When the captain went down, it was all hands on deck.

Deron Mayo’s devastating leg injury in last fall’s meeting with Montreal left an immediate void in the Red and White’s defence, but his replacement has filled in just fine.

The Stampeders nominee for most outstanding defensive player in 2015, Mayo was then voted by his teammates as the leader of DeVone Claybrooks’ unit in time for the following campaign. For his career, he had played at least 17 games each season since coming to Calgary in 2012.

And while the ripple effects of his absence are still being felt by the Stamps as a whole, it was Maleki Harris who has been tasked with taking over Mayo’s weak-side linebacker position.

However, now that an extensive rehab process for the Virginia native coupled with his stint on the injury list is on the cusp of completion, a big decision must soon be made by Stampeders personnel.

“I know it’s coming, but I’m not worried about it,” said Harris of Mayo’s imminent return. “It’s nothing I can control. I can control my play on the field and that’s it. It’s not for me to think about. I’ll leave that to Huff (general manager John Hufnagel) and them.”

Those in the organization knew right away that Mayo would have a long road to recovery, but Harris could simply not afford to dwell on the status of his fallen teammate.

“I felt bad for Mayo obviously because you hate to see anybody get injured, but I felt this was an opportunity,” Harris explained. “I felt excited, ready to seize the opportunity. I’ve always been the type of guy to just be ready when your opportunity comes because you might not get too many of them. So I was just happy that I was ready and could make some plays.”

The first career start for Harris came in a Week 1 tie with the Ottawa RedBlacks and, although he was mentally prepared for the new role, there was one noticeable effect of his increased snaps on game days.

“I’ve felt comfortable but I had to get in shape, so I will say that,” admitted Harris, who has accumulated 21 tackles, a sack, a fumble returned for a touchdown and a pick-six since being thrust into action. “Probably that first game I wasn’t as in-shape as I need to be. But the second game I was ready to go. I was ready to go (that) first game assignment-wise and just thought-wise, I just wasn’t quite in the conditioning that I need to be to play (defence) and special teams because it’s a lot.”

Mayo’s off-field contributions have not gone by the wayside, though, much to the benefit of Harris.

“He’s still been in the meeting rooms, he’s still been at practice when he can, helping us out with little tips and reminders and stuff like that,” an appreciative Harris offered. “He’s been a great asset even though he’s not been on the field. But I know when he gets healthy and gets ready, he wants to be back on the field. So I understand how it is.”

The matter became even more complicated when Harris missed a Week 7 matchup with the Argos, with Jameer Thurman stepping in and delivering a seven-tackle, one-interception performance. But no matter who’s in or who’s out once everyone is operating at 100 per cent, Harris knows first-hand the importance of preparation as he has already seen how quickly things can change.

“That’s how it’s been since I’ve been here in 2015,” remarked the South Alabama alumnus. “You can’t really worry about an injury or what’s going to happen to a guy or who’s gonna play or who’s gonna be up or down. You’ve just got to be ready to go and that’s what the coaches do. They get everybody ready to go and if your number is called, you’re going to make plays. If not, you’ll be ready next week.”

Confident he can always get the job done, Harris can now do nothing more than hope his contributions will be called upon again soon.

“You always feel like you can play out there, but until you do, it’s just a thought until it happens,” Harris cautioned. “And now it’s been happening and I’ve put it out there on film and everyone else knows I can play. I’ve always felt like I can play in this league and I feel like I still can, so we’ll see how that goes.”