Maybe if you live in the Swiss Alps or pull the drapes open every morning in Waikiki, the astonishing scenery might perhaps – perhaps – get a tad redundant after a while.

It’s also possible the security guard who wanders the Louvre every night is no longer inspired by the mere sight of the Mona Lisa.

And maybe, just maybe, football fans across this country have become a little ho-hum about what Andrew Harris is still chasing two thirds of the way through the Canadian Football League season.

Well, here’s an attempt to jolt this discussion to life again because, frankly, the Harris pursuit of 1K-1K – 1,000 yards rushing and receiving – is a remarkable storyline worthy of really big headlines punctuated with exclamation marks.

The Bombers are 9-3 through 12 games this year, and Harris’ fingerprints are all over the gaudy numbers the offence has posted to date.

Just as a refresher, Harris leads the CFL in yards from scrimmage with 1,376, is third in rushing yards with 739 and 16^th in receiving yards with 637. His 75 receptions rank third overall, behind just Brad Sinopoli (83) and Greg Ellingson (78) of Ottawa.

Now, Harris would need to average 44 rushing and 61 receiving yards in the final third of the season to become the first player in CFL history to complete the 1K-1K feat.

Robert Drummond of the 1997 Toronto Argonauts was the last CFLer to give 1K-1K a run, finishing with 1,134 rushing yards and 840 through the air.

Worth noting: Harris has six receptions in the win over Ottawa last week and now has 75 receptions this year – a new Bomber record, besting the mark of 71 set in 1990 by Robert Mimbs.

“After the season is all said and done I’ll look at those things. But while I’m in it I’m just trying to help get wins and be an impact player,” said Harris in a recent chat with bluebombers.com “After the season and when your career is done, those are the things I’ll look back at and be proud of what I accomplished.”

GOOD HANDS CLUB

A look at the top reception totals by a Bombers running back in club history:

1. Andrew Harris – 75 (2017)
2. Robert Mimbs – 71 (1990)
3. Andrew Harris – 67 (2016)
4. Mike Sellers – 63 (2002)
5. Deland McCullough – 56 (1999)
6. Charles Roberts – 55 (2002)

There’s more…

Harris is still on pace to break another CFL mark – most receptions by a running back in league history. That record – 102 – was set by Saskatchewan’s Craig Ellis in 1985 and Harris’ total of 75 is already tied for eighth-best all-time among CFL backs.

GOOD HANDS CLUB, PART DEUX

A look at the top reception totals by running backs in CFL history:

1. Craig Ellis, Sask. – 102 (1985)
2. Michael Clemons, Tor. – 93 (1998)
3. Craig Ellis, Sask. – 91 (1984)
4. Robert Drummond, Tor. – 85 (1997)
5. Lucius Floyd, Sask. – 84 (1991)
6. Brandon Whitaker, Tor. – 81 (2016)
7. Josh Ranek, Ott. – 76 (2005)
8. Tim McCray, Sask. – 75 (1989); Andrew Harris, Wpg. (2017); Andrew Harris, B.C. (2012).

The rushing totals Harris has posted over the years aren’t worthy of a newsflash. He now has 5,972 career rushing yards and his work last week against Ottawa moved him past Bombers legend Willard Reaves into 26^th place on the CFL’s all-time list.

But often overlooked is this: Harris has averaged just under 63 receptions per season, including this one, since his days with the B.C. Lions. And interestinglly, this is a part of his game he has really worked on since joining the Lions out of junior football.

“I came into the league as a receiver while I was in B.C.,” said Harris. “(Former Lions offensive coordinator) Jacques Chapdelaine is one guy who really took the time to help me with my hand placement and route running. I played a bit of receiver in junior in my first couple of years there.

“(Lions GM and head coach) Wally (Buono) didn’t really believe in having a starting Canadian running back at the time, or a Canadian running back at all other than a fullback. I said, ‘What can I do to get on the field?’ And it was as a returner and to back up Jason Clermont as a receiver. It’s funny because body-type-wise, we are completely different. It was about learning the playbook and then getting an opportunity. I got the opportunity to play in a preseason game and had a couple of catches. That’s how it started for me.”

Harris, in addition to Chapdelaine, also singled out Jarious Jackson (now an assistant in Saskatchewan, then a QB with the Lions), as well as Geroy Simon and Arland Bruce III for teaching him the tricks with route running and instilling a work ethic.

All of this, plus Harris’ ability to play the sponge and soak it all in, is why he is already one of the most dangerous dual threats in CFL history and still has a shot at what many still think is impossible: the 1K-1K standard.

“All those guys helped me out when I first broke into the league and it definitely made a big impact on my game now,” said Harris.

“I’m happy I went through that transition into becoming a receiver. It’s always about this: the more things you can do on the football field the better you can be.”

BOMBER REPORT – September 27, 2017

WATCHING THE FLAGS

No, no – watching the Stars and Stripes and the Maple Leaf…

The Bombers, it was brought up on Wednesday, are the least penalized team in the CFL with 74 infractions for 782 yards.

“We have a certain amount of focus dedicated to it, but I don’t think it’s focused on more than other things,” said head coach Mike O’Shea. “I don’t think taking less penalties is going to guarantee you wins. But it was something that I thought over the course of my time here that we did take too many penalties.

“It’s just one of a number of things that we talk about as a staff, as a team, and we work towards being better at.”

Last season the Bombers began doing sets of push-ups with every offside infraction in practice. Asked Tuesday if that was part of the club taking less penalties, O’Shea cracked:

“That’s part of me getting exercise. I don’t work out enough so I do a lot of push-ups.”

“I’ve never done that before,” added Andrew Harris. “My chest isn’t that big, so it’s good. We’re not taking too many offsides. It’s just good discipline, right? Any time you do something wrong it’s like a little slap on the wrists to make sure you’re on it. Collectively, if someone goes offside or gets a holding call or does something wrong, guys feel like they let the team down, or the offence or the defence down. Across the board teams are just being more disciplined and focusing on those types of things.”

LANKFORD FOR DRESSLER?

Mike O’Shea won’t confirm the change to the Bombers offence, but for the second straight day of practice, Ryan Lankford was working in Weston Dressler’s receiver spot with the No. 1 offence.

Lankford, who leads the CFL in kickoff returns yards, would see his workload increase with more reps in the offence.

“I’m prepared,” he said. “It’s part of the game. It’s part of what your offseason work is, your conditioning and even out here. It’s nothing that is too far-fetched for me to do.”

O-LINE LOVE

It was about 14 months ago – upon the Bombers last visit to Edmonton – when Travis Bond was inserted into the starting lineup at left guard. Save for last year’s regular season finale when Sukh Chungh took a week off to heal before the playoffs, the Bombers O-line has been essentially intact with Stanley Bryant at left tackle, Bond at left guard, Matthias Goossen at centre, Chungh at right guard and Jermarcus Hardrick at right tackle.

And don’t think that consistency hasn’t been huge.

“I don’t think that’s been missed by anyone and we make sure those guys up front know it as well,” said Bombers quarterback Matt Nichols. “We always said this team goes as they go and our D-line… that’s when games are won and lost. There’s a lot of really good quarterbacks that have been made to look average with a poor O-line play in front of them. I’m thankful to have that group in front of me and I make sure I take care of them and let them know they are appreciated.

“To have the same group of guys for basically a two-year stretch now… they’re a close-knit group that works extremely well together, they care about each other, they hang out with each other on and off the field. It’s rare in today’s sports world. So I’m going to enjoy every game I get to stand behind those guys.”