Andrew Harris run & MTL@TOR GDT

[TecnoGenius]

MTL@TOR game 4Q14:44

Harris#33 has one of his best grind-out runs of his career.  Simply crazy.  He runs for a full 10s after contact with full contact and multiple defenders on him the whole time.

That was fun to watch.  Since there's no GDT for it, it gets its own thread.

3 points though:

a) There was a 1.5s period where he was being pushed backwards, and the refs could have whistled progress.

b) The closest ref, the lady ref, was the one who would have whistled it dead... she's wearing... #33.  Hahah, conspiracy? 

c) Some tandem blocking going on, actual TOR on AH contact, which is technically illegal, but no one except Proulx has ever called it, so I doubt the other refs even know what TB is.  And even Proulx only called it once.  Another one of those dumb rules that if they won't enforce, just get rid of the rule.  Unlike the OC ones they never call, TB is supposed to be a player safety issue.  So much for that.

[theaardvark]

There were similar runs in each game... 

[pjrocksmb]

I missed the game but I can only imagine how good he played

[Pigskin]

AH33, 6 for 21. 3.5 avg. 9 yard longest. Quellette first 100 yard game of the season.

[pjrocksmb]

AH33, 6 for 21. 3.5 avg. 9 yard longest.

Not as good as I imagined lol

[TecnoGenius]

There were similar runs in each game... 

I'm AH33's #1 fan here (see my avatar?), and I watch him intently.  I don't recall him running for 10s AFC before in all his time here.  Lots of hard runs, yes.  Carrying guys, yes.  But 10s?  That may be some new record by any RB.

[TecnoGenius]

AH33, 6 for 21. 3.5 avg. 9 yard longest. Quellette first 100 yard game of the season.

Ouellette getting his first 100Y is the big shocker here.  That's incredible, as he seems to run over everyone every game.  And AH is a minor speller at most, most games (this one being a bit of an outlier).

I've moved away from Oullette in fantasy quite a bit.  He used to be a lock-in for big points.  Not for most of this season.  TOR uses their RB game sparingly in-season.  I have noticed they like to do a whack-ton of screens.  Have to watch for that when we play them...

[TecnoGenius]

Hahaha, check out 4Q2:38 (when most people were napping on this snoozefest game).

Bede's FG goes out above the EZ camera shot, then actually whacks the camera lens!!  Now that's some aim, Bede!  I'm pretty sure I've never seen that before.

[TecnoGenius]

Not as good as I imagined lol

You'd love this run, trust me PJ.  Maybe we'll get a clip somehwere.

AH33, 6 for 21. 3.5 avg. 9 yard longest. Quellette first 100 yard game of the season.

Ya, but what a 9Y!

[TecnoGenius]

I also liked that right before the start of the 3rd Q, Lapo shows his "2nd half adjustments sheet" and explains how he handles it.  That's really cool and something we never get to see on TSN.

I really liked Lapo in the booth.  However, he was talking XO's over 2 of AJ's TDs! LOL

[TecnoGenius]

No thread for the CGY@EDM game either?  I'm in the middle of that one.  Not enough free time this weekend!

Did anyone else notice the audio on this game was about half a second ahead of the video?  Or is it just my PVR?  Disconcerting hearing the whistle while the carrier is still upright!

Maier keeps steadily improving each week, it seems.  Ford really needs to learn how to throw.

[3rdand1.5]

No thread for the CGY@EDM game either?  I'm in the middle of that one.  Not enough free time this weekend!

Did anyone else notice the audio on this game was about half a second ahead of the video?  Or is it just my PVR?  Disconcerting hearing the whistle while the carrier is still upright!

Maier keeps steadily improving each week, it seems.  Ford really needs to learn how to throw.

Ford is a great athlete, but he will get hurt playing the style he is trying to play. Sask. defence can lay the wood and plays to the line...often past...they will be ornery after giving up 51 last week, I never wish ill will, but it wouldn't surprise me to not see him finish the game this week.

[Lincoln Locomotive]

Since this is a Harris thread I wonder how amped up he'll be to return to IGF where he was revered by Winnipeg fans.    Thing is, Brady is already surpassing AH33 as a crowd favourite and has made me a huge fan.  I know he mentored under Harris and I'm sure much of how his style evolved came grew from that experience.    What I love about Brady is his character both on and off the field.   Thing is AH33 is in the declining phase of his career and Brady has already blossomed into a "Made in Winnipeg" superstar.   
I'm sure AH33 will be amped up to play against his old team that let him walk and I'm positive Brady will strive to leave an impression.    The Argo D is undoubtedly one of the best in the CFL but I'm sure Brady is aware along with his O-line.   Should be a real barn burner as these two teams are quite likely going to play in Hamilton in November.    Buckle up Bomber fans.....

[Pigskin]

AH33 will be pumped, and probably have his best game of the season. Which won't take much as his best game this season has been 41 yards rushing.

Brady was the right choice for the Bombers. AH33 could have stayed and played backup to BO20, just like he's doing with Quellette. But, he made the decision to walk and make a little extra money in Toronto.

I hope BO20 continues to excel and never touches the PEDs.

[theaardvark]

AH33 will be pumped, and probably have his best game of the season. Which won't take much as his best game this season has been 41 yards rushing.

Brady was the right choice for the Bombers. AH33 could have stayed and played backup to BO20, just like he's doing with Quellette. But, he made the decision to walk and make a little extra money in Toronto.

I hope BO20 continues to excel and never touches the PEDs.

AH33 did not decide to walk to make more money, he walked because Pinball didn't ask him to work out or have a physical before signing him.  All Walters wanted was for AH33 to come in for an assessment before signing him. 

After he showed up to camp out of shape the year before, a totally reasonable request.  AH33 made his decision to not come in.  And Pinball gave him an out.

Not sure he would have "happily" backed up BO20... Ouilette is a beast and carved out the starting spot in TOR and has shared it with AH33.  Not sure how well that would have went with BO20 taking the majority of the reps.  No doubt he would share, but I wonder if AH33 would have been as "gracious" here...

[Pigskin]

AH33 did not decide to walk to make more money, he walked because Pinball didn't ask him to work out or have a physical before signing him.  All Walters wanted was for AH33 to come in for an assessment before signing him. 

After he showed up to camp out of shape the year before, a totally reasonable request.  AH33 made his decision to not come in.  And Pinball gave him an out.

Not sure he would have "happily" backed up BO20... Ouilette is a beast and carved out the starting spot in TOR and has shared it with AH33.  Not sure how well that would have went with BO20 taking the majority of the reps.  No doubt he would share, but I wonder if AH33 would have been as "gracious" here...

I am pretty sure Ah received more money from Toronto then the Bomber were offering him here. 

[theaardvark]

I am pretty sure Ah received more money from Toronto then the Bomber were offering him here. 

The amount the Bombers offered for "sight unseen" AH33 was below what he signed for in TOR, yes.  The amount AH33 could have earned here had he reported and passed a physical/workout was probably the same or higher than he got in TOR.  And after expenses, a lot more.

[Jesse]

The amount the Bombers offered for "sight unseen" AH33 was below what he signed for in TOR, yes.  The amount AH33 could have earned here had he reported and passed a physical/workout was probably the same or higher than he got in TOR.  And after expenses, a lot more.

As far as I recall, there was no "sight unseen" number. If he met all the conditions, he would be offered a contract that paid him less than Brady and Johnny. So around 90k.

He signed for 165k in TO, I believe.

[Pigskin]

As far as I recall, there was no "sight unseen" number. If he met all the conditions, he would be offered a contract that paid him less than Brady and Johnny. So around 90k.

He signed for 165k in TO, I believe.

I heard he was offered $125K in Winnipeg, but you could be right.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

I heard he was offered $125K in Winnipeg, but you could be right.

I think you're right, they wouldn't offer Harris money below Brady as he had not established himself yet. 

A big contract for Brady next season still comes in below $175k, they don't have to offer the amount top receivers are now earning because there is no lack of supply of good Import RB's that will play for base wages.  An example, the Ti-Cats stole highly sought after James Butler from the Lions for $125,800.

[theaardvark]

As far as I recall, there was no "sight unseen" number. If he met all the conditions, he would be offered a contract that paid him less than Brady and Johnny. So around 90k.

He signed for 165k in TO, I believe.

Pretty sure he did not receive a "if conditions are met" offer... he refused to workout, and the Bombers extended him an "insulting" sight unseen offer.  Pinball ponied up a contract without any conditions, and AH33 took it.  

BO20 and JA27 both accepted contracts between AH33 being asked to workout, and him signing in TOR.  

If he had just come in for a workout, he would have been offered the first contract, I have no doubt.  

All that said, I am sooo happy he did not come in.  We might have lost BO20, and he's going to win MOC this year, and maybe MOP...  while it would have been nice for AH33 to lay out his career here, I'll take BO20 for the next 5-10 years instead, please.

[TecnoGenius]

He signed for 165k in TO, I believe.

If it's around $165 then that's very generous and no wonder he went and took it.  Plus Pinball showed him the utmost respect after the "dis" from KW et al, deserved or not.  Stroking the ego never hurts when signing a player.

But hey, it all worked out in the end.  We got Brady and have a very affordable and #1 RB corps.  AH got his payday and respect and another ring and brought some morale and motivation to TOR.  Everyone's happy.  Even me, who loves both WPG and AH33.

I just hope we deny him his 5th ring this GC.  I think TOR is getting too cocky and it'll cost them.  I was fine with him screwing us over in 2022, but this year we get our revenge.

[TecnoGenius]

CGY@EDM game, Awe interview @halftime:

"They're trying to be a little bit like WPG, so maybe they're getting some plays from WPG, all those guys over there, Stanley Bryant, maybe they're talking to them, I don't know"

Hahaha  That's awesome.  If a team has a good run game they must be taking tips from WPG.   

Weird, all these years and I don't think I've ever seen TSN pick Awe to interview.  He seems like a super smart and with-it LB, as well as talented.  I think he might be a good fit here, should we ever have the need; although he's no spring chicken either.

[TecnoGenius]

Haha, oops.  I tout Awe and then he dirty hits Ford later in the game.  Awe has always played a little close to the edge.  I guess he hasn't stopped.  Oh well, forget about MOS locker room material with that guy...

[Jesse]

I heard he was offered $125K in Winnipeg, but you could be right.

Andrew was very vocal that it was an insult to be offered to be the lowest paid guy in the room.

Both Brady and Johnny are making around 100k.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Haha, oops.  I tout Awe and then he dirty hits Ford later in the game.  Awe has always played a little close to the edge.  I guess he hasn't stopped.  Oh well, forget about MOS locker room material with that guy...

I've seen Awe do interviews, he's well spoken and intelligent, but when he puts on a helmet he turns into a crazy person. 

[theaardvark]

Andrew was very vocal that it was an insult to be offered to be the lowest paid guy in the room.

Both Brady and Johnny are making around 100k.

I understand that Andrew was insulted by the offer.  But he can't think that any player refusing a workout/physical would not garner a non-insulting offer, can he?  Regardless past performance.  Just the refusal is a big enough red flag.  It says either he is injured/out of shape (past history repeated) or he is too special to need to subject himself to it (even though he was here, and it would have taken a morning, tops).

Be it hubris or ego, he made his bed.  Pinball bought the AH33 brand, and was short shrifted on #games, (only 8 games played) but got a cup, so you can't fault his gamble.

We got BO20 for a full year of development (18 games, 1000+ yards) into a back who could one day eclipse AH33 in this town.  And leads the league as a RB.   

[TecnoGenius]

I've seen Awe do interviews, he's well spoken and intelligent, but when he puts on a helmet he turns into a crazy person. 

Ya, it's the weirdest thing.  Then there's a guy like Simoni, who is the same on field or off.  But Awe is like Jekyll & Hyde.  I'm not sure I can think of another player who changes persona so drastically.  If he could reign it in, maybe he'd be MOS material.  That's a big, probably impossible, if.

[GCn19]

Pretty sure he did not receive a "if conditions are met" offer... he refused to workout, and the Bombers extended him an "insulting" sight unseen offer.  Pinball ponied up a contract without any conditions, and AH33 took it.  

BO20 and JA27 both accepted contracts between AH33 being asked to workout, and him signing in TOR.  

If he had just come in for a workout, he would have been offered the first contract, I have no doubt.  

All that said, I am sooo happy he did not come in.  We might have lost BO20, and he's going to win MOC this year, and maybe MOP...  while it would have been nice for AH33 to lay out his career here, I'll take BO20 for the next 5-10 years instead, please.

No sight unseen number at all. He had one contract offer and that was pending a physical that he refused to take. Andrew Harris discussed it at length in his interview afterwards.

[GCn19]

Andrew was very vocal that it was an insult to be offered to be the lowest paid guy in the room.

Both Brady and Johnny are making around 100k.

He did a full interview about it, and that indeed was Andrew's side of the story. Bombers offered him a contract to be lowest paid RB in the room and would depend on him passing a physical. Seems the Bombers knew the tank was empty.

[Lincoln Locomotive]

It was fortunate that TO had Ouelette to play when Harris was injured....the two of then though were instrumental in their GC victory over us,    if we meet in Hamilton we will likely be the underdog and that suits this team just fine.   My dream finish is for us to beat them in the grudge match and Brady is MVP player of the game.

[GOLDMEMBER]

It was fortunate that TO had Ouelette to play when Harris was injured....the two of then though were instrumental in their GC victory over us,    if we meet in Hamilton we will likely be the underdog and that suits this team just fine.   My dream finish is for us to beat them in the grudge match and Brady is MVP player of the game.

well said and hope for the same.

[kkc60]

When we play Toronto, we gotta figure out a way to bring either Fox or Haba to the lineup. Rolling 6 DL against a run heavy offence like Torontos is gonna be a recipe for disaster.

[TecnoGenius]

It was fortunate that TO had Ouelette to play when Harris was injured....the two of then though were instrumental in their GC victory over us,    if we meet in Hamilton we will likely be the underdog and that suits this team just fine.   My dream finish is for us to beat them in the grudge match and Brady is MVP player of the game.

It's pretty clear to me that AH33 was brought in more for the intangibles / leadership / mentorship.  They already had been developing Ouellette for a while, and he was coming along nicely.  It's clear AH33 being around has helped propel the cracked eggs guy.

It's a bit of an expensive gamble for non-onfield production, but it clearly worked out for Pinball.  Like he said, it was a "gift".  (Dare I ask, do we win that 2022 GC if we had retained AH and benefited from his intangibles, whilst letting BO20 run most of the plays?  We did seem to lack a je ne sais quois in the 4th... Leadership would have helped...)

[GOLDMEMBER]

The guy barely plays. He is in for what about 30% of there snaps?

[blue_gold_84]

The Bombers win the GC last year if they don't piss away a 9-point lead in the final quarter with some bad decision making and poor execution.

Not retaining the services of an aging veteran tailback is not why they lost.

[GOLDMEMBER]

The Bombers win the GC last year if they don't piss away a 9-point lead in the final quarter with some bad decision making and poor execution.

Not retaining the services of an aging veteran tailback is not why they lost.

This^

[Sir Blue and Gold]

It's pretty clear to me that AH33 was brought in more for the intangibles / leadership / mentorship.  They already had been developing Ouellette for a while, and he was coming along nicely.  It's clear AH33 being around has helped propel the cracked eggs guy.

It's a bit of an expensive gamble for non-onfield production, but it clearly worked out for Pinball.  Like he said, it was a "gift".  (Dare I ask, do we win that 2022 GC if we had retained AH and benefited from his intangibles, whilst letting BO20 run most of the plays?  We did seem to lack a je ne sais quois in the 4th... Leadership would have helped...)

Leadership would have helped? We have more leadership on this team even without Harris than the bottom half of teams combined.

[Lincoln Locomotive]

Brady mentored under AH33 and his departure opened the door for him to step into the bright lights.....despite his shaky start he persisted and wound up being an integral part of our offence last season.    This year he has taken it to another level and is now being considered for the MOC and even some rumblings about MOP.    Had Harris stayed with the Bombers that likely wouldn't have happened.    When being interviewed Brady is often cast in the same light as Harris however he is quick to counter that and state that he is a completely different person than Harris.   As it stands now it looks like the Bombers were right albeit the transactions were awkward and left bitter feelings.    Personal egos have a lot to do with it and Pinball was there ready to stroke Andrew's ego and pay him more.    Seemed to work out for Pinball as he knows a thing or two about RBs.   
The ultimate climax to this story could likely unfold in Hamilton this November and Brady will love nothing better than to show his worth and be a factor in the game, hopefully helping us defeat the vaunted Argos.   I would love nothing better than for Brady than to be the MVP in that game....against one of the best Ds in the league.

[Pigskin]

The guy barely plays. He is in for what about 30% of there snaps?

And, he really didn't do much after the 1st. quarter in the GC. Basically by half time he was out of the game.

[Pigskin]

The Bombers win the GC last year if they don't piss away a 9-point lead in the final quarter with some bad decision making and poor execution.

Not retaining the services of an aging veteran tailback is not why they lost.

True.

[TecnoGenius]

The guy barely plays. He is in for what about 30% of there snaps?

Less, I'd say 15-20% over the season.  Less in the '22 GC.  Like I said, he was hired for the intangibles, not for his ability at RB.

Leadership would have helped? We have more leadership on this team even without Harris than the bottom half of teams combined.

You forget the '19 and '21 "you got my back?" pep talks?  Have you seen any video of amazing WPG pep talks since AH left?  I didn't think so...

I'm sure there's something, and someone stepping up.  I'm sure it's pretty good.  But did we lose the heart of the team to TOR?  The good thing is, maybe we needed '22 to get over that loss and '23 is the year to get it back.

[Jesse]

Less, I'd say 15-20% over the season.  Less in the '22 GC.  Like I said, he was hired for the intangibles, not for his ability at RB.

You forget the '19 and '21 "you got my back?" pep talks?  Have you seen any video of amazing WPG pep talks since AH left?  I didn't think so...

I'm sure there's something, and someone stepping up.  I'm sure it's pretty good.  But did we lose the heart of the team to TOR?  The good thing is, maybe we needed '22 to get over that loss and '23 is the year to get it back.

Nope.

[blue_gold_84]

Nope.

This.

Hilarious mental gymnastics.

[DM83]

Pep talks?  Are you serious.
I think Harris looks a little fat, don?t you.
Did he. Get hurt on that one hit.?

[TecnoGenius]

How quickly everyone forgets those talks, they played on TSN all the time, and how that hyped us all up.  You think that didn't affect the players?  Revisionist history.  Y'all believe what you want, I believe Pinball did score his "gift" and has reaped the rewards.  He could have easily cut Harris in this past offseason; he was often hurt and didn't produce much in-season 2022 or in the GC (and even less this season!).  Why do you keep a player like that and keep paying him respectable salary??  Why?  Pinball is stupid??  Nope...

It's. The. Intangibles.

Pep talks?  Are you serious.
I think Harris looks a little fat, don?t you.
Did he. Get hurt on that one hit.?

Proved my point for me.  See my comment above.

[DM83]

Yikes.
A couple of easy questions..

[blue_gold_84]

Revisionist history, indeed. LOL