Ideally, a Trevor Harris-led offence will flow like the tears he shed on Thursday.
“On my way in today, I actually cried,” Harris confided one day before he will return to the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ lineup for a game against the Montreal Alouettes (Friday, 7 p.m., Mosaic Stadium).
“I was crying in the car on my way here — just thankful, just grateful.”
Those heartfelt sentiments were expressed 53 days after his previous pre-game media conference.
Near halftime against the visiting Hamilton Tiger-Cats on June 24, he suffered a knee injury that forced him to miss 6½ games.
Now he is poised to return for a CFL contest that will be witnessed by, among others, the remarkable Suzanne Harris of Waldo, Ohio.
“My mom just got into town last night and she sent me a song that’s about how fast life goes,” her proud son said.
“Shoot, I’m 38 years old. I wanted to play a couple of years of pro football so that I could build my resume and coach. Snap — it’s 15 years in. Praise Jesus that I’ve gotten to play this long.
“I’m sure you guys can all relate, being early in your career and then, all of a sudden, you’re the old person. Or, you’re making fun of the old people and then, all of a sudden, the young people are like, ‘Man, you’re old!’
“It’s just one of those moments of gratitude. I was tearing up on the way in, thinking, ‘I get to do this again.’ I’m insanely grateful that we get to play this game. I grew up loving this game.
“All the time, my son is running around the living room, and he’s doing the announcer voice: ‘T.J. Harris catches a touchdown!’ I was that kid. I remember that.
“And here I am, not with 10 years left in my career. It starts to dwindle and you just get more and more grateful. You have a little bit more perspective.”
It is tough to imagine Harris, always a fountain of perspective, adding “a little bit more,” but his contextual ceiling must be somewhere in the stratosphere.
“Just hearing the song about how fast time goes, it lets you remember how quickly it goes and how quickly things can be taken away from you,” he continued.
“A lot of times, we start thinking about future anxieties or past failures we’ve had. Sometimes it’s good to think about how awesome things were in the ‘good ol’ days,’ as they say, but the most effective thing we can do is just sit here right now and be in the present.
“I wiggle my toes, just to make sure that I’m right here, right now. Being in this moment right now is really the most effective thing we can do, because then we can be present for other people.
“We can love other people. We can be grateful for the times instead of thinking about the old times.”
At times, it felt like Harris was talking directly to me, even though he was (wisely) looking elsewhere.
As a barnacled historian, I routinely celebrate “good ol’ days” in this space, or in casual conversation. (Forty-eight years ago today at Taylor Field: Saskatchewan 40, Edmonton 0!)
It is also interesting to hear eloquent reflections on aging from a young man who was born on May 31, 1986 — 19 days after I started my career.
Another attribute Harris possesses: The ability to compartmentalize.
As a follow-up, I asked him what emotions he might encounter on Friday — especially when he emerges from the tunnel or stands on the sideline for the national anthem, poised to play the game he loves for the first time in nearly two months.
“I kind of took care of that stuff today,” Harris replied. “Then it’s more or less, ‘Be in the moment,’ and do the next right thing that I can for the team.
“So tomorrow, I’m not sure that I’m going to be emotional or anything of that nature. I’m just going to be thinking about what I need to do next to be effective for the team.”
That has been his mindset throughout the recuperative process.
The consummate competitor, he was lobbying to return to the very same game in which he was injured. He ended up on six-game injured list.
Could he have returned a week or two ago? Perhaps. But Head Coach Corey Mace, in close consultation with the medical and training staffs, opted to play the long game and exercise the utmost caution with a premier player.
Even then, the rigours of a football season preclude a complete recovery — for anyone.
Consider the response when Harris was asked whether he is 100 per cent.
“No, but I’m good enough,” he responded. “I can do what I need to do. I can escape the pocket if I need to. I can move the progressions.
“I can guarantee that if you ask the 24 starters if they feel 100 per cent, you’re not going to get very many yesses. You get the adrenalin going.
“Can I do what I need to do and then some? Of course. I wouldn’t be putting myself and the team in a situation where I couldn’t go out there and play effectively and protect myself.”
Harris was then asked if he can pick up where he left off. At the time of the injury, his impressive statistical ledger included a league-best seven touchdown passes.
“I don’t see why not,” he said. “It’s just about making sure you’re trusting your progressions, taking what the defence gives you, and taking your shots when they’re given to you.
“A lot of times, the defence is going to dictate where the ball goes. It’s my job to make sure I deliver the mail on time and let the guys do their thing.
“If I deliver the ball accurately, on time and effectively and we allow our offensive line to come downhill and trust the game plan, I think we’re going to be just fine.”
The Roughriders are just fine — owners of a 5-3-1 record that places them first in the West Division at the midpoint of the regular season.
Considerable credit must go to Shea Patterson, who made six starts while Harris was sidelined. Following two of those appearances, Patterson was the CFL’s highest-rated quarterback, according to evaluations done by Pro Football Focus.
As one who commands a high level of respect and an advanced knowledge of offensive football, you might think that Harris would constantly be in the ear of his 27-year-old understudy. Not so.
“There were a couple of games where we had game-winning drives,” Harris said. “I tried not to say too much to Shea, because when he’s playing, I want him to know he’s driving the car. This is his vehicle. Go be the leader — the Alpha.
“But there were a few times when I felt I needed to say something to him and go give him the advice. I told him I was always here in case he needed anything.
“One time when I went up to him, I said, ‘Hey, when you’re in your backyard and you’re eight years old, you’re not a part of blowouts. You’re down by four with 1:10 left. The pressure’s on.’
“Those are the moments you live for. The moment you live for is being in the huddle, being the man in the arena. It’s absolutely what we play this game for.
“That’s why, this entire time, I’ve been just striving to get back. It’s about being smart and making sure you’re putting your team in a good position — not being selfish and coming back too quickly, because you want to feel that.
“It’s one of those things where you’re constantly striving for it, but that’s what you live for.”
