2013 ended before it even began for Matt Nichols, and ended half way to the finish line for Chad Simpson.
Now the two find each other in the Edmonton Eskimos backfield trying to lead the green and gold to victory because of the exact thing that derailed their careers: injuries.
Nichols seemed to be the front runner two years ago for the starting job in Edmonton as he battled Mike Reilly.
Reilly won the job as he watched from the sideline at Commonwealth Stadium as Nichols threw his second interception of the game.
Nichols chased down Carlos Thomas and was blocked near the goal line and tore his ACL. He was done for the season and the Eskimos haven’t looked back with Reilly as their unquestioned #1 quarterback.
That was until Toronto’s Cleyon Laing fell into Reilly’s knee in Week 1. Now Nichols is being called upon to get the Eskimos off to a great start in the first half of the season until Reilly is expected back.
Simpson was among the league leaders in rushing midway through that 2013 season when a foot injury put him on the sideline for the rest of the year. For Simpson, he looked like he was on his way to putting an incredible career together as he was a 1,000-yard back in his first season and looking to make it a repeat performance until the injury.
After the season, the Bombers settled to go on without him and there Simpson sat, by the phone waiting for a team in need of running back. It was a long wait as the call didn’t come in 2014 but the phone finally rang almost as soon as Eskimos General Manager Ed Hervey found out his workhorse running back John White was lost for the season with a torn Achilles suffered early in training camp.
As the Eskimos get ready for their home opener they’ll rely on two players trying to once again solidify themselves as winners in the Canadian Football League.
Edmonton has set itself up nicely in the face of adversity. Having quality and proven talent can go a long way to ensure that the team doesn’t fall too far behind early in the season.
The Eskimo offence was nearly a complete rebuild from what it was last season and Nichols and Simpson are going to have to show the coaching staff they are the right tandem in the backfield to see them through.
With a re-worked offensive line and new faces in the receiving corps, the Eskimos couldn’t afford to lose both their quarterback and their running back at the start of the season.
But this is the hand that has been dealt.
The duo shouldn’t feel too comfortable however. They are being pushed. If the results aren’t there early the Eskimos will have to look at what they have behind them on the depth chart.
James Franklin is an intriguing prospect for the Eskimos after a decent pre-season for a rookie. Another rookie that will be ready to go if Simpson doesn’t produce is Shakir Bell, who sits on the practice roster waiting for his chance.
But the long a winding road that can be a CFL career has found Matt Nichols and Chad Simpson in the backfield for the Edmonton Eskimos in 2015 and they’ll need each other to find their way to where they wanted to be two long years ago.
If Simpson can find his 1,000-yard potential, he’ll be able to open up so much more for Nichols off play-action and slow down the pass rush of the opposition. If Nichols can be efficient throwing the football, that could keep the linebackers honest, opening up holes for Simpson to try and chew up yards.
These aren’t the two players the team was hoping to see starting game two of the regular season but the Eskimos likely couldn’t find two more motivated men looking to prove being on the sideline isn’t where they belong.
