‘He’s one of my best friends and I miss him:’ Bombers players getting fired up to see Harris and the Argos
Andrew Harris #AndrewHarris
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Toronto Argonauts running back Andrew Harris (33) is tackled by Montreal Alouettes linebacker Chris Ackie (21) during first second CFL football action in Toronto on June 16, 2022. Photo by Jon Blacker /The Canadian Press Article content
Andrew Harris meant as much to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers organization over the last six seasons as any player in decades.
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A home-grown star running back who led the CFL in rushing three times and helped the Bombers win back-to-back Grey Cups, Harris is an icon in the Bombers’ locker room and among football fans in the city.
So you better believe it is going to be weird for coaches, players and fans alike when Harris suits up at tailback for the Toronto Argos as the Bombers pay a visit to BMO Field on Monday.
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“He’s a great guy, one of my best friends and I miss him,” Bombers offensive lineman Jermarcus Hardrick said. “My kids call him uncle. He’s seen my kids grow.
“He’s just relentless, savage.”
Harris signed as a free agent with the Argos in the off-season after the Bombers prioritized the signings of younger running backs Brady Oliveira and Johnny Augustine.
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A surefire Canadian Football Hall of Famer, the 35-year-old Harris is now in his 12th CFL season. He has racked up 9,775 yards and 51 touchdowns on the ground, along with 5,265 yards and 32 touchdowns through the air.
His start with Toronto has been just OK. He has 114 yards on 25 carries through two games. His current average of 4.6 yards per carry is lower than any number he has produced over a full season in the CFL.
This won’t just be any game for Harris.
Known to carry a chip on his shoulder, it will surely be a big one for a game against his former team, an organization he believes slighted him by not prioritizing his signing in the off-season.
“You know he’ll be fired up and we’ll be fired up too,” Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros said. “But after the first snap, it’s just football. The storyline is cool, hopefully there’s a lot of good press about it. Everybody will be fired up.
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“I’m sure before the game there will be some anticipation. The cliché is it’s just another guy on another team but he means a lot to the organization and means a lot to a lot of the guys here.”
The Bombers running game has not been outstanding since Harris departed. The Bombers are fifth in rushing in the league, with an average of 84 yards per game but neither Oliveira, nor Augustine has done much to establish himself as the kind of dominant force Harris was in the offence.
“We’re proud of the things that he did here, obviously very thankful,” Bombers offensive co-ordinator Buck Pierce said Friday after the team practised at IG Field. “We wish him the best in Toronto. We’re looking forward to building with the guys we’ve got right now.
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“On a personal level, it will be great to see Andrew. All his accolades and things, that’s him on the football field, but he’s a great teammate as well and has a lot of respect from guys in this locker room and around the league.”
ALWAYS ON HIS MIND
Collaros, like many pro athletes, often talks about the need to get better every week.
So far this season, the Bombers offence has done just that.
The Bombers are still seventh in the CFL in net offence (321.7 yards per game), but they are 3-0 and things have been starting to click in the last couple of games.
Collaros threw for more than 300 yards for the first time this season in last week’s 26-12 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Bombers had 389 total yards.
“We’ve made improvements but I think we have a long way to go, just in terms of our ceiling,” Collaros said. “We have a pretty high ceiling, so I’m not saying it in a negative way. I think we can continue to all get better at the details. There’s a lot of things that I can get better at and I’m working on it, thinking about it before I go to bed, all that stuff. That’s what I love about sport in general. You’re never gonna be perfect, unless you’re Tom Brady, and there’s a lot of room to grow all the time, always work to be done.”
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Collaros said having the offence on his mind after work hours is nothing new. In times of success or lack thereof, he’s always critiquing his own play and trying to figure out ways to be better.
“When we had some pretty good games last season I bet you I can recall the plays that we screwed up on more than the good ones,” Collaros said.
“That’s just how I’m wired.”
TOUGH TO REPLACE
How big is the loss of Nic Demski?
That question was posed to Pierce on Friday as the Bombers prepared to play up to a few games without one of their most versatile players.
Demski is on the six-game injured list with an ankle issue and that takes away a solid receiver and a player who can run the football on occasion.
“When you look at Nic, he’s a guy that does a lot of things that don’t always show up on the stat sheet,” Pierce said. “I think the people that really follow this league and follow this team understand that. He’s a vocal leader, practises extremely hard. Nic will be missed. But it’s pro football, there’s opportunities for other people and we’ll see what happens.”
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The biggest opportunity will go to Canadian receiver Brendan O’Leary-Orange, who will make his first CFL start, in his hometown of Toronto.
The Bombers have been using American running back Greg McCrae in the offence at times this week as well.
“Well, I mean, it’s all-hands-on-deck,” Pierce said. “Everybody has to step up. Everybody has to understand. And that’s just part of being a teammate — each week your best is required. As it relates to Nic being out, the other guys, whoever goes out there, whoever steps up, we ask those guys to perform at their best. And when they do that, good things happen.”
Twyman@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/Ted_Wyman
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