Jason Helstead/CFL.ca
WINNIPEG — The Winnipeg Blue Bombers released their depth chart Saturday morning and it appears as though they are set to go with Matt Nichols under centre when they host the Edmonton Eskimos in Sunday’s Western Semi-Final. Nichols is listed first on the depth chart followed by Dan LeFevour and then Dominique Davis.
Nichols’ status has been shrouded in mystery ever since he left Week 19’s contest versus the BC Lions with what appeared to be a calf injury. After sitting out the Bombers’ regular season finale, it has been a whirlwind of a week in Winnipeg as the Bombers began to prep.
“I feel really good. honestly,” Nichols said Saturday after his team’s walkthrough. “I moved around a lot and fully prepared to go in and lead this football team and excited to get out there in front of our home crowd. We’ve been preparing for this all season as a team and I think we’re ready for the moment.”
On Wednesday, Nichols was limited and he had done a bit more on Thursday according to the club although the practice was closed to media. Friday began with Nichols absent from practice with what many outsiders saw as a setback to the injury but later it was revealed that he had missed the workout to attend the birth of his daughter, Parker.
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“I’m good to go, for sure,” he explained. “Everyone knew that all week long on our side of it and approached it the best way we saw fit. I think that I’ve played a lot of football the last couple of years, played a lot of football this year and missing a couple reps here and there are not the biggest thing in the world to me.
“I’ve put in tons of extra time since I’ve been here, aside from yesterday when I was at the hospital for a few hours. I’ve been in here every day from basically 5 a.m. to 6 p.m., putting in a ton of extra work and getting ready for this game.”
Nichols has enjoyed a career year with Winnipeg, helping lead them to their first home playoff berth since 2011. In 17 games this season, Nichols passed for 4,472 yards and 28 touchdowns while tossing just 8 interceptions.
Nichols did appear at Friday’s practice after welcoming his second child but did not participate in any on-field activities. He wasn’t made available for comment on Friday, but head coach Mike O’Shea said he told his star player to take the time that he needed to be with his family. He was back to work quickly but Friday morning was undoubtedly a perfect time to catch his breath.
