Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press
OTTAWA — Matt Nichols is standing in front of row reporters in the bowels of TD Place here in the nation’s capital, dutifully answering every question with respect and a level of thoughtfulness.
There isn’t a hint of bravado with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback. No bold proclamations or boasts in a straightforward session that lasts just over three minutes.
It’s what we’ve come to expect now from Nichols, who has gone from Drew Willy’s back-up early last summer to the de facto leader of the team by November, parlaying that into a lucrative new deal with the club over the winter.
And yet, some doubters remain.
The Canadian Football League has an intriguing mix of quarterbacks calling the shots right now, from greybeards like future hall of famer Ricky Ray in Toronto to Kevin Glenn in Saskatchewan – debate his hall-of-fame candidacy amongst yourselves – to studs like Mike Reilly in Edmonton, Bo Levi Mitchell in Calgary and B.C.’s Jonathon Jennings (as well as Travis Lulay), to younger guns like Trevor Harris here in Ottawa, Hamilton’s Zach Collaros, who is trying to regain some of his old magic, to a vet like Darian Durant in Montreal.
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Nichols has the second best winning percentage of quarterbacks with at least 18 starts dating back to 1996 (BlueBombers.com)
Somewhere in that pack is Nichols. And yet, there’s more to why he fits so well with the Bombers than what the stats provide in black and white.
“You just need to look back at that run at the end of the fourth quarter in our last game… that describes him. That’s him in a nutshell,” said Andrew Harris Thursday, as Nichols spoke to the media over his left shoulder. “He’s tough. He’s feisty. He’s never going to quit.
“He’s a guy who rides out the ebbs and flows of a game by never getting too high or too low. He’s been awesome.”
A little perspective might be in order here now that Nichols has started 18 straight games – the equivalent of a full season – since replacing Drew Willy just over a year ago.
This time a year ago, the Bombers offence was averaging 17.6 points per game, eighth in the CFL, in a 1-4 start. Through five games this year, they are averaging 31.4 points, first in the league. He has led the Bombers on more TD drives, 17, than any other quarterback in the CFL.
“He’s a guy who rides out the ebbs and flows of a game by never getting too high or too low. He’s been awesome.”
ANDREW HARRIS
Most importantly, the Bombers are 13-5 since he took control of the offence late last July. And given the revolving door at the position for so many seasons, that’s worth repeating again: 13 wins, 5 losses or a winning percentage of .722.
Consider, for some context, the won-loss record and winning percentage of Bombers quarterbacks with at least 18 starts dating back to 1996:
- Khari Jones (2000-04): 44-28-1,.610
- Matt Nichols (2015-present): 15-10, .600
- Kevin Glenn (2004-08): 35-37-1, .486
- Buck Pierce (2010-13): 14-18, .438
- Drew Willy (2014-16): 11-18, .379
- Kerwin Bell (1999-2000): 7-17; .292
Others (ranked by number of starts):
- Michael Bishop (2009): 6-8, .429
- Chris Vargas (1997): 3-10, .231
- Kent Austin (1996): 7-4, .636
- T.J. Rubley (1998): 1-10, .091
- Steven Jyles (2010): 2-8, .200
- Kevin McDougal (1996-97): 3-6, .333
- Joey Elliott (2010-12): 2-7, .222
- Max Hall (2013): 1-8, .111
- Alex Brink (2010-12): 3-4, .429
- Troy Kopp (1998): 2-5, .286
- Justin Goltz (2013): 1-4, .200
- Stefan LeFors (2009): 1-3, .250
- Reggie Slack (1996): 1-3, .250
- Ryan Dinwiddie (2008): 1-2, .333
- Tee Martin (2005): 0-3, .000
- Pat Barnes (2003): 1-1, .500
- Mike Quinn (2006): 0-2, .000
- Brian Brohm (2014-15): 0-2, .000
- Robert Marve (2015): 0-2, .000
- Brian Ah Yat (2001): 1-0, 1.00
- Dom Davis (2015-present): 0-1, .000
As Bombers fans are well aware, that’s hardly a star-studded list. It also says something that the only two quarterbacks who have started at least 18 games for this franchise dating back to 1996 with winning records are Jones and Nichols.
And that’s all that matters to the veteran pivot.
Nichols, not surprisingly, has a singular focus right now and that’s Friday’s matchup with the REDBLACKS and getting an offence that, yes, does lead the league in points per game, to purr along instead of revving then stalling.
“There are some things we do well,” Nichols said this week of the Bombers attack. “The main thing is consistency. We’ve been going on some big runs where it seems like for a quarter and a half we can’t be stopped. And then for a quarter it seems like we have trouble getting going.
“We need to have consistency where we’re putting drives together all game long and keeping our defence fresh. That’s a focus of ours.”
A workmanlike answer from a workmanlike pivot. And a guy who is universally respected in his locker room.
“You know, getting to know him off the field and growing with him has been awesome for me,” said Harris. “We’re a bit similar in that we both have that chip on our shoulder and that tenacity.
“There’s no question the team has rallied around him. We know what we’re going to get week in, week out from him and that’s a great thing.”
