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Bombers QB Nichols injured in practice, severity unknown
It’s the nightmare scenario for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Starting quarterback and 2017 most outstanding player Matt Nichols was injured in practice on Wednesday, two days before the team’s final CFL pre-season game.
The nature and severity of the possible knee injury have not yet been determined, but if Nichols misses any significant time, it could be devastating to a Bombers team that has all the pieces to be a Grey Cup contender, but needs a healthy No. 1 quarterback.
The backup plan — inexperienced quarterbacks Alex Ross, Chris Streveler and Bryan Bennett — is simply too flimsy at this point.
Nichols went down while backpedalling on a passing play. He was untouched as he fell onto his back. He grabbed at his knee, lay there for a moment, then took off his helmet and threw it in anger.
He got up onto one knee for a few moments before a couple of trainers helped him off the field and into the Bombers locker room. He was moving gingerly, with the help of the trainers, but was at least putting some pressure on both of his legs.
Nichols tore the ACL in his right knee in 2013 while with the Edmonton Eskimos and he missed the entire season. There is certainly fear in the organization that this could be a similar injury.
Bombers coach Mike O’Shea said Nichols was not going to travel to B.C., anyway.
“At some point today, he’ll see the doctor and we’ll get good information and make decisions from there,” O’Shea said. “It’s way too early to comment on it.”
O’Shea was asked what it was like for him to see his No. 1 quarterback go down with an injury before the regular season even starts.
“It’s the same thing that goes on anytime someone goes down,” O’Shea said. “You move the drill and you run the next play. It’s football, and these things happen.”
It’s expected Ross and Streveler will get most of the reps when the Bombers play in Vancouver on Friday night against the B.C. Lions, and Bennett could see action as well.
The Bombers thought they had an experienced backup coming in when they signed veteran Darian Durant in the off-season, but he unexpectedly retired just before training camp.
We’d make the suggestion that the Bombers put out another call to Durant now, if Nichols is out of the lineup for any significant amount of time, but the former Montreal Alouettes and Saskatchewan Roughriders pivot reportedly stopped working out in the off-season. Plus the team is furious with him for retiring and keeping a $70,000 signing bonus it gave him in January.
Nichols had his best season as a pro in 2017, leading the Bombers to a 12-6 record while throwing 28 touchdown passes and only eight interceptions.
He was hurt near the end of last season, suffering through a strained calf and a broken finger on his throwing hand, but missed minimal time.
It was not easy for the Bombers to see their quarterback and unquestioned leader being helped off the field on Wednesday.
“I think, most importantly, you look at him as a friend and you feel bad for him,” veteran receiver Weston Dressler said. “It’s not even about the team at that point. It’s a personal matter more than anything.”
Dressler was running a route and was expecting to receive the ball from Nichols when the injury occurred. When he looked back, he saw the quarterback on his back.
But the 10-year veteran wasn’t about to get too worked up just because Nichols had to be helped off the field.
“I’ve seen guys that can’t get off the field on their own power and come back in three plays later and I’ve seen guys jog off the field even when they can’t physically play the game,” Dressler said. “That doesn’t really mean a whole lot at this point until they assess everything.”
Running back Andrew Harris said all the Bombers can do now is rally around their teammate.
“When anyone goes down, no matter who it is, it’s tough to go through that and you worry about your teammate, your brother,” Harris said. “It’s tough, but this is a team game, and no matter what comes out of it, we’ve got to support each other. Next man up.”
At some point today, he’ll see the doctor and we’ll get good information and make decisions from there. It’s way too early to comment.
Coach Mike O’Shea