News
August 21, 2012
Evan Daum
Edmonton Journal
No matter how hard he tries, Edmonton Eskimo head coach Kavis Reed can’t seem to shake questions about his quarterbacks.
Reed’s quarterbacking situation remains a hot-button issue as the Eskimos near the midway point of the season, only a game back of the defending Grey Cup champion BC Lions for top spot in the Canadian Football League’s West Division.
While questions about starter Steven Jyles, whose trade to Edmonton last December as part of the deal that sent longtime QB Ricky Ray to the Toronto Argonauts sparked the never-ending barrage, have diminished somewhat, new queries are never far away.
The latest is when, or if, third-stringer Matt Nichols will see any significant playing time this season.
“I know that I’ll probably be asked that question throughout the season,” Reed said Monday after practice. “For us, we’re doing what’s right for the Edmonton Eskimos. The quarterback and the goalie in any city in Canada are going to be the hot topic.
“For us, we’re 4-3. We’re in second place in the West. Right now, we’re on target to win more games than we lose, and we’re not going to bend in what we believe in. If we do that, we’re conceding the season.”
Neither Jyles nor backup Kerry Joseph were able to spark much offensively while trailing virtually from start to finish in Friday’s 38-25 home loss to the Montreal Alouettes, but Reed left little doubt in his post-game press conference as to whether he had even considered giving the sophomore Nichols a shot.
“No, the game wasn’t conceded until the final interception,” Reed said Friday. “When you have an opportunity to win, I didn’t want to put the white flag up yet and concede to Matt Nichols when we had a chance.”
Nichols wasn’t surprised to not get into the game, despite the Esks being down 38-11 after three quarters.
“We feel like with the personnel we have here and the team we have here, we never count ourselves out of a game, and I think that, obviously, we had a chance to come back there late if a few plays went our way,” Nichols said. “I’m always ready to go in, but I never expect to go in.”
That decision to keep Nichols, who’s thrown all of three passes this season, on the sidelines is part of the Eskimo progression plan with the Eastern Washington University product.
“Matt is being prepared the right way, in my estimation, and we’re going to make certain we continue to grow and groom him the right way,” Reed said. “That is to make certain he sees the game, lets the game slow down for him, and when we get the opportunity to play him, we’ll play him.”
The 25-year-old QB hasn’t spent much time watching from the sidelines during his football career, especially during college, where he racked up 12,616 passing yards for the Big Sky Conference’s Eagles.
“I’ve been the starting quarterback since second grade, a starter for four years in college, so I am used to being the guy, but at the same time, if you look around this league, there are zero guys my age starting at quarterback,” Nichols said. “It’s just one of those things where you have to put in your time, learn and hopefully be as ready as possible when that time does come.”
Nichols considers his role this season as just another step in the right direction. He beat out last year’s third-stringer, Eric Ward, plus rookies Brandon Summers and Jeremiah Massoli, who’s currently on the team’s nine-game injured list, for the third spot on the depth chart out of training camp.
“I feel like I’m learning every day. Even just being on the sidelines this year as opposed to being basically in the stands last year,” he said. “There’s just a different perspective, and I can see a difference from Game 1 on the sidelines to this last week. I feel like I’m seeing more of what the defence is trying to do to us.
“Even not getting the reps in person, just watching from that close of a distance, it’s all just part of growing as a quarterback. It’s the one position on the field where you really need to know every little thing and have a good feel of the game before you just kind of get thrown into the fire.”
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