Matt Nichols | ‘The Guy’
Matt Nichols has scratched his name onto professional football contracts before. He did it with the Dallas Cowboys back in 2010 after college and a couple of times during his days with the Edmonton Eskimos.
But this one – slapping his autograph on a spiffy new multi-year deal that will keep him with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers through the 2019 season – has got an entirely different feel to it.
He’s The Man now. He’s QB1. Numero Uno.
And when training camp opens in June, his name will be written, in ink, atop the quarterback spot on the Bombers depth chart.
Now, if you think that means Matt Nichols will get all fat and sassy, then it might be time for a refresher on the career path that has brought him to this point.
Matt Nichols (15) before the Labour Day game between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, SK. Sunday, September 4, 2016. (Photo: Johany Jutras)
Nothing has ever been handed to the 29-year-old Redding, California product. In fact, add in the two gruesome injuries which messed up his time in Edmonton, to getting shipped to the Bombers in a September 2015 trade for a late draft pick, and the man hasn’t had to just jump over some hurdles in his pro career, he’s had to do clear them with a couple of anvils strapped to his back.
So surviving those types of trials and tribulations don’t just shape a man, they most certainly continue to serve as fuel. After all, being ‘The Man’ means diddly if a guy can’t own the title for a spell.
“It’s something that hasn’t completely sunk in yet,” Nichols told bluebombers.com of signing his new deal. “This is going to be my eighth year (in the CFL) and it’s going to be my first opportunity to go in as ‘the guy’. There’s been times in my career where you almost feel like you’re never going to get to this point. I’ve had tons of people doubt me over the years, but I’ve had even more people have my back and have their faith in me.
“There’s way too many people on a list to thank who helped me get to this point. I know how hard it is to get here, I’ve worked extremely hard to get to this point.”
“I’ve seen guys come and go over the years so I know how hard it is to keep a job like this.”
“It’s just fuelling me even more,” Nichols added. “As soon as we’re done here I’m going to have a workout and get ready to go for this season. My focus is on this season and I’m excited to be in this position and couldn’t be happier that things turned out the way they did.”
The Bombers made official Wednesday what has been expected since about the midway point of last season – around about the time the club was in the midst of a seven-game win streak with Nichols at the controls and leaving little doubt who should be doing so going forward.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Matt Nichols (15) throws against the B.C. Lions during the first half of CFL action in Winnipeg Saturday, October 8, 2016. Nichols and the Blue Bombers could give themselves some playoff clarity Friday night. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods
Nichols was scheduled to become a Canadian Football League free agent on Feb. 14th, but it was during that win streak – en route to leading the Bombers to their first playoff appearance since 2011 and earning the nod as the team’s Most Outstanding Player – that he cemented his place as one of the franchise’s leaders.
It’s not just that he looked so comfortable running the offence while setting career highs for passing touchdowns (18), yardage (3,666) and completions (327), it’s that his teammates clearly followed from the first moment he stepped into the huddle in a Week 6 win in Edmonton that marked the beginning of an in-season transformation.
“That was the first opportunity where I was playing not because someone in front of me was injured,” said Nichols of the start against his old club. “It was my first opportunity to put my personality out there a little bit more and play the way I used to play in college. I could take that leadership role, whereas when you’re playing for a guy that’s injured, you don’t want to step on too many toes or change too many things because that guy is going to be coming back in a few weeks.
“The guys did a great job of believing in me and taking on my personality a little bit. I tend to be a fiery guy on game day and give a little speech and get everyone fired up before the game and I think that everyone just jumped on board and was all in.”
“That’s a big part of this game, having everyone buy into what you’re trying to do, and the quarterback position is where they first look for that. That was the perfect opportunity for me to take that role and it’s a role I’m very comfortable in.”
Nichols was 10-3 as a starter in the regular season last year. And while the Bombers would lose in the West Semi-Final to the B.C. Lions, he was solid in throwing for a career-high 390 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
But again, ‘complacent’ is a word Nichols never wants associated with his play or his approach. That’s partly maturity speaking as a 29-year-old now getting his first real shot at the starting gig.
It’s also understanding that nothing is a given in his biz.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Matt Nichols (15) celebrates his touchdown against the Saskatchewan Roughriders during the second half of CFL Banjo Bowl action in Winnipeg Saturday, September 10, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods
“I’ve had plenty of make-it/break-it moments in my career, where my career could be over if I don’t go in and perform well,” Nichols explained. “It doesn’t change with the fact that you’re a starter going into a season. You need to perform; you know how quickly things can change.
“Every year there’s 30-40 quarterbacks coming out of the college level trying to take your job. It’s extremely hard to get to this position and just as hard to hang on to it. For me, it’s making sure I never get complacent and I feel like I’ve made a lot of growth over the past couple of years. I’m feeling more and more confident with every rep I get on that field. This last year was a huge step for me. It’s perfect timing for me to get this opportunity and I’m looking forward to getting back out there.”
There’s a ton more to do, of course, with that long championship drought that is forever talked about in these parts atop the ‘To-Do’ list.
The Bombers were 11-7 last year in a nasty-tough West Division that is only going to be that much more competitive in 2017. Nichols saw growth from his arrival in September of 2015 through last year and is convinced those important first steps to turning this team into a consistent contender have already been taken. That, and a new contract, only mean expectations have changed, too.
“When I first got traded here we were losing a lot of close games,” he said. “We just needed to find a way to get over that hump and come away with those close wins and I think we did a lot of that last year. It came with the leadership and coaching staff and guys just believing in each other. Every game last year when we were down in the fourth quarter there was never any panic on the sidelines and I think that speaks to the leadership and the quality of guys we have here.
“That’s something I want to be a part of. That’s something where I see guys around the league coming to ask me how it is in Winnipeg and they want to be a part of it. The culture we’ve built here is something guys want to be a part of. It’s the same thing for me, it’s the reason I wanted to be back here.”
