All Eyes on Nichols

He connected on long passes, rifled throws into traffic and showed touch on other attempts.

Yes, with a large local gathering of media studying the velocity, accuracy and flight patterns of his every throw, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback took to the practice field for the first time since playing just the first half in last Friday’s loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Matt Nichols was wearing a modified glove on his throwing hand that covered the ring and pinky fingers he appeared to injure against the Ticats, and which left his thumb, index and middle digits exposed.

He began the practice session working primarily on hand-offs, before running the full offence as the morning progressed. And with each rep, there seemed less and less concern about his availability for Saturday’s home game against the B.C. Lions.

Nichols did not speak to reporters on Tuesday – CFL teams are permitted to have a QB-free-of-media-obligations day once a week – leaving head coach Mike O’Shea to handle questions about his availability.

“He practiced today. I didn’t notice anything real negative at all, but as usual, with anybody that is nicked up a little bit we’ll talk to them tomorrow morning and see how they feel,” said O’Shea. “The big thing is how they feel tomorrow morning after a day of practice.

“… I think he’s going to be fine. I think he’s a tough guy. Every guy out there has played through something. Most guys out there right now are playing through nicks and bumps and bruises and you don’t hear a peep out of them.”

Nichols has started 27 consecutive games for the Bombers, the most since Kevin Glenn started 30 straight in these parts from 2006-08. He leads the CFL with 27 TD passes and has thrown for 4,002 yards, fourth best overall. More importantly, since he replaced Drew Willy at the controls last summer, the team is 20-7.

“You guys saw him today… he was throwing the ball pretty well and it seems like he hasn’t missed a beat,” said Andrew Harris. “He looks great.”

Asked if there was any concern Nichols would not be available to start on Saturday, Harris added:

“No doubt at all. Matt’s a competitor. He’s a tough guy. He’s been through a lot worse as far as adversity and injuries throughout his career and he’s overcome those things. It’s an important part of the season for us and I expect him to be full-go for us.”

Here are some other bits and pieces you need to know after the Bombers returned to work on Tuesday…

INJURY WATCH

Nichols wasn’t the only Bomber who didn’t finish Friday’s loss to Hamilton, as running back/slotback Timothy Flanders, defensive end Trent Corney and special-teams ace Mike Miller all pulled up lame as well.

O’Shea didn’t have an update on any of the above, saying only that one of the players could be back at practice Wednesday or Thursday and that he had not ruled any of them out for Saturday’s game.

“We’re at that time of year right now where I really believe these guys know what they’re doing,” said O’Shea. “They’re all veteran players so whether they need a practice or not… I’m not sure that’s the case. We’ll wait until the last-ditch minute to figure out whether or not they can do it.”

Julian Feoli-Gudino was back practicing with the starting offence after he missed last week’s game, while linebacker Ian Wild is getting his form back with every rep.

Weston Dressler, meanwhile, has been described as ‘soon’ – meaning he could be available this week or next.

ALL QUIET

The CFL’s trade deadline is Wednesday at 2:59 CT, but the early buzz has the Bombers being quiet. O’Shea was asked Tuesday if he had spent even five seconds of his week thinking about the deadline.

“I haven’t yet. This is the first five seconds,” he said with a grin. “They’re not having a trade deadline show, (TSN’s) Jay and Dan aren’t doing a big thing about it…

“(GM) Kyle (Walters) would spend a lot more time thinking about it than I would. If there was something interesting, I’m sure he would present it to me and if I had an issue that I wanted to talk about or if there was something we thought we needed to address I would go to him. But right now I don’t really see anything on the horizon.”

FYI

The CFL sent out its now weekly playoff scenarios bulletin and here’s how this weekend’s results could impact the Bombers:

• Calgary win + Winnipeg loss = Calgary clinches first place in the West Division and will host the West Final on November 19
• Winnipeg win or tie = Bombers clinch a playoff berth
• Winnipeg win + Saskatchewan and Edmonton losses = Bombers clinch at least second place in the West and will host a home playoff date.

WHAT IF?

More on the Nichols watch… Bombers offensive coordinator Paul LaPolice met with the media after practice Tuesday, and while Nichols threw the ball well, he was quizzed about Dom Davis and his skill set should the club’s No. 2 QB be pressed into service.

First, LaPolice on the work of Davis in relief last Friday:

“There were a couple of throws… I talked to Dom after the game, he’s got to get through his progressions faster. We had a couple of drops on his watch, but ultimately he’s got to find a way to lead us down and score. There’s a reason he’s No. 2: he performed well all through training camp and has had great practices. He’ll play better. He hasn’t played a lot of football.”

LaPolice also talked about how the offence might look different if Davis had an extended run at the controls:

“You cater to what he likes best, but certainly Dom has some mobility and can move around. But that’s kind of what Matt has added to his game this year. Each week we give the quarterbacks a list: what’s your favourite call, and all these down-and-distance situations. I always have a feel for what he likes.”

1K-1K

O’Shea was asked Tuesday if Andrew Harris’ pursuit of CFL history – he has a shot at becoming the first player to finish with 1,000 yards rushing and receiving – would be a potential distraction to the team in the final four games of the season.

“I don’t think it’s a distraction at all and I don’t think we have to avoid it or anything like that,” he said. “I think his teammates want the most for Andrew more than what Andrew would want for himself. Andrew wants more for his teammates than he would ever want for himself. I don’t think it’s a situation we have to manage at all.

“Andrew Harris was the guy that was pushing to get Timothy Flanders on the roster. If you think about it, that was going to take touches away from Andrew. He wanted a guy like that to compliment the offence and be able to do much different things. It was partly him pushing for that. Not surprisingly, Andrew is a selfless teammate and that’s one of the things that makes him so likable and so enjoyable to come to work with.”

Harris was also asked how closely he is tracking his totals – he has 819 rushing yards and 783 receiving.

“I should probably log off Twitter because that’s where I see most of it, where people are mentioning me and keeping me updated with where I’m at,” said Harris with a grin. “To have a successful offence I think that’s me getting touches and reps… I definitely thrive on being an impact player and being a guy getting the ball and being involved in the offence.

“I just go with the course of the game and if I’m asked to block more, catch the ball more or run the ball more… whatever it may be I’ve just got to make the best of those opportunities. If I’m on pace, great… I’m just trying to go out there and make plays for the team and put us in a good situation for the playoffs.”

THE MORE YOU CAN DO

Ryan Lankford has lined up at receiver, returned kicks and ran the ball this season. But he’s also the team’s emergency punter and kicker, and for a chunk of Tuesday’s practice, he was practicing field goals.

The last time he kicked a field goal in a game, you ask? High school. But as we saw with the Ticats last Friday, a kicker can go down at any time and press another player into handling those chores.

“You always need a ‘just-in-case’ situation,” said Lankford. “Hamilton probably prepared for a just-in-case and it worked out in their favour as their guy came in and did a good job to get them through the game. You’ve always got to have a Plan B, hoping that Plan B never comes.

“I grew up playing soccer and still know how to swing the leg. They say it’s like swinging a golf club, so… you want to show them that you can and then pray to God you never have to.”

NEW BLUE BLOOD

The Bombers added another receiver prospect on Tuesday, bringing aboard import WR Myles White.

White (6-0, 190, Louisiana Tech), was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Green Bay Packers in 2013 and appeared in seven games. He has spent time on the practice roster with both the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was released last month by the New York Jets.