Forgotten, but not gone

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This article was published 24/11/2019 (2114 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CALGARY — The Winnipeg Blue Bombers were 6-2 and about to win another game when Matt Nichols was wrapped up and driven to the IG Field turf.

For Nichols, the Bombers No. 1 quarterback since early into the 2016 season, it wasn’t the hardest or most violent hit he’s ever taken in his 10-year CFL career. But it was perhaps the most costly.

“I watched the play one time and I already knew kind of what happened,” Nichols, in an interview this week with the Free Press, said. “Really, I’ve been tackled harder 100 times probably, but just unfortunate my arm was kind of pinned to my body and just landing that way with someone on top of you, like directly on your shoulder, is obviously just something that happens in football.”

The injury happened in Week 10, and although the Bombers would beat the B.C. Lions 32-16, they would lose Nichols for the rest of the season.

It was first thought Nichols wouldn’t require surgery on the banged-up throwing shoulder. But when it didn’t progress well enough through the first month, despite an intensive rehab regimen, the 32-year-old went under the knife in late September — a procedure that ultimately ended his season.

“When you play 10 years, you know you’re going to have a couple injuries here and there. But it’s come along great now, especially the last few weeks, making some great progress and right on pace to be back 100 per cent somewhere around late March, early April,” Nichols said. “Which should give me plenty of time and really just changes the beginning of my off-season a bit. I usually don’t start throwing until April anyways, so as far as being ready for next season, there’s no issues with that.”

Life without Nichols had a rocky start, but the Bombers were able to rise from the adversity of losing their starting quarterback and, after winning the West Division, are now just one game away from earning a Grey Cup championship.

Nichols is clearly disappointed he won’t be taking the field at McMahon Stadium today, when the Bombers do battle with the East Division-champion Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

But he’s not exactly not contributing, either. In fact, he’s as busy as he’s ever been.

“My role is a little bit different. But I’m in the meeting rooms all day, every day, with these guys, helping coach these guys along, making sure every little detail is thought about and making sure that we have the best chance we can to bring home a championship,” Nichols said.

“So, really, it’s more of a coaching role. Some things happen that are out of your control, and I’m not going to dwell on the fact that I got hurt. Unfortunate, wish I could be playing, but it’s bigger than me and it’s something that I want to see this organization win a championship.”

He added, “You have two choices to make and, for me, it’s really only one choice. Stay super involved and everything. Honestly, everything has stayed exactly the same, aside from being able to go out there and play. I’d love to be playing in it, but I plan on playing in a couple of these.”

Where exactly Nichols might be if he’s able to reach another Grey Cup remains to be seen. He’s only under contract for this season, and there’s no guarantee he’ll be back with the Blue and Gold.

But, to be clear, Nichols does plan to play at least a few more years, and given how proud he is of what’s been built in Winnipeg, there’s little doubt he’d like to stay there.

“It’s something that maybe me and my wife talk about because it obviously affects how your life is going. But I think that what I’ve done speaks for itself, so who knows what the future holds. But I’m confident in my abilities and the relationships I have around the league and in this organization,” he said. “We’ll see what happens.”

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For now, though, Nichols is only focused on the present. The Bombers have a chance to complete their ultimate goal and bring a Grey Cup back to a city that hasn’t felt such glory in almost 30 years.

“The easy thing to say is, I know it’s the most talented team that I’ve ever been on. But I think that we’ve kind of overcome some hurdles that has stopped us in the past, even just thinking back to the three goal-line stops our defence had last week (against Saskatchewan) right at the end of the game. Those are things that I think in the last few years we haven’t been able to do, make those one or two plays that we needed to get over the hump, and we were able to do that,” Nichols said. “That just springboards the confidence that now we can get this done. There’s no doubt in this locker room, and we feel like we’re going to come out and play our best game of the year on the biggest stage.

”I’m excited to see what these guys do.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton

Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

Jeff Hamilton is a sports and investigative reporter. Jeff joined the Free Press newsroom in April 2015, and has been covering the local sports scene since graduating from Carleton University’s journalism program in 2012. Read more about Jeff.

Every piece of reporting Jeff produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.