Fajardo, Harris ready for quarterbacking duel
Former teammates respect each other, look forward to battling on Saturday
EDMONTON Cody Fajardo is looking forward to making an impression on his former teammate, Trevor Harris.
Fajardo is the starting quarterback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Harris is the No. 1 pivot with the Edmonton Eskimos. Edmonton plays host to the Riders on Saturday, marking the first time that Fajardo and Harris have started against each other since they were both with the Toronto Argonauts in 2015.
“The quarterbacks in this league are like a fraternity and we’re all pretty close to each other,” Fajardo said Friday at Commonwealth Stadium. “It’s an honour for me in my first year starting to be able to play against these guys who have been CFL all-stars. It’s always a blast when you go against great quarterbacks.
“I just don’t want him to play that much. I want to keep him on the sideline as much as possible, because I know how dangerous he can be on the field.”
In 2015, Fajardo and Harris were at different stages of their CFL careers. Harris was starting at quarterback for the Argonauts, filling in while No. 1 quarterback Ricky Ray recovered from a torn rotator cuff.
Fajardo was a raw rookie, having signed a practice-roster contract with the Argonauts on Oct. 8, 2015, after being released by the NFL’S Oakland Raiders.
“I asked him a lot of questions because I was a young buck and my head was spinning with all of the CFL rules, learning a new offence and everything else,” said the 27-year-old Fajardo.
That’s why Harris was pleased to see Fajardo sign a two-year contract extension with the Riders on Monday. The deal is reportedly worth $450,000 a year.
“It’s a big moment when a team gives you that deal,” said Harris, 33, who’s in the first season of a twoyear contract worth $525,000 per annum.
“It’s not about the money, but it’s what the money means and it means that you’re the guy. That’s one of the moments where you get chills through your body. You’re not thinking about the money and I guarantee you that Cody would say the same thing. It’s just that you have an organization that believes in you.”
The Eskimos believe in Harris, who returns to the starting lineup after missing four games with an injury to his throwing arm.
“Pressure is what you put in tires,” Harris said when asked if he has any concerns about being rusty. “I go out here and I just do what I do.”
Harris is good at what he does. He’s fourth in passing yardage (3,706), with 15 touchdowns against four interceptions in 12 regular-season games.
The Eskimos are 6-6 with Harris as their starting quarterback and have a 2-2 record with Logan Kilgore as his replacement. Even though the Eskimos have a .500 winning percentage in both cases, Harris makes the Eskimos’ offence more dangerous.
“You can see there is a difference when Trevor is playing,” said Riders middle linebacker Solomon Elimimian. “Some players give their teams a boost in confidence and Trevor is one of those guys.”
Playoff-wise, the Eskimos can’t finish any higher than fourth and will be the crossover team into the East Division semifinal against the Montreal Alouettes.
Saskatchewan is still battling with the Calgary Stampeders for first place in the West Division.