“The thing that makes him special is his level of grit – he punches way above his weight” | Game Day Playbook
Pre-Game - Willie Jefferson 5
REGINA – A talking point as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers settle into the Saskatchewan capital for a Week 2 showdown with their Prairie rivals…
The Blue Bombers ‘Dark Side’ defence is stacked with all-stars and features two players in Adam Bighill and Willie Jefferson who are already destined for the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. And yet a case could be made that the league’s top defensive player is a man who shares the huddle with them: halfback Deatrick Nichols.
“You know what? I’ll co-sign that,” said Blue Bombers defensive backs coach Jordan Younger in a recent chat with bluebombers.com. “I appreciate that you’re recognizing him with this kind of discussion. The position he plays is unique to Canada. You’re often covering the other team’s best receiver, but you also have to have a strong safety mentality because we can bring you in the box and make you play the run. It’s hard to find guys that can cover and are willing to mix it up.
“The reason those awards often go to linebackers and defensive linemen is you can count sacks; you can count tackles as measurements for how a player impacts the game. It’s hard for him to get stats. A lot of times the tackle or the sack is the result of somebody else making the play. The sack isn’t always the play – it’s somebody else locking somebody up in coverage, or somebody else understands what the offensive play call might be and works to take it away and now the defensive lineman or linebacker gets the benefit of it.
“But it can be said Deatrick Nichols impacts the game as much as any defensive player in the league.”
Jefferson was at his absolute best in last week’s win over Hamilton, registering three tackles, a tackle for a loss, two sacks, a forced fumble and two knockdowns in one of those jaw-dropping performances he has authored so many times in his career. Bighill did his thing, too, with his four tackles inching him closer to sixth place on the CFL’s all-time list.
Nichols was on the stat sheet, too, with a tackle, a knockdown and a fumble recovery, but his handiwork doesn’t necessarily show up on the stats sheet. A two-time CFL All-Star in his two years in the league, he’s already so established and respected at his position opposition quarterbacks noticeably work to steer clear of that side of the Blue Bombers defence.
What makes him so special? It’s a question that goes beyond his physical gifts.
“The thing that makes him special is his level of grit – he punches way above his weight,” explained Younger. “He’s not afraid of anybody. He’s not afraid of failing and to me that’s a quality that is underrated and doesn’t get talked about much. Look, everybody is trying to hold on to their job and hold on to their spots and when it comes to that fork in the road between taking the safe way and taking a chance, a lot of guys always take the safe way.
“Greatness and the difference between being a good player and a great player is a fine line, that fork in the road. He gets to that fork, and he trusts his gut.”
Earlier this week yours truly approached Nichols and presented the outline for this theory – that he should be mentioned as a most outstanding defensive player candidate – and, if those who know the man won’t be the least be surprised he humbly swatted away the idea.
“I appreciate that, and I won’t say I’m not happy to get that kind of a recommendation and everything, but this is a team sport and the main thing is to win championships,” said Nichols. “Everybody wants love, everybody wants their flowers as well – especially when you’re putting in so much work. You don’t need a billboard or anything, but sometimes you want a thank you or a ‘see you’ or a ‘nice work’… little things like that can go a long way.
“But you really can’t take the individual goals with you. If you win a Grey Cup, 20 or 30 years from now you still remember those guys and that’s what is most important.
“Of course, you appreciate it and look back at it and know you’ve put the work in, but the team goal matters more.”
A product of Miami and the University of South Florida, Nichols was leading the XFL in interceptions as a member of the Houston Roughnecks back in 2020 when the COVID hit and mothballed the league. He’s had NFL looks from both the New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins and then ventured north to Winnipeg in 2021.
He’s since started every game.
“Life is about ups and downs,” he said. “And at the end of the day whatever happens you’ve got to find the good in it. The XFL ended and that meant I came here. I love it here and I feel appreciated here.”
The other often unnoticed aspect to his game is his leadership. It comes naturally, said Younger, even if Nichols needed to find his place before stepping up in that department.
“He’s always been that guy that if it’s in his heart, he’ll say it,” Younger explained. “We saw that leadership about a month into his arrival here.”
“It’s just knowing my role,” Nichols added. “There’s certain times you want to show people your confidence without it sounding cocky. There’s a fine line in that. You don’t want to be seen as timid and you want to show you’re aggressive and you have a love for the game. I found that line. The guys that are here like Biggie, Willie Jefferson, Zach, they make it easy. You see, ‘OK, that’s how they are, here’s how I can make an impact with this team in that way as well.’
More on the Blue Bombers vs. Riders and other stuff in this week’s Game Day Playbook…
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- ‘GTD’
The Riders depth chart lists QB Trevor Harris as a ‘GTD’ – Game Time Decision – after he apparently injured his hip on a dying seconds throw in which he was kept on the field to attempt a throw to kill out the clock.
Harris, who was on the field for Thursday’s walk-through told reporters he has four questions which will need to be answered before he gives himself the green light to go – can he protect himself? Is he putting the team in a compromised position? And then he’ll need answers to his mobility and feelings.
“It’s pro football,” said Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea. “Whoever is behind centre will be ready, will be well coached and be able execute their offence and we’ll have to try and figure out how to stop them.”
Valid point – still there is a massive difference between a vet like Harris, who has made 97 career starts, and Mason Fine, who has made two, both losses.
If it is Harris, here’s how Blue Bombers defensive coordinator Richie Hall described the veteran pivot earlier this week:
“He’s a rhythm quarterback. He’s a ball-control quarterback – not saying that he doesn’t throw the ball deep – but when he gets in that rhythm is ‘boom-boom-boom-boom’ after he gets his read the ball is out. It’s key that we take away his first look and just continue to get after him and push the pocket by putting them into second and long situations so that even if he throws the ball quick, we tackle and we’re off the field.”
The Riders will again be without LB Derrick Moncrief – he also missed last week’s season-opening win over Edmonton – while CB Nick Marshall has been moved to the one-game injured list.
“They’re still a good defence. Obviously those two players are good players and it’s hard to replace them,” said Blue Bombers SB Nic Demski. “But at the end of the day they still play a physical brand of football. They still fly around out there and did a lot of good stuff on film. It’s definitely going to be a test this week. We definitely have to match their physicality and bring it and play fast and I’m sure good things will happen.”
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- A RIVALRY THAT NEVER GETS OLD
The Blue Bombers and Roughriders meet for the first of three this season. Of note – especially for fans who lived through so many Labour Day Classic nightmares – Winnipeg is on a seven-game win streak against Saskatchewan that includes wins in the 2019 and 2021 Western Final.
We touched on that in a piece about Zach Collaros in our 48-Hour Primer, FYI:
Asked Thursday if that 7-0 number means anything at all, O’Shea said: “Not at all. I don’t think we’re ever flipping the pages backwards. It’s always what’s this version of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have to do to try and win a game in a very hostile environment.”
And when it was suggested the rivalry is ‘special’, the Blue Bombers boss grinned.
“’Special’… that’s an interesting word,” he said with a chuckle. “I’m sure it’s going to be heated, they always are. It’s great competition. The fans are into it, the players really appreciate it, our players even really appreciate how excited the fans are and how rabid they are. It makes them feel good to play in a crowd like that.”
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- NOTABLE
The Blue Bombers depth chart was released on Thursday, as was the news that DE Jackson Jeffcoat and FB Mike Miller have been moved to the six-game injured list. Celestin Haba will start in Jeffcoat’s spot while Damian Jackson is listed as the fullback.
The moves also mean DT Miles Fox – who played last year briefly with the B.C. Lions – will make his Blue Bombers debut after just joining the club on Monday.
“Strong. Plays with good leverage and power. Quick for a big guy,” O’Shea said. “We liked what we saw on film. He was very active.”
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- BACK TO THE SCENE
This will be the Blue Bombers first appearance at Mosaic Stadium since last year’s one-point loss in the Grey Cup to the Toronto Argonauts.
“I spent some years here – just one year, actually, in this new stadium – but my last memory obviously wasn’t the best one in this stadium,” said Demski, originally a Roughrider first-round draft pick. “But hopefully we can make some good new ones.
“Obviously you dwell on it that one last time before the season starts, but it’s a new year, a new opportunity and I’m just focussed on what’s ahead.”
“Obviously there’s history with a lot of guys on our team playing here last year for the ultimate goal or being a part of this organization,” added Collaros. “I’m sure those emotions will come up, but for now we’re focussed on the task at hand and we’ve still got some time to get all our questions asked. We’re excited.”
