At least one southerner has been quietly revelling in the DaVaris Daniels resurgence from down the highway.

“Man, I’ve been loving it,’’ coos Calgary Stampeders’ centre Ucambre Williams (or as close to a ‘coo’ as anyone 6-foot-1 and tipping the Toledos at 300 pounds can possibly muster). “Every minute of it.

“I’m so happy for him.

“He’s one of my best friends since I’ve been up here. The two of us, we get along.

“And, honestly, I really want him to continue to have super games.

“But only if we get the W this week.

“Only then …”

Following a stuttering injury-dotted opening to his Edmonton Eskimo tenure, the slick wideout nicknamed Toot has over the past two weekends left a debris field of damaged defensive coverage in his wake. Collaborating with another newcomer, QB Trevor Harris, he singed the Toronto Argonauts with five catches for 155 yards before outright eviscerating the West Division-pacesetting Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ secondary on 10 snags for a career-high 207 yards.

To say Daniels ‘is on a roll’ heading into Labour Day week and the annual back-to-back Stampeder-Eskimo doubleheader would be akin to saying the sunsets in Bali are ‘beautiful’ or the invention of the invention of the internet was ‘game-changing.’

“He’s just a damn good receiver,’’ notes Calgary secondary master-plotter Josh Bell. “No one needs to remind us. We’ve seen it, up close.

“You’ve got to be wary. And he’s been destroying people the past couple of weeks.

“We respect every opponent. Kill a gnat with a sledgehammer, right? I mean, you gotta destroy the guy across from you, whoever he may be, whatever his skill set might look like.

“And when you’ve got a damn good receiver like DaVaris, you should enjoy the challenge. One thing – You know you’re going to get some balls thrown your way. Won’t be boring, ‘cause DaVaris is one of the five guys who are pretty exceptional for them.”

Daniels’ brief but impactful Stampeder ties are not easily forgotten.

In 2016, an eye-catching 51-snare campaign over only 11 appearances netted the ex-Notre Dame Fighting Irish standout the CFL Most Outstading Rookie award. Over three seasons here, he was part of the Stamps’ three-in-row Grey Cup finalist runs, finally receiving a ring last November for the win – although a spectator for the game itself – against Ottawa at his new digs, Commonwealth Stadium.

Over an tumultuous off-season in virtually every locale around the league, he exited as a free-agent to join the rival Eskimos.

Finally got my ring!!!

4L @JBrescacin11 @_hiiicam pic.twitter.com/peuwbRsC9I

— DaVaris Daniels (@SincerelyToot) June 21, 2019

“He did a lot of good things when he was here,’’ says DB Brandon Smith. “He may have changed teams but he still has that ability to make big plays, as we’ve seen the last couple of games.

“Can’t fault a guy for doing what’s best for him and his family. Everybody has different things that drive them. Some guys just like a fresh start.

“This is a game that allows people to move.

“No hard feelings. Nothing like that. I’m glad he’s somewhere where he’s enjoying football and playing well.”

Amen, echoes Jamar Wall.

“I never wish anything bad on anyone,’’ says the veteran SAM linebacker. “Teammates. Ex-teammates. Whoever. We’re competitors but we wish the best for everybody.

“He’s played very, very well for them the last couple games. So of course you’re happy for him.

“But at the same time, when he faces us, we don’t expect that to continue.

“He’s never been on that actual other side from our defence. Games are a completely different animal than practice. Same for us, though. We’ve never really seen him at full speed.

“So it’s going to be interesting.

“Thing is, he’s going to get a lot of attention this week. But they have a lot of guys who can do us damage. If we focus on him, (Greg) Ellingson’s going to hurt us. Or (Ricky) Collins. Collins is the leading receiver in the league, right? And he’s done it very quietly.

“So, I’m like: ‘He’s there, and he’s dangerous, very dangerous, but he’s not our focus because he’s not even their main guy. Technically.’ But we respect everyone equally.

“They’ve got a lot of dangerous receivers.

“To us, he’s one of the dangerous guys we’ve got to shut down.”

Adding to Monday’s Labour Day storylines, on the Eskimos’ first trip in to McMahon Stadium at the beginning of August, injury ruled Daniels out of a 24-18 loss to his former comrades-in-arms.

Meaning Monday represents his first official return to McMahon, his old haunt.

So brace yourselves for impact.

“We’re gonna be ready for him and he’ll be ready for us,” assures his pal, Ucambre Williams.

“He’s gonna have a chip on his shoulder, for sure.”

Then, flashing an IMAX-sized smile: “I wouldn’t hang out with him if he didn’t.”