Scott Milanovich

TORONTO, Ontario — Dare to be different.

Scott Milanovich is certainly doing so as first-year head coach of the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts this season.

The 38-year-old Butler graduate has taken a team that finished 6-12 last season and turned it into the third most prolific scoring offense in the league through four games.

But the Argonauts are only 2-2.

“That’s why I’m not real happy right now,” Milanovich said. “We’re lacking consistency. Offense, defense, special teams ... We have yet to put a full game together.”

Most CFL teams run a version of the run-and-shoot offense. Milanovich, who also serves as the team’s offensive coordinator, has introduced the West Coast offense to Toronto.

“It’s taken some getting used to,” Milanovich said. “The receivers’ routes are totally different. But we’re getting there. Our offense will get better as the year goes on.”

Quarterback Ricky Ray, acquired in an offseason trade from Edmonton, leads the CFL in passing efficiency. He has completed 105 of 151 passes for 1,262 yards and six touchdowns through four games.

Running back Cory Boyd has rushed for 373 yards and two TDs while four receivers have yardage ranging from 181 to 357.

“We’ve got 13 new starters,” Milanovich said. “ We did a pretty big overhaul here. The league is more balanced this season than it’s been in years.

“The teams that get to the playoffs and do well are going to be the teams that improve the most as the season goes on. Our goal here, clearly, is to get to postseason play. But we can’t get that far ahead of ourselves. This has to be a game-by-game process for us.”

The Argonauts have not posted a winning season since finishing 11-7 and winning the East Division title in 2007.

Toronto has defeated Calgary 39-36 and Winnipeg 25-22 while losing to Edmonton 19-15 and Hamilton 36-27 this season.

Milanovich served as offensive coordinator for the Montreal Alouettes for five seasons before taking the head job in Toronto. His Montreal teams scored more than 600 points in consecutive seasons and advanced to three straight Grey Cup games, winning championships in 2009 and 2010.

Becoming a head coach for the first time has not been a surprising adjustment for the former quarterback.

“I’ve been preparing for this for a long time,” Milanovich said. “There’s a lot more busy work involved when you’re the head coach, but we’ve put together a solid coaching staff here.

“My defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator have been well-decorated in the coaching ranks. I like what we’re putting together here.”