Photo Electric Umbrella/Liam Richards
For Trevor Harris, accepting a snap is infinitely preferable to hearing one.
“If you’ve ever broken a branch over your leg, that was the sound that went through my head a few times,” the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ marquee quarterback recounted on Tuesday, unflinchingly flashing back 318 days to the moment when his 2023 season reached a premature, painful conclusion.
In the fourth quarter of a July 15 CFL game against the Calgary Stampeders, Harris suffered a tibial plateau fracture of his right knee while completing a 17-yard run at Mosaic Stadium.
While sitting on a cart and being driven toward the tunnel, only a few yards away from where he patiently fielded questions from reporters following Tuesday’s session at Coors Light Training Camp, he raised his right hand to acknowledge the fans’ respectful applause.
The wave, he vowed, would not signal good-bye.
Always a superbly conditioned athlete, Harris immersed himself in a rehabilitative regimen that proceeded nicely ahead of schedule.
The speed of his recovery was such that he could have been in consideration to play in the 2023 West Division final, had the Roughriders advanced that far in the playoffs.
As accelerated as it was, the recuperative process wasn’t a breeze by any means.
At one point, his biggest opponent was impatience. Dialogue with himself was along the lines of: “Why isn’t it 100 per cent? I know I started walking yesterday. Why isn’t it better?”
Well, for starters, the bone was actually fractured in five places.
“When you research the tibial plateau, it’s kind of a bear,” Harris said.
“But I always say, ‘If you see me fight with a bear, pray for the bear.’ ”
Prayer was a source of comfort and strength as Harris progressed to the point where he was once again firing crisp passes all over the field, as he did during Tuesday’s practice.
It is quite the comeback story — and the regular season has yet to begin.
“Praise Jesus,” he said. “It’s something I wasn’t sure would happen, but all glory to God.
“I think I might actually run the ball a little bit this year.”
Watching him throughout training camp, it is hard to believe the injury actually happened.
In his return to live action, he completed nine of 11 passes for 123 yards in a 25-12 pre-season victory over the visiting Winnipeg Blue Bombers on May 10.
His first completion was an over-the-top connection with Shawn Bane Jr., who gained 65 yards on the play.
Harris was on the field for 15 snaps during the Roughriders’ pre-season opener. He then made the trip to Edmonton for Saturday’s game against the Elks, albeit in an advisory role as Mason Fine, Shea Patterson, Antonio Pipkin and Jack Coan handled the quarterbacking in a 28-27 Saskatchewan victory.
Training camp resumed on Monday, when Harris once again hit the field with the enthusiasm of a rookie.
“You’re always grateful to come out here,” he said on Tuesday, three days shy of his 38th birthday.
“Sometimes, it just feels like Groundhog Day. When you walk out here, it’s like, ‘Man, we’ve got another practice. Let’s try and do well. Let’s learn. Let’s grow.’
“But I’ve just approached each day with gratitude — full gratitude that God has given me another opportunity to play not only in the league, but for the best fan base in the league, in such an historic place and in the most beautiful stadium in the league.
“I don’t take a single day for granted. I don’t take a single moment for granted. This year, we’re going to be in attack mode all year.
“That’s the only thing I can promise this fan base: We’re going to attack each and every day, each and every moment.”
What will that moment be like, he was asked, when it is time to step on to the field for the June 8 regular-season opener in Edmonton?
“To be honest, I get kind of cynical when I start thinking about how I’m going to feel and stuff,” Harris responded. “I play ball so, when I step between the white lines, that’s what’s on my mind.
“I think it’ll be something that I’ll reflect on after the game — just like, ‘Wow … I got to do this again.’ ”
