The Blue gambled on QB Matt Nichols in Week 6 and it’s been paying off since

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This article was published 08/08/2016 (3597 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers were much-maligned Winnipeg Blue Bombers over the first five weeks of the CFL season.

It was standard fare, given the team’s woeful 1-4 record and the poor performance despite an off-season paved with promise due to numerous high-profile signings. It was worsened by the inevitable fear that, for yet another season, the Blue and Gold were destined to tack another year on to their quarter-century Grey Cup drought.

Then Week 6 hit. The Bombers, having invoked their insurance plan in No. 2 quarterback Matt Nichols in response to Drew Willy’s faltering, flipped a switch. This time, the lights turned on, the points started coming and, despite a bevy of rookies and backups taking charge in all three phases of the game, the Bombers started winning.

Now in a two-win trot, some on the team are feeling a sense of vindication.

“Anytime you’re getting back on the right track you’re going to feel better and more confident about it,” Nichols said following Monday’s first practice ahead of the Bombers’ Week 8 meeting with the Argonauts in Toronto Friday. “No one wanted to be 1-4, especially guys at this level who are extreme competitors. Guys had a decision to make at that point, keep going down that path or wanting to change it. I think everyone had the mindset that we wanted to change it and become a winning football team.”

Nichols has been the driving force behind the turnaround. Under his tutelage, the Bombers have averaged 33.5 points per game since he was named the Week 6 starter.

By no means is the work done, said to Nichols. The Bombers are 3-4 and in third place in the West Division.

“We feel good about having a couple wins in a row, but we need to win quite a few more down the stretch to be where we want to be,” he said.

Nichols said he didn’t pay attention to the media or fans’ ire during the team’s start to the season. No one, he said, is harder on the team or the players than the players themselves.

“We know what we have,” he said. “When you start 1-4, you’re not going to be happy about it. We wanted to turn things around and we’re heading down the right path now.”

That path has been littered with ailing bodies as the team’s infirmary is packed to the gills midway through the season. The team has endured losses in all three phases of the game, leaving backups — many of them CFL rookies — with much to do and not much to draw on in terms of experience.

“To be in meetings and practices for so many days, not getting an opportunity can be tough,” head coach Mike O’Shea said. “These guys managed to stay pretty focused, obviously.

“It’s a good testament to the depth and the character of the guys we had who didn’t start off as starters. They stayed focused and waited patiently for their opportunity and took advantage of it.”

Perhaps no one has benefited more in the resurgence than tailback Andrew Harris.

The Winnipegger was held without a touchdown on the ground through the first five weeks. Since Nichols took over, Harris has 40 of his 93 carries in the last two games and has rushing touchdowns in back-to-back contests.

While winning can cover a multitude of sins, Harris is approaching each game with cautious optimism.

“We want to get better and we can’t forget where we came from. As easy as it can be to turn it around, it can go the other way just as quick,” Harris said. “There was a lot of talk about a lot of things (during our start), but ultimately it came down to us. We want to be winners and want to win games.”

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @scottbilleck 

Scott Billeck
Reporter

Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade’s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024.  Read more about Scott.

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