Rob Vanstone: Trevor Harris, an always-insightful open book, is ready to begin a new chapter
Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Trevor Harris has never been so delighted to see a swarm of humanity rushing the passer.
Following a smoke-shortened Green and White intra-squad game on May 20 at SMF Field, ardent devotees of the community-owned team stormed the fences to meet the players.
The game, which pales in importance to Sunday’s regular-season opener against the host Edmonton Elks, lasted 10 offensive plays and a mere 4½ minutes before the air quality rendered the remainder of the controlled scrimmage unplayable. Nonetheless, the overall experience left a lasting impression on the Roughriders’ No. 7.
“It really hit me in Saskatoon that the people just love the Riders,” Harris said on Saturday. “Not that it drives you more, but you really want to win for these fans that are so passionate. They’re so amazing and they truly care about the Riders.
“I wanted to stand out there for an extra 30 minutes and be able to sign all the autographs, because people were upset that we had to leave. They’d just waited all day to see us.
“It makes you take pride in wearing this ‘S’ on your chest and to be able to don the green and white.
“Going into (Sunday’s game), it’s a new chapter — but maybe the most exciting chapter.”
That comment is especially intriguing when you consider everything Harris has accomplished to this point in a CFL career that began in 2012.
A high-priority free-agent signing on Feb. 14, Harris arrived in Saskatchewan as the 19th-leading passer in league history in terms of yardage (28,610).
His career efficiency rating (102.8) is superior to all 18 players — including 12 current Hall of Famers and two sure-fire future inductees — who are above him on the list.
Yet, the “most exciting chapter” could nonetheless still be in front of him. Interesting …
“I think everything culminates in the present moment that you’re in,” Harris said. “Everything you’ve been through makes the present moment more special.
“I’m 37 years old. I’m not 26 anymore. There’s a finish line, and I know that I’m not going to play forever.
“Just think — I get to play this game with my brothers and I get to play this game with the people that I’ve grown close with over this off-season while getting in touch with the guys and developing the relationships.
“I really feel like this team has gotten really, really close. As you kind of realize that you don’t get to do this forever, it becomes more and special.
“So (on Sunday) I’m just going to really enjoy the moment.”
Without getting caught up in the moment — or the accompanying pressure of residing in the football fishbowl that is Rider Nation.
“You feel it’s different, but the game is unchanged,” Harris said. “The moment is unchanged. The present is unchanged.
“That pressure comes from past failures or future anxieties. So, for me, it’s just about being in that present moment.”
Such is the routine throughout game day, from the moment he wakes up. Always mindful of nutrition and peak condition, Harris understands the imperatives of taking care of the body and the mind as kickoff approaches.
“You’ve just got to make sure that you hydrate and eat a good meal early,” he said. “I don’t like to play on anything in my stomach, so I just wait around until the game and try to take a nice little game-day nap.
“I maybe go through a little checklist of plays or things that I want to do leading up to the game. You make sure your mental cues are ready and then you just go out and warm up how you need to warm up.
“I used to think that I had to do all these certain things in warmup. Now it’s just about going out there and doing what I need to do to feel like I’m ready to play and then letting it fly and letting guys like Derel Walker make plays.”
That comment captures the essence of Trevor Harris, quarterback and teammate.
Blessed with a rapid-fire release, the selfless signal-caller makes a point of passing along the credit just as quickly in order to ensure that receivers such as Walker, Jake Wieneke, Shawn Bane Jr., Samuel Emilus, Juwan Brescacin and Mitch Picton receive the football and the accompanying attention.
“The name I should have chosen is ‘the mailman,’ ” Harris said with a chuckle. “I just deliver the mail and let these guys do their thing.
“That’s my whole thing — just make sure I deliver the mail, deliver it on time to the right spot, and let these guys work.
“They’re amazing guys that I have around me and I’m just really excited to go out there and play.”
Especially in the season opener — the beginning of the aforementioned new chapter.
“It’s the first one, so it’s much-anticipated,” Harris said shortly after the team landed in Edmonton. “There’s a countdown clock back at Mosaic Stadium and today I walked by there and saw ‘one day and six hours.’ I remember when I came here in February and it was just so long away.
“So that first game is always anticipated, but every game is special, just because the next one is never promised.
“I’ve had a lot of teammates who have gotten injuries just like that and they didn’t get to play the next one. Even in weeks of practice, a bad injury will happen and they don’t get to play and they never get another chance.
“It’s always about being grateful for that moment. The Game 1s are always a little bit more special, but they’re all special.”
