3 takeaways from Andrew Harris' first press conference as a Rider

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REGINA — The Saskatchewan Roughriders have added a crucial piece to their running attack on Monday.

Former running back Andrew Harris was hired by the Saskatchewan Roughriders to join Corey Mace’s coaching staff as running backs coach. The veteran brings 13 years of CFL experience with him, including four Grey Cup titles and five All-CFL nominations.

Coach Harris spoke for the first time to the media as a Roughriders on Monday in a virtual press conference, and talked about missing football, his relationship to AJ Ouellette and more.

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ATTENTION TO DETAIL

Harris retired as a player at the end of the 2023 season and stepped away from football for a while, focusing instead on his new job for a publicly traded company. The long-time CFL veteran said he didn’t miss the game at first, at least until the competitive fires of the post-season reignited something in him.

“I wasn’t really missing football that much until the playoffs started last year,” said the Winnipeg native. “That’s when things get geared up and I just know that when that intensity, the attention to detail kicks in, that’s when I first started missing football and was thinking that maybe I want to get back into it.”

Harris said his decision to return to football had to make sense, especially regarding the right environment to start this important transition into a new career.

“I was talking to a few teams throughout this process and talking to guys that have been in this racket, going through whether it’s the office jobs or coaching, just trying to find the best advice possible, not so much the organization but the people that you’re working with.

“When I spoke with Mace and a good handful of the staff, whether I played against them or played with them, or them coaching me in the past, (it was about) finding the right opportunity and the right group of guys that I could gel with.”

The veteran knows that as he begins this new chapter, the learning process starts anew.

“I’m a rookie again now and as a coach you need guys that you can trust, that’ll bring you along and support you.”

PLAYER-COACH

Harris started his career with the BC Lions in 2010, where he spent six very successful years, including a Grey Cup title. The back then joined the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2016, doubling down on his success and taking home the Most Outstanding Canadian award in 2017, alongside two championships and a Grey Cup MVP. Finally, Harris finished his playing career with the Toronto Argonauts, winning one more title with the Double Blue.

In Toronto, Harris started a transition into a mentorship role, helping teammate AJ Ouellette take over the backfield and start a successful career of his own. The duo now reunites in Saskatchewan with Harris officially as a coach, even if his teaching may have begun years ago.

“I called AJ yesterday, before everything was public and just kind of spoke about that a bit,” said Harris. “When I went to Toronto, I was really almost like a player coach in a way. My performance on the field had shifted, I wasn’t the main guy anymore.

“So for me, passing nuggets and information and tips, little things down to AJ and kind be in his ear on the sideline with the tablet, I was already in kind of that role, but now it’s more official, there definitely has to be a line there.”

Asked about his former teammate, Harris was very emphatic in his enthusiasm to play with a power running back like Ouellette, looking forward to challenging him into becoming even more of a running threat.

“The guy is obviously very physically gifted and works hard at being as strong as possible,” said the new running backs coach. “I’m challenging him now to focus on being as dynamic and mobile as possible. I don’t think he can get any stronger, quite honestly, and he doesn’t need to be any stronger. He can already squat 700 pounds of whatever it is that he’s squatting. I don’t think there’s another player in the league that’s even getting close to that.”

PARTNERSHIP RENEWED

Harris is now part of Mace’s staff as coach, but the two go way back throughout their shared CFL history. The former running back remembers facing the head coach back when he was a defensive tackle for the Calgary Stampeders, but most importantly their time overlapped in Toronto when Mace was the defensive coordinator for the Argonauts. The duo now will resume their partnership, only this time both will be wearing headsets.

“Corey’s always been a guy that I respected as a player when he was playing. And in Toronto, I really felt like the way he ran his defence, the way his players respected him, just the way he was in and out of the office, (it’s) everything and more than what you want to see in a coach and a guy that you want to be playing or coaching for.

“So when he reached out and we started talking, to me it was really a no-brainer as far as his demeanor and the way he handles this club and I really expect that things are getting better and better as we get to know each other more and get to work with each other on this side of the fence.”