Andrew Harris and Ja’Gared Davis have been terrorizing opposing CFL teams for several years. Now, the duo is on the same team with the Toronto Argonauts.
Harris has been around the CFL for over a decade. His ability and longevity make him one of the most successful running backs in league history. Davis has been in the league for five years and has been to the Grey Cup five times; three times with Calgary, the last two with Hamilton.
On Tuesday the pair was on the field at the same time in the same uniform. Davis made his debut at practice after missing the first few days tending to a personal matter back in Texas.
“It felt great,” Davis told Argonauts.ca. “Just being able to be out there with the guys and spend time doing what we love; it felt good to just knock off some of the rust.”
The defensive lineman was rust-free from the start. His first play in Double Blue came in a one-on-one drill near the beginning of practice. He went to one of his classic moves, an inside spin, and undressed the opposing offensive lineman.
Did that feel especially good?
“It did,” he said, sporting a broad smile. “There’s nothing like competing. We know what the end goal is, and it starts in training camp. It starts by every day putting the work in, building your craft and getting better; not only myself but helping my teammates to get better as well so we can get to the promised land.”
Again, five seasons in the CFL, five trips to the Grey Cup. If he’s going to make it six for six in the 6ix it would be wearing an Argo uniform, something he admitted was a bit different after spending the last couple of years in The Hammer.
“It felt funny, a little bit,” he said, his words again punctuated by a big grin. “My past few years in Hamilton I was all in, through and through with the black-and-gold. To be able to switch it up and put on the Double Blue? It’s going to take a little to get used to but I can knock it out.”
Again, he broke into a huge smile. There’s no question he’s happy to be with his new team and ready to make another run into late November; this time with Andrew Harris.
“He’s a future Hall of Famer,” Davis said of his new teammate. “A guy like that in this type of locker room, in this type of environment, you have a champion in the building, and he can pass those messages along. I can feed off him, he can feed off me ‘cause we know what it takes to get there and we know how to finish it.”
Like Davis, Harris is getting used to being in a new environment after a lengthy run in Winnipeg.
“It was definitely weird at first, coming to a new team,” he confessed. “It’s a bit of an adjustment period for me, but I’m starting to get familiar with all the guys and building some bonds. It’s been great. I learned the new playbook and am getting a feel for how the coaching staff works. I’m excited.”
Having two dynamic CFL stars joining the Argos is an enticing proposition. Harris is excited about the possibilities of their success between the lines, and a potential friendship off the field.
“We had dinner his first night,” said the running back. “I’m getting to know him. He was always a guy we had to key on when I was in Winnipeg and playing him in the Grey Cups. He’s a difference-maker, he’s a playmaker. In the first team session, I was out there and he was on the right end and he gave me a little wave. It’s going to be fun to run against him every day.”
Fun for the pair during practice but come game time the prospects of facing these two players may not be as much fun for opposing players.
ARGO NOTES:
Tuesday’s practice was moved from Alumni Stadium to the Gryphons Soccer Complex at the University of Guelph. The grass is much easier on the players than the turf on the main field and replicates the surface at BMO Field, the CFL’s only grass surface…After the offense had a good day on Monday, the defence dominated on Tuesday. “Offensively, we were awful,” Head Coach Ryan Dinwiddie told reporters on a Zoom conference call after practice…Dinwiddie didn’t commit to McLeod Bethel-Thompson playing during Friday night’s scheduled pre-season game in Ottawa, but said Antonio Pipkin, Chad Kelly and Austin Simmons would all take snaps. He also said Andrew Harris would not play in Ottawa, but would likely see the field in the team’s second pre-season game, set to go in Guelph, June 3 against Hamilton…Pipkin connected on two long plays, hitting Earnest Edwards in full stride 40 yards down the sideline, while also hitting A.J. Richardson over the middle, with the receiver making a diving catch to haul it in…Robertson Daniel continued his strong camp with an interception, while sixth-round draft pick Eric Sutton also had a pick.