Winnipeg Blue Bombers #33 Andrew Harris
The smile was gone, as was the playfulness Andrew Harris often brings to his almost daily post-practice media sessions.
Yes, the Harris that returned to work for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for practice on Tuesday following is two-game suspension for using a banned substance was seemingly more focused and intense and even hungrier than the man who has already carved out a hall-of-fame career.
And as much as it may be difficult to fathom, the proverbial chip he has carried on his shoulder through his rise from an undrafted junior player to league stardom just went from an XL to a XXL.
Take it from Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea, who rather succinctly described the Harris that took the field Tuesday: “He’s pissed off. He’s not in any mood to chat and he’s just not going to exchange pleasantries. He’s angry.
“I’m sure that will turn into something productive for him.”
The Bombers split their two games with the Saskatchewan Roughriders minus Harris, losing on a walk-off field goal in the Labour Day Classic in Regina before thumping the visitors in the return engagement in the Banjo Bowl at IG Field.
Couple that with the bye week and Harris hasn’t seen any action since the Bombers win over the Edmonton Eskimos on August 23rd.
“Extremely fired up,” began Harris after practice. “It’s been close to a month probably without live hits or a live game and sitting and watching has taught me a lot and I can’t wait to get back out there.
“It’s been a tough few months, for sure, from both sides of things. I’ve had a lot of positive support, though, from fans, family and people who have been along with me during my journey and a lot of random people I don’t even know. Overall, it’s been extremely tough, but I’m just looking forward to moving forward now and getting back out there with my teammates.”
The Bombers got some superb work from Johnny Augustine in relief of Harris, as he rushed 28 times for 173 yards and added six catches for 80 yards and a TD in the two games against the Riders. But the return of Harris means the Bombers welcome back the CFL’s reigning two-time rushing champion, who still leads the league with 908 yards even after his two-game absence.
He’s owned his mistake and insists using a product containing a banned substance was unintentional, but is also continuing to pursue the notion the supplement he bought at a local store might have been contaminated and is having it tested.
“It’s been shipped away and we’re just waiting to hear back,” said Harris. “It’s like a needle in a haystack, but I’m doing everything I can to get some answers.
“There are tons of stories, tons of articles like this. It’s more common than I even thought. I’m not exactly sure where it is, but I’m doing my best to get some answers. For the most part, I’m just trying to get it behind me and move forward.”
Harris was allowed to practice and attend meetings during his suspension, but did not travel to Regina for the Labour Day Classic and was not with the team during the Banjo Bowl victory. That whole scene – being around, but not really participating – admittedly hurt as much as missing two game cheques. It also gave him a greater appreciation for the game and his place in it.
“Just sitting back and being a fan, you’re here with the team, but you’re not really contributing,” said Harris. “It’s all the moving parts. It’s just seeing the fans and watching the games on TV and the bigger picture through all this. There has been some positive, but there’s also been a lot of negative. It’s crazy how I did something so positive the week before (becoming the all-time yards from scrimmage leader for a Canadian player) and how much people reached out to me when the negative news came out. That showed some true colours in some people with some of the negativity that came along with that and for me that just added a little more of a chip on my shoulder.”
“I’m just motivated to get back out there now and just show what more I can do with the next six weeks and get us into the playoffs.”
Before the suspension Harris was not only the CFL’s rushing leader, but also generating a lot of conversation as a Most Outstanding Player candidate, as well as the front-runner for the Most Outstanding Canadian Player award.
TSN’s Dave Naylor recently polled certain media types as to whether they would still vote for Harris as MOP and of the 28 responses, 17 said no, with 11 in the affirmative.
Asked if he thought his suspension might impact award and all-star voting, Harris said:
“I would hope not, but people are going to do what they’re going to do. At the end of the day, I know the truth. People are going to say what they want to say, but at the end of the day I’m moving forward and my play will show who the real Andrew is and I’m just going forward that way.”
With the Bombers returning to practice Tuesday after the bye week for their first session in advance of Saturday’s game in Montreal Alouettes, here are some other items to help get you up to speed in this week’s NEED TO KNOW…
THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN:
The Bombers were back at their posts on Tuesday after the second of their three bye weeks and with the final third of the regular season in front of them.
Winnipeg will have three road games, beginning this week in Montreal, followed by visits to Regina and Calgary. The three home games feature matchups with Hamilton, Montreal and Calgary.
“It came at a great time. Six games left in the season… to get a little break after going on that stretch was much needed,” said Bombers defensive end Willie Jefferson. “It was a little refresher for everybody to get a chance to unwind and get away from football for a couple of days, go see your family, kick your feet up. And then to come back the way we did to run around and knock the rust off and see the looks on these guys faces knowing that we only got six games left, the position we’re in and how we want to finish strong.”
OUCH REPORT:
The Bombers welcomed back WR Lucky Whitehead and SB Nic Demski – both of whom missed the Banjo Bowl – while DE Jackson Jeffcoat and OL Pat Neufeld were also practising – the latter for the first time this season.
Jeffcoat and Neufeld remain on the six-game injured list, but could be pulled off early if the team wished to activate them for Saturday’s game in Montreal.
“The bye week came at a great time,” said Whitehead. “I feel amazing right now.”
Whitehead said he spent the bye week relaxing, visiting family while also heading out to New York for a few days.
“On my fourth day we had a big group chat with the receivers, we communicate often. But when I got back I said. ‘I was ready to get back and see y’all. I kinda missed you guys.’ It’s a good feeling to be back out here. I missed football. It’s great to be back out here, get to the city and get things rolling.”
QB TALK:
Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea was asked for an update on QB Matt Nichols, who has been out since the win over B.C. on August 15th and said:
“He’s coming along nicely. He had a pretty good smile on his face today and said he’s feeling pretty good. It’ll probably be another week or two before I can give you any more progress than that.
“He’s coming in every day and working, coming in every afternoon, coming back in the morning… it’s just the process he has to go through.”
The Bombers are again down to two healthy quarterbacks, FYI, as Kevin Anderson did not return from the bye and asked for his release to explore other opportunities. That leaves Chris Streveler and Sean McGuire as the two pivots.
Streveler has seen his passing numbers steadily improve over the last three games and his teammates have seen growth in his leadership, too. Asked about that on Tuesday, Streveler offered this:
“That means a lot to me. Stepping into a position like quarterback you have a voice in the huddle and a voice in meetings. I just want to do my best to help the team play well, so whatever that consists of I want to be able to do it and help the team.”
