The backup plan

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This article was published 26/04/2016 (3442 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Stacked up against all the other off-season upgrades made by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers — and the list is significant — it barely moved the needle.

Andrew Harris coming home… Weston Dressler and Ryan Smith heading east from archrival Saskatchewan… Landing the Canadian Football League’s money kicker in Justin Medlock… those were juicy stories that demanded big, bold headlines.

Re-signing quarterback Matt Nichols back in early January? That’s a yeah, whatever.

Yet given what happened to starter Drew Willy last season — and the absolute beatings No. 1 pivots across the league took all year — it could be argued the return of the veteran pivot was every bit as important to this franchise as adding Harris, Dressler and Smith, Medlock, offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice or defensive tackles Euclid Cummings and Keith Shologan.

Yes, in a complete 180 from a year ago, the Bombers offensive depth chart — featuring Willy at the top, Nicholls at 1A and Dominique Davis and Bryan Bennett battling for the third-string gig — is no longer a question mark.

Asked what it’s like to have that kind of given behind Willy, the first word out of Bombers coach Mike O’Shea’s mouth was “comforting.”

“We want Drew to play all 18 games this year, but having (Nichols) around is very comforting,” O’Shea said. “He’s a good player. One of the interesting things he said the other day is he’s been through six offensive co-ordinators in seven years. He picks up stuff and has no problem absorbing new language. How he processes it is interesting.

“He’s got a lot of answers and he’s a very intelligent man.”

Parachuted in from Edmonton after Willy’s season-ending leg injury in August — and after flame-outs by Brian Brohm and Robert Marve — Nichols finished with a 2-5 record on a team that went just 5-13. But combine his starts and his totals with his time with the Eskimos and Nichols’ numbers are solid: fifth in yardage in the league (3,245) and fifth in TD passes (19).

Just as important is his understanding now of the role he’ll play in Winnipeg: a guy who will push Willy daily and be more than serviceable if he has to ditch the ball hat and clipboard and step onto the field.

“We’ve become really good friends,” said Willy of Nichols. “Our lockers are near each other, we’re roommates on the road and we’ve been through a lot of the same things in our football careers.

“He’s the ultimate pro, a good player.”

Nichols got to test-drive LaPolice’s offence for the first time on Day 1 of mini-camp Monday — his sixth different attack in his last seven years. While it can be frustrating to prepare every week and never take a snap in anger, now more than ever CFL teams have come to understand the huge value in investing in the most important position on the field.

“I’m proof of it last year,” said Nichols. “I started 15 games. I started the season as a backup (in Edmonton) and Week 2 I found myself starting. You never know what can happen in this game.

“I think there were 23 or 24 different starting quarterbacks last year in a nine-team league. When you play two pre-season games, 18 regular season games and potentially three playoff games… that’s a lot of football. You’re getting hit by some big, strong dudes and it’s not easy to make it through the whole season. I hope Drew stays healthy all year and I’m going to make sure I do everything to make sure he’s playing the best he can, and if that time comes and I’m asked to play, I’m going to be prepared to do that.

“It takes two starters to win in this league. It might be a half-game here or a couple games here in there if he gets nicked up. If something does happen, I’ll be ready to play and if nothing happens and he stays healthy all year, I’m going to be on the sidelines and in the film room with him and making sure I let him know everything I see. I have a lot of experience in this league now and can help him out when he’s on the field and I know he’d do the same for me.”

ed.tait@freepress.mb.caTwitter: WFPEdTait