The Alouettes | The curious case of Trevor Harris

If you see a guy riding an electric scooter with an Alouettes helmet on his head in Montreal’s east end, it’s probably Trevor Harris. The starting quarterback of the Als and his family live in Hochelaga and it is often this way that he goes to the Olympic Stadium.

Miguel Bujold
The Press

When Danny Maciocia obtained Harris in a trade with the Edmonton Elks to make up for the absence of Vernon Adams Jr., injured in his arm, a little over a year ago, we expected anything but meet a nice guy. Harris was not — and still is not — unanimous.

Some of his opponents find him not the bravest. Journalists find his answers lacking in authenticity. Fans aren’t convinced he’s capable of winning the “big” game. One of his former teammates, Antoine Pruneau, has even accused him of not being a team player.

In short, the rumors and his reputation described a selfish player who cared more about his stats than the success of his club. A chilly player, who crashed in hot moments.

This portrait seems exaggerated to say the least. While it’s true that we often have the impression that the 36-year-old quarterback takes the tape out to us in an interview, he seems to have the Alouettes’ cause at heart.

As we all would be, Harris was frustrated to see his qualities as a man questioned, namely that he was not a good teammate.

“Pruneau had explained to me that it was a tactic to try to play in my head, but I told him that I felt that he had crossed the line. I felt it was a personal attack and that he questioned my values. But if that’s really what he believes, it’s a shame, because it shows that I was unable to reach him. It taught me a lesson and I’ve been trying harder to be a good teammate ever since. »

The first thing to know about Harris is that he is religious. Very. Like other players, including Eugene Lewis, he begins most of his interviews with thanks to God. He won a Gray Cup with the Toronto Argonauts in 2012 and one with the Ottawa Redblacks in 2016, but in reserve roles. When asked if he felt he needed to win a championship as a starter to be able to say mission accomplished, he listed his priorities.

“I never had the mentality that I had to win a championship on an individual level. When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is glorify Jesus Christ. Then I want to make my family proud, then I want to make sure my teammates don’t doubt that I’m doing everything in my power to give us the best chance of winning. »

Who knows if it’s because of the criticism he’s had to take, but Harris talks about his teammates in almost every answer.

“When I’m 60 or 65, maybe I’ll regret not having won a Cup [comme partant], if so. But at the moment I don’t think that way, because football is the team sport par excellence.

“I love my teammates. A lot of players say the same thing, but I try to demonstrate it by making sure everything runs smoothly for them. What I like the most about football is that you have to sacrifice a lot to be part of something that is much bigger than yourself. »

ready to suffer

Sunday afternoon, Harris will have the opportunity to lead the Alouettes to their first win since 2014 in a playoff game. Against the team and defense that had him losing the ball three times in last year’s Eastern semifinals, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

A 23-12 loss that had given arguments to those who believe that Harris falters in important games.

However, it was this same Harris who cut through the Alouettes’ defense in the first round of the playoffs three years ago to allow the Elks to win at Percival-Molson Stadium. The gentleman had hit the mark on his first 19 pass attempts and had completed an astonishing total of 92.3% of his throws (34 in 37) for 421 yards.

In 2018, it was in the uniform of the Rouge et Noir that Harris had been dazzling. In the Eastern Finals, he completed 29 of 32 passes and threw 6 touchdowns. Six !

To prevent him from having a similar afternoon on Sunday, count on the Tiger-Cats to hit him hard when the opportunity presents itself. Harris maintains, however, that he will not flinch.

“It will be a very tough game and we will be ready to fight until the very end. »

Follower of the Brady method

When Harris goes out to restaurants, it’s usually to eat sushi. He calls on specialists to optimize his mental and physical form, closely monitors the quality of his diet and sleep and is even a follower of Tom Brady’s famous method, the TB12. He also participated in TB12 events in Foxborough, but never met Brady. “I would love to spend time with him, he is an inspiration. »

Like Brady, Harris has previously said he hopes to play for a long time, but will reevaluate his situation each winter.

“I think he still has a few good seasons ahead of him, but at the stage he is at in his career, the next games will be very important for him. He’s feeling good and I’m confident he’s going to deliver,” Maciocia said this week.

What is undeniable is that Harris brought stability to the quarterback position after flashlights (Tanner Marsh and Antonio Pipkin), disappointments (Troy Smith and Johnny Manziel), wasted talent (Rakeem Cato) and the ups and downs of Vernon Adams Jr.

Like it or not, Harris is a good quarterback and an excellent passer. As for the individual, some like him a lot, others a little less. In the end, it depends on whether we judge his words to be authentic or not.

“Everyone is entitled to their opinion and no one is unanimous. Some people like us and some people don’t,” Harris himself philosophized.

“Ultimately, what I want is to see my teammates drinking in the Cup. I want to see my son eat a bowl of cereal from the Cup. I want to see Danny Maciocia lift it over his head. That’s why I play, it’s not to prove anything. »