Nichols earns his keep after first game on the job

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/09/2015 (3843 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

This is Drew Willy’s football team. Matt Nichols knew that from the first moment he walked into the Winnipeg Blue Bombers clubhouse after being acquired from the Edmonton Eskimos.

That said, Nichols is really starting to dig his new football address, especially after shaking off an iffy first half to help lead the Bombers to a 22-7 Banjo Bowl win that will breath some life back into the 2015 season.

“Tonight, I’ve definitely had the most fun I’ve had since college for me,” said Nichols after completing 21 of 30 passes for 283 yards and one TD and one pick. Getting back to that is just awesome. Sometimes in this business you can start to feel like it’s a job and right now it feels like I’m just out playing with the boys.”

Nichols, now 1-0 as a starter for the Bombers, is 6-2 this season when taking the first snap from centre.

But he was also working on a short leash with the Esks, having lost his temporary starting gig to rookie James Franklin. All of that made the timing of his exit from Alberta just about perfect from his perspective.

“It’s really feeling the belief from the guys and the fans and the coaching staff,” said Nichols when asked to explain the ‘most-fun’ comment after his 5-2 record in Edmonton. “As a quarterback I feel like you have to be in that position where everyone believes in you and trusts you. I feel like I have that here and at times that was lost for me in Edmonton.

“I’m excited. You can’t play quarterback wondering ‘When am I going to get pulled next?’ and those types of things. To be able to get back to having these guys believe in me and be able to perform for them is just awesome.”

Nichols’ debut wasn’t without its warts — he was intercepted and fumbled twice before the game was even 22 minutes old, but did connect with seven different receivers and pushed the ball down field. He found Nick Moore for a 64-yard gain, Julian Feoli-Gudino for a 37-yard TD and Darvin Adams for 25. Just FYI: the longest play from scrimmage in the last two weeks with Brian Brohm and Robert Marve at the controls was 18 yards.

“He played great,” said Adams. You can play two ways, like a chump or a champ. He played like a champ.

“He showed his presence by being confident and that’s a big thing when you are playing the quarterback position. That gets the guys around you going, just to see that confidence growing. It comes from him running the ball and just being a gladiator out there, man.

“He wasn’t taking ‘no’ for an answer. He played like a pro, like a veteran. He did what he was supposed to do, did what the coaches asked him and he made plays.”

And he got the win. Marve and Brohm were 0-3 as starters this year and had thrown for just one TD against eight interceptions. Nichols and the Bombers hope with more work, the offensive numbers will only grow further.

“We had to iron some things out and just be on the same page with these receivers after only getting to work with them for four total days,” said Nichols. “We will continue to build off things.

“It was the subtle nuances of certain routes. It’s not just lines on a paper. A couple of times I thought a guy was going to bend in a little harder and he kept it straight up the field. It’s just being on the same page and that comes with getting reps with these guys. This is my first time running this offence in a game. Obviously, the first couple of quarters you would like to be better but we were able to iron things out at half time.”

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPEdTait