Receiver runs odd route

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/06/2010 (5660 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

He’s living out of a suitcase in a hotel in a strange town in a foreign land. And, truth be known, Terence Jeffers-Harris couldn’t be happier.

The road getting here and back on the football field, however, has hardly been anything but a straight line for the 21-year-old product of Lawrenceville, Ga.

"I do love being out here, it’s fun so far, it really is," said Jeffers-Harris. "It takes some getting used to the motion and all that, but it’s a pass-catching league and I like that.

"Most of all it’s an opportunity for me to play football."

Those opportunities have been denied him over the last two years by both his own design and by paperwork and academic snafus. In two years at the University of Connecticut, Jeffers-Harris started 21 of 25 games and pulled in 44 passes for 582 yards and five touchdowns as a sophomore. Wanting to be more involved in the offence, he transferred to Vanderbilt and sat out the 2008 season, as per NCAA rules. But he didn’t get on the field in 2009 either after not enrolling in time and being ruled academically ineligible.

Enter the Bombers, who first worked him out at Vanderbilt this winter before new director of player personnel Ken Moll recommended GM Joe Mack try him out in person in Atlanta. Blown away by his physical skills — he is 6-1, 220 pounds and ran a 4.4 40 — the Bombers took a chance on a kid with big-time potential.

How good is he? For what it’s worth Jeffers-Harris was working with the No. 1 offence on the first day of main camp Sunday.

"There’s a lot of potential there, no question," said Moll, who spent 13 years as an NFL scout. "He’s got that combination of size, speed and strength. But he didn’t play in 2009 and that’s one reason why he is here.

"He’s still a little raw and he’s learning the Canadian game. But I think he’s got a lot of potential and he’s eager. That’s important, especially for a young player. It’s hard not to like what we see."

Jeffers-Harris, for his part, is simply ecstatic to be back on a field fine-tuning his craft.

"I just want to play football. Canada allows me to come out here and do that without the paperwork in the NFL," he said. "I’m glad I’m here, I’m glad Winnipeg gave me a chance. I need to play. Waiting on the NFL came with too much uncertainty."

Asked if he knew where Winnipeg was when the Bombers came calling, Jeffers-Harris just grinned.

"I’m geographically pretty good," he said. "But I did google Winnipeg to see where the city was… it’s a good town. I like it. I don’t need much. I’m used to rolling with wherever I am."

BLUE NOTES: Former Bomber DE Gavin Walls appears to have suffered a knee injury on the first day of Montreal training camp.

He was seen clutching his knees after falling and was absent when the team returned to Bishop’s University for fan day, according to the Montreal Gazette.

For more Bomber news, check out The Bomber Insider Blog at winnipegfreepress.com.

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca