RedBlacks' Burris ready to tag back in for injured Harris

Henry Burris believes he did the right amount of rust-proofing during his hiatus.

The sight of No. 1 in the red jersey at the Ottawa RedBlacks practice on Wednesday confirmed that Burris is off the six-game injured list in time for an East Division matchup against the Toronto Argonauts on Sunday. Trevor Harris is week to week after injuring his left leg last Friday during a one-point road loss against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Although the RedBlacks have had to use all three quarterbacks in their first five games, they lead the CFL with 31.6 points and 405.2 passing yards per game.

“I guess Trevor and I, we're a tag team,” Burris said. “I go down and tag him in, he goes down and tags me in.”

Burris' return, with 26-year-old Brock Jensen as his backup, means Ottawa (3-1-1) will have a huge advantage at quarterback Sunday. The Argonauts (3-2) will be relying on first-time starter Logan Kilgore. Veteran Ricky Ray is out four-to-six weeks with a knee injury.

Burris was the CFL's most outstanding player last season while leading Ottawa to the East Division title. The 41-year-old tore the ligament in the tip of his right pinky finger when he hit his hand on a defender's helmet against Edmonton on June 25, which created the opportunity for Harris to step in and shine.

League rules do not allow a player on the six-game list to participate in full practice, so Burris worked on the side to stay in condition. He started with a partially deflated football - "I don't want to say I threw a Brady ball," he quipped in reference to the NFL's DeflateGate farce - and worked up to properly gripping a ball with the requisite PSI.

"I know I missed a month of action, but I've been throwing,” Burris said. “I've been throwing routes to guys, making sure that I'm keeping a rhythm. Getting a feel for having guys (pass-rushers) flying around in front of me was the biggest thing I needed. Today I was telling the defence, 'Get in my face, get in my face.'

"I feel I can achieve that here in practice. When I go out and play, things get a little slower and you're able to see things a lot clearer."

Just before the RedBlacks wrapped practice, Burris cut loose with a 50-yard pass to wide receiver Ernest Jackson.

"In a way I feel better coming back now than I did at the start of training camp because in this case I know our offence," Burris said.

Harris was first in the CFL in yards, touchdowns, and completion percentage at the time of his injury, which happened when he was sacked by 295-pound tackle Corvey Irvin. Initially, it looked like the type of collision that often results in a torn ACL, since Irvin appeared to land full force on Harris, who promptly clutched his left knee in pain.

"I was on my way down telling myself 'don't fumble' and I was praying that I did not have a compound fracture because I felt some torque on the bone," the 30-year-old Harris said. "I felt something pop in my knee and thought it was my ACL. I told (RedBlacks athletic therapist) Dave (Wright), 'tell me it's not the ACL' and Dave said, 'it's not your ACL, bud,' and I got up. I didn't want assistance getting to the sideline. After I tried jogging but it didn't feel right and we just decided to shut it down.

“I'd like to come back after missing one game, but I know I have to be realistic,” Harris added.

RedBlacks general manager Marcel Desjardins said there is "nothing serious" about Harris' injury. It would probably be illogical to fast-track his return. Another backup QB, Danny O'Brien, might need to take over as holder.