WINNIPEG — Rare is the line of work in which someone is critiqued, at times indelicately, by a live audience that easily exceeds 30,000.
But that is part of the routine for Trevor Harris, who within six days will have experienced both ends of the spectrum.
Last Sunday, he quarterbacked the Saskatchewan Roughriders in front of the largest gathering in the history of new Mosaic Stadium.
Nearly 34,000 people watched a suitably named Labour Day Classic, in which the Winnipeg Blue Bombers prevailed 35-33.
Saturday’s sequel, before 32,000-plus eyewitnesses at Princess Auto Stadium, will feature the same teams performing in another ear-splitting environment. This time, however, the Roughriders will play before a crowd that is, shall we say, less than welcoming.
“It’s fun,” Harris, 38, said with a smile after the Green and White arrived in Winnipeg on Friday.
“Since I was 36ish, I’ve liked being able to see my wife and kids in the stands. Before that, I always preferred road games, and I still love road games with all my heart.
“One of my lasting memories, whenever I’m done playing, will be when you throw the ball, you let it go, you get hit, and you can’t see if it was caught or not.
“Just hearing the collective sigh from the crowd, to me that’s the greatest feeling. I love it. It gives me chills thinking about it.
“Those are the sorts of things that are really fun during these types of environments — especially a game like tomorrow.
“We know that it’s going to be loud. We’re not going to be able to use our cadence, because the fans are going to be too loud for us to use it.
“What more would you want? You don’t want to play in a road game with 8,000 fans. It’s going to be all of them against us, but let’s go.
“It’s going to be like Rocky IV — in a hostile environment in Russia.”
That is quite a contrast to last weekend, when Harris was able to quiet and electrify the crowd.
The electrification resulted from 368 aerial yards and three touchdown passes. Harris also ran for a major as the Roughriders, who trailed by 12 points midway through the fourth quarter, turned the game into a nailbiter.
The quiet? That was a given as a predominantly green-clad gathering withheld the noise when Harris was calling the signals.
Saskatchewan began its final possession with 1:29 remaining, 89 yards to go and an eight-point deficit to tackle.
Working the clock with the expertise of a veteran and guiding the offence like a maestro, Harris took the team to the end zone in 10 plays.
Time after time, he zipped the ball through tight windows with patented precision en route to finishing the game with 31,669 career passing yards — just 71 fewer than Darian Durant, who is 16th on the CFL’s All-Time list.
Impressive numbers, yes, but it has never been about numbers for Harris.
He would much rather talk about moments, which get to the heart of why he loves a game he continues to play at such a high level.
“It’s fun,” Harris said. “To me, those are the environments that are really cool, because all you have to do is just be in the moment that you’re in.
“You’re in that one moment. You can’t start thinking, ‘This is a huge moment.’ No, no.
“You just have to make the right read on the first play. You’ve got to deliver the ball to the right person at the right time and make the right decision, and then do the next right thing.
“I think in moments like that, people can kind of pucker up and maybe get a little bit tight, but I’ve never seen any moment as being bigger than another.
“I treat a pre-season game like I do the Grey Cup. When I’m playing, I’m giving you everything I’ve got. It’s going to be no different tomorrow, no matter what the situation is or how high the moment is.”
That is the wisest approach for someone who is poised to wade into an environment that some may refer to as pressurized or perceive to be intimidating.
“That’s why you get paid the bigger amounts or whether or you’re considered a franchise quarterback — the ability to perform in those moments week after week when your body doesn’t feel good or whatever it may be,” he said.
“But don’t mistake that for it just being me out there. The offensive line did a superb job. Our receivers were making really tough contested catches that whole second half. Coach (Marc) Mueller was dialing up amazing play calls.
“I’m just out there doing my part. If we let the moment get too big, then we can be letting our team down.
“It took all of us. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get the two-point conversion (to tie the game with 14 seconds left) but tomorrow, if it comes to that situation, we will.”
