Dominique Davis (6) of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers during the pre-season game at TD Place in Ottawa, ON on Monday June 13, 2016. (Photo: Johany Jutras)
Dom Davis simply couldn’t mask his excitement and it dominated every syllable of every sentence that came from his mouth.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback has put his name on a new two-year contract this week rather than test Canadian Football League free agency next month, and he not only shouted the news from the rooftops through his social media accounts, but he gushed about the decision in a chat with bluebombers.com.
Blessed to continue my career as a Blue Bomber for the next 2 years! Excited for what’s ahead!!!… https://t.co/WhfFRxJ4io
— Dominique Davis (@D_DavisECU) January 3, 2017
“This is great news, man. Great news,” began Davis from his offseason home in Atlanta. “I’m excited.”
It’s an interesting reaction from a man who has made one start for the Bombers since being picked up after his release by the Calgary Stampeders in late June of 2015 – the final game of the ’15 season – and threw exactly zero passes in 2016 while carrying once for one yard.
To put that in perspective wide receiver Rory Kohlert, who threw two passes on special plays – completing them both – was busier out of the Bomber backfield than Davis last year.
But as much as pro football is about opportunity, it’s also about relationships. And Davis – who set school records at East Carolina before NFL stints with Atlanta, Tennessee and Indianapolis – feels strongly about what he’s built on and off the field with the Bombers.
“I thought about going to free agency. I want to play. The whole building knows I want to play and I feel like I can be a good quarterback in this league,” he said. “So, yeah, there were some moments when I thought about looking somewhere else, about starting over with a different team, learning a new system and building new relationships with a whole different batch of players. I thought about all that stuff.
“But Winnipeg is my best situation and I just didn’t want to break the relationships that I had and that I want to continue to build.”
Davis said he feels as comfortable in Paul LaPolice’s offence as he has in any system, raved about QB coach Buck Pierce and the camaraderie in the QB room.
The elephant in the room here, of course, is that with his signing Davis is the only man with a guaranteed spot in that room – so far – for 2017 as both Matt Nichols and Kevin Glenn are prospective free agents.
On that front, contract talks with Nichols are ongoing and how they unfold will impact Glenn’s status.
That uncertainty might have been a factor in Davis’ decision to return, but he insisted it’s more about not wanting to start all over again at age 27.
“A wise man told me the grass is not always greener on the other side,” said Davis with a chuckle. “That’s part of this decision.
“The coaching staff we have is really going to help me become a better quarterback. I’ve learned a lot about the game, situations within the game on top of things like improving my accuracy, footwork and all the fundamentals. These guys have really helped me grow.
“Being patient… it’s been the hardest thing ever for me. But I just feel if I keep my head down, keep working and keep doing the right things someway, somehow my opportunity will come. And I’ll be ready to show I belong in this league.”
