Bombers feel a lot better with Harris in tow
Mike O’Shea didn’t want to call running back Andrew Harris amazing on Sunday, just a few hours after the Winnipegger re-upped with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers until the end of the 2020 season with a fresh two-year contract extension.
It’s not that he doesn’t think Harris deserves that adjective; he certainly does, and Harris’ stats, especially his numbers from 2017, back up the claim. But O’Shea’s initial amazement has simply morphed into an expectation. What the reigning Most Outstanding Canadian does on the field is just the status quo. At 31, he’s still putting the hurt on opposing defences.
“The guy works extremely hard,” O’Shea said Sunday, Day 1 of Blue Bombers training camp.
Everything about playing for the Bombers makes sense to Harris. He’s playing for a competitive team he thinks has the goods to take a stab at a Grey Cup. In that same vein, he’s the team’s heartbeat on offence. Plus, Harris’ connections with the fans and community are well known. He understands the team’s history and its yearning for a Grey Cup ring as the organization heads into season No. 28 without having won the CFL’s greatest prize.
“It’s a good fit … and it was absolutely crucial for me to re-sign,” Harris said on Monday.
Harris is entering his third season in Winnipeg after signing as a free agent before the 2016 campaign, and is coming off his best season in the CFL.
He finished the 2017 season leading the league in rushing (1,035 yards) and set a CFL record for receptions by a running back, leading the entire CFL in passes caught with 105. Harris finished the season with six rushing touch- downs and one receiving score.
“When I first got here, being a part of this organization, being at home, it was a dream come true,” Harris said. “And then to fit the mould of being one of the guys and one of the leaders on this team, it just feels good to secure myself in for a few more years.”