand's one-yard plunge tied the game 23-23 with 6:31 left.
Even though many media pundits believe Maas should start against the Lions, Maas supports the team's decision to stick with Ray and doesn't have a problem sitting on the bench.
"I will do whatever it takes for this team to win a championship," Maas said.
Ray's troubles seemed to begin with the Eskimos' traditional Labour Day match against Calgary when he tossed three interceptions.
Ray rebounded the following week against Saskatchewan with three touchdown strikes.
However, Ray hasn't thrown for a major since a Sept. 24 contest against B.C., a span of six games. He's also been picked off six times during that stretch.
Last season, Maas threw for more than 5,000 yards, while Ray was plying his trade with the New York Jets of the National Football League.
In 2001, Maas was the Eskimos' nominee for the CFL's most outstanding player award, but was supplanted by Ray the following season after getting hurt.
Ray took the CFL by storm and kept the No. 1 job through the 2003 campaign when he guided Edmonton to a Grey Cup title.
Maas reclaimed the starting role in 2004, but Ray became the go-to guy upon his return to the CFL this season.
"We're confident with Ricky," said centre Kevin Lefsrud. "It's never just on one guy."
with files from Canadian Press
