Bombers’ MVP limps off the field Non-contact injury fells starting quarterback Nichols By: Mike McIntyre Posted: 5:38 PM CDT Wednesday, Jun. 6, 2018 Last Modified: 7:13 AM CDT Thursday, Jun. 7, 2018 Updates

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It was the kind of innocent-looking play you may see dozens of times in any given training camp workout. The quarterback takes the snap, drops back uncontested and gets ready to make a pass.

But there was nothing routine or ordinary about what happened Wednesday afternoon at Investors Group Field.

Matt Nichols, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ starter and reigning team MVP, crumpled to the ground in obvious distress without taking any contact. He threw his helmet in anger, yelled something and stayed down as teammates and trainers gathered around him.

Eventually, Nichols got to one knee, was helped onto his feet and, with assistance, limped off to the dressing room, followed by a clearly concerned head coach Mike O’Shea.

Nichols was expected to be examined by a doctor today, O’Shea told reporters a short time later.

“We’ll get good information and make decisions from there,” he said.

“It’s just way too early to comment on it. We’ll wait to hear what the doctor says. That’s all you can do.”

Nichols suffered a non-contact left calf injury during a regular-season game last October. He didn’t play in the season finale but returned for their West semifinal against the Edmonton Eskimos, though his mobility was limited.

He won 11 of 17 regular-season starts last year, throwing for a career-high 4,472 yards and 28 touchdowns with only eight interceptions and led all CFL quarterbacks with an 86.4 rating.

In other words, much of the team’s fate as a potential Grey Cup contender rests in the hands of Nichols, who sat out the entire 2013 season with a torn ACL.

The Bombers already suffered a blow to their quarterback depth when veteran Darian Durant opted to retire just before training camp began. That left a pair of unproven pivots in Alex Ross and rookie Chris Streveler battling for the backup position. Bryan Bennett and Canadian rookie Zack Mahoney are the other two quarterbacks in camp.

If Nichols is out for any length of time, the Bombers’ fortunes may have taken a huge hit before the season even begins on June 14 against the Eskimos.

“It’s the same thing that goes on any time someone goes down. You move the drill and you run the next play. You’ve got a bunch of guys out here who need practise and need the reps and are getting going,” said O’Shea.

“It’s football and these things happen.”

Nichols wasn’t expected to travel to Vancouver to play in Friday’s final pre-season game against the Lions, said O’Shea. That means Ross and Streveler will get plenty of work.

“Keep practising, keep working on what I need to work on to be the best player I can be. That’s all I can control,” Bennett said Wednesday when asked what Nichols’ injury might mean for him. He has been battling a lower-body injury through camp and is hoping to see some game action Friday.

Streveler opened plenty of eyes in going 10-for-10 passing for 140 yards and a touchdown toss while also rushing four times for 37 yards in last week’s 33-13 exhibition win over Edmonton.

Meanwhile, Ross struggled, completing just one of eight pass attempts for eight yards.

“I really don’t know anything at this point. I don’t think anybody else does, either,” Ross said about seeing Nichols go down. “Nothing changes for me, as far as I’m out here to try and be the best player that I can be. I’m out here to get better every single day. To watch film after practice, go in there and see what I’ve done right, see what I’ve done wrong.”

Ross is looking to redeem himself with a big game Friday against the team that cut him loose earlier this spring. The 6-1, 205-pound Georgia native was the third-string quarterback with B.C. last year, going five-for-12 passing for 82 yards in limited action.

“When my number’s called I got to be able to go out there and perform,” Ross said. “You have to learn from last week. You can’t necessarily just sweep it under the rug. I learned from my film, I get better and then I move on.”

The 25-year-old former college quarterback for Coastal Carolina is that school’s all-time leader in touchdown passes, completions and passing yards. He’s now hoping to make the most of his second CFL opportunity.

“It’s going out there with the mindset to compete and show the coaches what I’m capable of, and to play a good overall game and be a leader and a field general out there,” said Ross.

“As the quarterback position, it’s different than every other position. You can’t get too high, and you also can’t get too low. When you have a bad play you have to shake it off. You have to stay level-headed, you have to stay calm, you have to stay composed.”

O’Shea was asked whether Ross might have a little extra fire in his belly facing his former team.

“I think he’s highly motivated to play every game, no matter who the opponent is. I want the same thing for him that he wants for himself. He wants to go out and have a good, clean game and execute the plays at a high level and show us what he can do,” said O’Shea.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg

Mike McIntyre
Reporter

Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.

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