NICHOLS’ ARM NOW CAUSE FOR WORRY
Production numbers down for outspoken Bombers’ quarterback, writes Paul Friesen.
If Matt Nichols was shaking his head over the attention BooGate got, he’s got to be absolutely beside himself now.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback is under the heat lamp yet again for comments he made following Saturday’s 39-26 loss in Calgary.
There are those who say Nichols hung his receivers out to dry when he said something on the radio about going through all his reads and nobody being open on some plays.
TSN analyst and former Bomber great Milt Stegall, in particular, climbed all over the struggling quarterback for that one, and the social media mobs were quick to pile on.
That’s throwing your teammates under the bus? It’s not even a gentle push toward the bike lane. Talk about selective hearing.
Those, like Stegall, who say Nichols should only talk about himself must want robots to do post-game interviews, beginning each answer with the default, “I need to be better.”
I don’t know anybody who wants that. We want truth, or as close to it as team dynamics will allow us to get.
Nichols also said this, postgame. “They had the right defence called a few times, it was just the perfect defence for what we called and it just goes that way sometimes.”
Geez, that could be construed as saying the Bombers were out-coached. Clearly the Stamps’ defensive coaches were reading offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice like an open book.
Or this one: “There was a couple plays that we had where I’m watching the guy running open as you’re kinda getting hit or having to move in the pocket … they did a good job of making sure we didn’t get any of those big plays.”
That’s obviously a shot at his offensive line for not giving him enough time.
Nichols was just answering several different questions about how the Calgary defence shut his offence down. If you’d rather he answered each one with, “I wasn’t good enough,” you must be a sucker for punishment, which is what post-game interviews would become.
OK, so maybe they already can be punishment. But it’d get worse, trust me.
Nichols also said this, as part of his very first reply in the nonradio media scrum:
“Man, pretty frustrating. I felt like we kind of had them against the ropes and we had some
I felt like we kind of had them against the ropes and we had some opportunities at all different positions, including myself, to make plays and we just didn’t quite make them.
opportunities at all different positions, including myself, to make plays and we just didn’t quite make them.”
So he included himself in the conversation.
Offence wasn’t good enough, defence wasn’t good enough, both for the second straight week, and the 5-5 Bombers find themselves wobbling into the Labour Day Classic, which is never a good idea.
The offensive malfunction, of course, falls largely on the quarterback’s shoulders.
And while I have no problem defending Nichols’ words — in fact, I encourage him to continue being real — I’m not rushing to do the same with his play.
This is not the same quarterback who broke out of his “game manager” shell last season, smashing that reputation and the chip on his shoulder with 4,472 yards passing on a 71 per cent completion rate, with 28 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Coming into this season, since taking over from Drew Willy as the starter two years ago, Nichols had hit on 70.3 per cent of his passes for 8138 yards in 30 starts, with 46 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. That’s an average of 271 yards passing per game.
In seven starts this season — he missed the first three with a knee injury — he’s averaged just 229 yards per game, his completion percentage down a full seven points.
His numbers are down dramatically virtually across the board, from his touch down interception ratio (10-7 this season, 46-17 the previous two) to his efficiency rating (100.8, 87.8) to the most important stat, his won-loss record as a starter (21-9, 4-3).
He’s not taking off with the ball nearly as often, either, not even once every two games, compared to two carries a game through 2016-17.
Matt Nichols remains the fiery, dedicated leader he’s been since taking over the starting job. What’s come out of his mouth the last two weeks hasn’t changed that.
But what’s come off his arm has changed, big-time. And it should be as big a concern for the Bombers as anything.