Chris Matthews approached a wall of media, and just before the red lights of the cameras came on and microphones were thrust into his face, took a moment to shake everyone’s hand.
“Hi,” began the Winnipeg Blue Bombers newest receiver, “I’m Chris.”
The Bombers weren’t as busy as the rest of their Canadian Football League rivals when it came to free agency this offseason, but they did land two huge prizes – both literally and figuratively – in Matthews and defensive end Willie Jefferson.
Indeed, asked about their size after practice Sunday, head coach Mike O’Shea cracked they would be ‘first off the bus’, which in football vernacular means they would be intimidating presences whenever they roll into enemy territory.
“It feels good. I was welcomed by everybody and got to kick it with a couple of teammates the last couple of days,” began Jefferson, the 6-6, 245 all-star defensive end. “I’m fitting in really well right now, just getting acclimated to everything… the playbook, the coaches, the tempo in practice. It’s coming along.
“Watching film… it’s going to be fun. It’s going to be nice, it’s going to be fast, it’s going to be physical and it’s going to be tough. That’s one thing me, Jackson (Jeffcoat), Drake (Nevis) and (Craig) Roh want to bring to the table from the beginning of the year, to be a tough front line.
“And having Yosh (Jermarcus Hardrik) and Stanley (Bryant) and the other guys on the offensive line bringing that mentality to practice, it’s going to carry over to the game.”
The arrival of both men has only cranked up the expectations in Bomberland heading into 2019. The West Division has seen its share of makeovers this offseason – particularly in Edmonton, Calgary and B.C. – but figures to remain a dogfight from Week 1 to the division final in November. The Bombers are hoping the continuity with their roster, especially compared to the rest of the West, plus the additions of pieces like Jefferson and Matthews, will help right out of the starting blocks.
“We probably had the least amount of moves and the greatest amount of continuity and that’s always important,” said Bighill. “Guys that have played together and understand the deal is only a benefit. For us hitting the ground Day 1 we’re that much more ahead because everybody knows what we’re doing.”
“For us, it’s kind of like we just picked up where we left off,” added Matt Nichols. “We’re out here running plays that normally wouldn’t go in until much later, but with how many veteran guys are here we can jump right in to our year and start building from there.”
Now 29, Matthews doesn’t have a lot of wear and tear on his treads after playing four games and two playoff games with the Calgary Stampeders last year and 22 games in the NFL with Seattle and Baltimore.
But he’s also light years from the player he was when he first arrived in Winnipeg in 2012, then fresh from stints with the Cleveland Browns and Iowa Barnstormers of the Arena League.
Now he’s a polished pro and the kind of influencer coaches covet for their locker room.
“If you were rolling your film after practice you would have seen him working with a group of young guys for 15-20 minutes,” said O’Shea. “When we talked on the phone he promised me he was going to take a group of guys and lead the group on a daily basis. It started on Day 1. These guys weren’t leaving the field until they caught a certain number of balls and he ran that. We need that, we need more of it and I’m just glad he was true to his word.
“He is huge. I’ve been near him and seen him and watched him and been impressed with his play and his professionalism. And then you get beside him in a hallway and you realize this guy is a big, big man. He’s such a good pro, too.”
Matthews was all work on Sunday, his first official day upon his return to the club. But he also allowed himself a moment or two to reminisce about his start here and the road travelled to his return back.
“Amazing. It’s amazing, man,” Matthews said. “Being able to just run on here and see the new faces around here and look at the stadium… that’s where I did my jump right there (after scoring the first TD in IG Field history). Yesterday we were upstairs eating and I was looking out at the field and I was like, ‘Man, this is where it all started for me, where I got my name.’
“… I’m not chasing the NFL any more. I did what I did, I had my fun, I made my money. I’m good now. So, now I can come here, I’m not stressing about anything, and I can just come out here and play and give back to the community.”
