There is a temptation to begin by painting this picture…
Imagine Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Matt Nichols and Paul LaPolice gathered together in front of a whiteboard dominated with Xs and Os, gleefully rubbing their hands together and simultaneously breaking into a mad scientist cackles.
Too much artistic license, perhaps?
Well, consider this: as Nichols did the media ‘Car Wash’ thing at a downtown Winnipeg hotel on the first day of CFL Week – casually moving around a room of media pumping hands, slapping backs and accommodating everyone who asked for a moment – bluebombers.com pulled him aside for a conversation about the offence in 2018.
And within moments the man was in full-on QB mode, spitting out technical terms, marvelling at the weapons acquired in the offseason and gushing about all the possibilities.
Mad scientist? You be the judge…
“Lapo and I, we’re both a bit nerdy,” began Nichols, breaking into a wide grin. “We’re both fully invested in all of this and fully committed to be the best we can be. We both fixate on the most miniscule things. Here’s an example: he called me yesterday and wanted to know how we should label something… whether we should label it as a horizontal read or as an object receiver read. He just wanted to know how I would categorize the play so that he can put it in the playbook correctly.
“He wasn’t asking me about changing a route concept. He just wanted to know how I wanted it labelled so that other guys can learn it. It’s about every little detail. No stone gets left unturned, that’s for sure.”
We’re still weeks away from the opening of training camp and the start of the season on June 14th and the Bombers, like all CFL teams, have their share of unanswered questions. But few of those questions are on offence, where the offensive line that has been so steady the last two years returns virtually intact – minus Travis Bond – to open holes for CFL Most Outstanding Canadian Andrew Harris, with Adarius Bowman and Nic Demski added to the receiving corps, Kienan LaFrance scooped up for depth and with Darian Durant ready in the bullpen.
And then there’s Nichols, the Bombers Most Outstanding Player in both 2016 and 2017 and a man whose numbers have grown exponentially in his two seasons running LaPolice’s attack.
The goal this year is to build on an offence that ranked second to Edmonton in points scored (26.7 per game) and make it even more dangerous and difficult to defend.
Further proof to that – A year ago, Nichols spoke about adding a mobility component to his own game and he subsequently rushed for a career-high 188 yards and a 7.2-yard average. Those aren’t jaw-dropping numbers, but they did speak of his desire to be less of a stationary target in the pocket.
And this offseason, his assignment was even more specific – the Bombers want to improve their numbers in second and long (second and seven-plus) situations. The offence was first in the league in second and medium (four to six), but last in second and long.
Quarterbacks coach Buck Pierce (left) chats with Qb Matt Nichols on Wednesday, July 26.
“Luckily,” Nichols explained, “we were a very good first-down team so we were in second and medium a lot more than we were in second and long which is why we were able to score a ton of points. But if we can convert a couple more second and 10s throughout a game it obviously improves possessions.”
Over the winter Nichols, LaPolice and quarterbacks coach Buck Pierce broke down film of every other CFL team to examine their approach to second and long, paying particular attention to the teams that handled it best – Edmonton, Calgary and Ottawa.
“We’re just trying to find ways to improve our second-and-long numbers,” said Nichols. “Across the league, it’s a difficult down and distance, but for us, we feel like there’s room for us to improve in that area. It’s just like last year when we talked about me taking off and running a couple more times a game, it can create a few more possessions and a few more times where we’re not punting.
“There are some concepts other teams are running that we really didn’t have a version of and so there’s stuff from them and tweak in our way. That way we’re adding things in, so we’re not just doing the same old thing and hoping it works this year. You always want to continue to evolve, which is something that LaPo does better than anyone. He’s not one of those guys who gets stuck in his ways. He always wants to make changes and make sure we’re getting better.”
Nichols comes by this thirst for understanding naturally. His father was a star quarterback at Trinity High School in Weaverville, CA before playing at Shasta College. He coached Matt, both in baseball and in football, and that thirst to understand was passed down from father to son.
“Growing up I’ve always loved acquiring the knowledge of things,” said Nichols. “I always wanted to understand why you would throw a curveball down and away on a two and two count. I just had this want to understand the game and it translates to football, too.
“I’m a huge situation guy and Osh (Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea) is, too. We talk about every crazy little detail and what could happen and what we’re going to do if this happens. We have everything planned out, so if something happens in a game we’ve already talked about it.”
Quarterback Matt Nichols talks with Offensive Coordinator Paul LaPolice during practice.
“It comes from being a perfectionist and a control-freak, almost. I want everything to be perfect and I get stressed out if things aren’t perfect. If the gameplan’s not all the way to my liking we’ll talk about it and iron it out so that I make sure when I leave his office the day before the game we’re both fully on the same page and feel good about what we’re doing that week. I think it shows up on game day.”
The Bombers are benefitting from a continuity on the coaching staff, too, and the stability Nichols brings to the QB position. He went through a stretch where he had seven offensive coordinators in six years and now, heading into year 3 with LaPolice and Pierce, he’s more comfortable than ever in the Bombers system.
And that can be deadly for a QB who tied Toronto’s Ricky Ray in completion percentage (71.0) and owned the CFL’s best TD:interception ratio at 28:8.
“The game really does slow down when you’re comfortable,” said Nichols. “Now I’m able to mess with people with my eyes a little bit more in certain concepts. I know what defence they’re in, I know what the defender’s rule is so I look in different ways than maybe I used to in the same play.
“There’s a reason why Calgary has had so much success, because Bo has been in that system with Dave Dickenson his entire career. That continuity is huge.”
Add more weapons to that mix and Nichols, understandably, is beaming. It’s not just about Bowman, Demski, LaFrance and Durant coming aboard, but about Weston Dressler and Darvin Adams, Andrew Harris, the big eaters up front.
And a few others, too.
“We’ve signed a ton of guys,” said Nichols. “(Wide receiver) Corey Washington called me before he signed… he just wanted to know what the CFL is all about. Myles White showed some great stuff last year and he’s a guy I think could flourish in a role. L’Damian Washington… we have a ton of depth.
“We have a plethora of talent now to the point where we’re going to have some good football players maybe not on the field. It’s tough, but it’s obviously a good problem to have. We’re going to have a lot of competition. I don’t know for sure what position Adarius is going to be in or Nic Demski is going to be in. LaPo has built it where one word can really move guys around and easy to play to people’s strengths. Just because Adarius is the field slot doesn’t mean he’s not going to line up at the boundary spot on the next play. We’re going to move everybody around and make sure we’re utilizing everybody’s skillset.
“And for a quarterback, that’s truly exciting.”
