Ask Andrew Harris; Bighill dishing out big hits at camp

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This article was published 27/05/2018 (2706 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When the Winnipeg Blue Bombers acquired Adam Bighill last week, running back Andrew Harris spoke about what it felt like to take a hit from the bruising linebacker with a seemingly endless work ethic. Now that they are teammates again, Harris said there was a sense of relief he no longer had to play against him anymore.

On Sunday, though, Harris, a former teammate of Bighill’s with the B.C. Lions, got a little reminder that it doesn’t matter whether or not you wear the same colours — if you’re in the line of fire, you’re going to feel it. During the second play of 12-on-12 drills, as Harris broke through the line of scrimmage, he met head-on with Bighill. When the two collided, the sound of crunching pads could be heard from the upper deck at Investors Group Field.

“He gave me a nice little pop, and I wasn’t really ready for that,” Harris said. “It’s good. It makes me run better, and it’s good to be able to compete against one of the best guys in the league every day.”

Bighill, who spent six seasons with the Lions (2011-16) and last year with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints before joining the Bombers, said it wasn’t the first time he’s given Harris a knock during practice, adding the two just seem to gravitate to one another.

“Me and Andrew always have battles,” he said. “For whatever reason, it always seems like something happens. We get after it out there, that’s for sure.”

Bighill has been with the Bombers for just three days, but already his presence is being felt, earning more and more reps at middle linebacker with the first-team defence. Head coach Mike O’Shea smiled when asked about the collision, noting it was simply a sign of more good things to come.

“He’s pretty impressive,” O’Shea said. “He has all the physicality… there’s just a level of football IQ that’s pretty special. There are leadership qualities, and we just keep finding out more and more about him. He’s good for our team. He’s going to make sure everybody is doing the right thing.”

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Sayles standing out: Defensive back Marcus Sayles has been one of the more impressive rookies through the first week of training camp, making a real case that he belongs in what is a crowded group of defensive backs.

Sayles, a 23-year-old who played college at West Georgia, made a beautiful pick on a Matt Nichols’ throw Sunday, marking his third day of at least one interception. The play seemed to increase his stock almost instantly, as he was moved to the first-team defence, replacing Kevin Fogg at halfback.

“We’ve talked about this, and you hear guys talk about it, that you can sit back and let things go in front of you or you can take some chances and go and try and make plays,” O’Shea said. “He’s doing that. I don’t think he’s taking a lot of risks; he’s in the right spot. He’s athletic and he’s seeing the ball well and breaking up on it. You’ve really got to make an effort to get in front of footballs and make big catches and interceptions. In one-on-ones, you have to make some plays to get noticed.”

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Injury update: Receivers Drew Wolitarsky and Weston Dressler, and linebacker Jovan Santos-Knox, were back at practice after missing a few days of work. Winnipeggers Nic Demski and Kienan LaFrance remain sidelined with lower-body injuries, as well as defensive back Maurice Leggett, still recovering from an Achilles’ injury.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.catwitter: @jeffkhamilton