Matt Nichols has had years to think about his road travelled.
And now, if you’ll indulge him for a spell – just a teeny-tiny one – he’s going to relish in this moment now that he is the clear-cut/no-questions-asked starting quarterback of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
That sense of accomplishment, and of the work left to do, was a big theme during Nichols’ session with the media Wednesday afternoon not long after his new deal with the Bombers that will take him through 2019 was announced.
“I don’t know if there was a moment there I thought it wouldn’t come,” said Nichols. “But it’s hard to imagine, after all the things I’ve been through, to find yourself in this position.”
“All I can say is it’s been a lot of hard work and a lot of people believing in me.”
“It’s having that never-quit attitude. There are a lot of moments where I could have thrown in the towel and I luckily have the great support of my wife and family and I kept going and kept working hard. Control the things you can control and things will work out. I’m a firm believer in that. That’s all I’ve really done; continue to work hard and try to take advantage of opportunities. That’s led me to this point.
“Everything I’ve gone through has moulded me and I’m ready to lead a franchise and bring a championship to this city.”
Our main story on Nichols’ return and his journey is here, and what follows are some highlights and snippets from his media availability and that of GM Kyle Walters…
Nichols on getting paid (a reported average of $425,000 over the contract) like a No. 1 QB:
“It’s awesome. That side’s great. I have a family to take care of and those types of things so that side of it is awesome. But really, I play this game because I love the locker room. Even listening to Peyton Manning when he retired… when I think about when my time is done and things I’m going to remember, I’m going to remember dinners with the guys on the road and those types of things. Just to be able to continue that, to continue living that life and having that brotherhood with your teammates, that’s what I’m excited about. It’s not the paycheque, it’s getting to play this sport for a living.
“My daughter is getting a little older now and she’s getting to the age where she’ll probably remember watching me play, so that’s really cool for me. I’m just excited for this opportunity. All I can say is I’m going to work harder than anyone and make sure I don’t let my teammates down and the fans down. All this done is fuel me to work harder and be better.”
Nichols on Darvin Adams signing a new contract earlier this week:
“Having Darvin back is huge. To me he’s the most under-rated receiver in the league and can be one of the best receivers in the league. You look at the games he was healthy the last couple of years, he pretty much goes for over 100 (yards) in every game. He’s a guy that I lean heavily on and he’s a guy that can change the field for us, he’s a big body that can run fast and make plays on the ball in the air.”
Nichols on the addition of Kenny Stafford, with whom he played in Edmonton, after the veteran receiver was released by Montreal last October:
“He’s a guy with a lot of speed and makes tough catches. There was a few games where Adarius Bowman was hurt and Kenny stepped into his spot and he was one of my go-to guys. We had a connection right away. I’m so excited to have him on our roster.
“I wouldn’t be worrying about whatever happened in Montreal. I can speak to his character and he’s a guy that’s going to fit in really well with our team.”
Kyle Walters on the dollar-figure arrived at in Nichols’ new deal:
“The way I work is you do your homework and you look at the landscape of each position, regardless of the player, and try to put together a ballpark area based on the comparables and then start from there. I think where we ended up was fair for both sides.”
The domino effect of the signing of Nichols, according to Walters:
“This was the first piece of the puzzle and until you get that quarterback number… we’ve been planning and discussing these things. The planning process started once I knew we were in a ballpark area. Those sort of discussions, as far as the domino effect, have already taken place once the quarterback piece gets slotted into a certain ballpark. Now that it’s in there for sure we’ll start to have a little bit more serious discussions about roster movement and plans.”
On the possibility of adding another experienced quarterback, following the release of Kevin Glenn and with Nichols and Dom Davis the first two of four pivots expected to be signed for training camp:
“I think you’re going to see in this offseason that that was the plan when your starting quarterback salaries aren’t quite as high as they are now. A more-experienced type salary, where does that fit in when you’re paying quarterbacks? That’s an interesting one. If you look at all the teams and how their quarterback salaries are set up, everyone is going to have some tough decisions. The way you are paying going rate for a top quarterback in today’s day and age, can you afford to pay that top-rate veteran back-up quarterback as well?
“We’ve liked Dom and have developed him for a couple of years. I think that’s going be common moving forward for a bunch of teams that are going to have to develop their young quarterbacks and rely on them moreso than paying the high-priced veteran quarterback for that safety net.”
Walters when asked to describe Nichols now after initially describing him as a QB who would provide depth when first trading for him in 2015:
“Matt’s a winner. There’s something he brings… it’s hard to describe an intangible quality until you’re around a guy and see the way the guys rally around him. That leadership he brings, the guys love to play for him… he’s the leader of our football team and there’s a quiet confidence about him.”
