Nichols is the man.

[ddanger]

I was very please with what I saw out of Nicholls on Saturday night. Some obvious growing pains in the first half, but even then it was evident that we had a QB. I'm excited about him being here into the future as our #2, and as I said in another thread, I expect Brohm &/or Marve to be gone at the end of the season.

[Atomic]

Remember, Nichols has been in the league for more than a few years now. So that being the case, how likely is it that he goes from a guy who ended up 3rd on the Eskimo's depth chart and expendable to a legitimate starter inside 1 year. The short answer is: he doesn't

Almost like a guy named Crompton who was 4th on the depth chart and went on to become a 7-1 starter for another team..... what team did he play for before he joined the Als??

Coincidentally because the Esks made a mistake thinking that Nichols was better than Crompton.

Nichols is better than Crompton.

Not a chance.

Definitely. I don't know what you see in Crompton. IMO last season will end up being his greatest accomplishment as a pro. He'll be out of the league by 2017.

[Blueandgold]

 

 

 

 

 

Remember, Nichols has been in the league for more than a few years now. So that being the case, how likely is it that he goes from a guy who ended up 3rd on the Eskimo's depth chart and expendable to a legitimate starter inside 1 year. The short answer is: he doesn't

Almost like a guy named Crompton who was 4th on the depth chart and went on to become a 7-1 starter for another team..... what team did he play for before he joined the Als??

Coincidentally because the Esks made a mistake thinking that Nichols was better than Crompton.

Nichols is better than Crompton.

Not a chance.

Definitely. I don't know what you see in Crompton. IMO last season will end up being his greatest accomplishment as a pro. He'll be out of the league by 2017.

 

Every team in the league except Toronto and Calgary would be better with him as their number two QB.

[Atomic]

Remember, Nichols has been in the league for more than a few years now. So that being the case, how likely is it that he goes from a guy who ended up 3rd on the Eskimo's depth chart and expendable to a legitimate starter inside 1 year. The short answer is: he doesn't

Almost like a guy named Crompton who was 4th on the depth chart and went on to become a 7-1 starter for another team..... what team did he play for before he joined the Als??

Coincidentally because the Esks made a mistake thinking that Nichols was better than Crompton.

Nichols is better than Crompton.

Not a chance.

Definitely. I don't know what you see in Crompton. IMO last season will end up being his greatest accomplishment as a pro. He'll be out of the league by 2017.

Every team in the league except Toronto and Calgary would be better with him as their number two QB.

Absolutely false. You are wildly overrating Crompton. I'd take him over DeMarco in Ottawa but that's about it. I'd take the chance on an unproven guy like Jeff Matthews in Hamilton before I would go with a mediocre QB like Crompton. He has no future in the CFL. I'm hoping he gets the start this week so we can see exactly what Nichols vs Crompton looks like.

[Blueandgold]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remember, Nichols has been in the league for more than a few years now. So that being the case, how likely is it that he goes from a guy who ended up 3rd on the Eskimo's depth chart and expendable to a legitimate starter inside 1 year. The short answer is: he doesn't

Almost like a guy named Crompton who was 4th on the depth chart and went on to become a 7-1 starter for another team..... what team did he play for before he joined the Als??

Coincidentally because the Esks made a mistake thinking that Nichols was better than Crompton.

Nichols is better than Crompton.

Not a chance.

Definitely. I don't know what you see in Crompton. IMO last season will end up being his greatest accomplishment as a pro. He'll be out of the league by 2017.

Every team in the league except Toronto and Calgary would be better with him as their number two QB.

Absolutely false. You are wildly overrating Crompton. I'd take him over DeMarco in Ottawa but that's about it. I'd take the chance on an unproven guy like Jeff Matthews in Hamilton before I would go with a mediocre QB like Crompton. He has no future in the CFL. I'm hoping he gets the start this week so we can see exactly what Nichols vs Crompton looks like.

 

The only player being wildly overrated around here is Matt Nichols. He was just replaced by an unproven guy in Edmonton.

[Goalie]

Crompton wasn't very good last year. His record was but it was because Montreal's D was very good. Pretty easy to throw up prayers to Duron Carter tho.

[Fatty Liver]

Crompton wasn't very good last year. His record was but it was because Montreal's D was very good. Pretty easy to throw up prayers to Duron Carter tho.

 

Riiiight.... Crompton fluked out 7 victories heaving hail Marias....and nobody caught on.

[Brandon Blue&Gold]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remember, Nichols has been in the league for more than a few years now. So that being the case, how likely is it that he goes from a guy who ended up 3rd on the Eskimo's depth chart and expendable to a legitimate starter inside 1 year. The short answer is: he doesn't

Almost like a guy named Crompton who was 4th on the depth chart and went on to become a 7-1 starter for another team..... what team did he play for before he joined the Als??

Coincidentally because the Esks made a mistake thinking that Nichols was better than Crompton.

Nichols is better than Crompton.

Not a chance.

Definitely. I don't know what you see in Crompton. IMO last season will end up being his greatest accomplishment as a pro. He'll be out of the league by 2017.

Every team in the league except Toronto and Calgary would be better with him as their number two QB.

Absolutely false. You are wildly overrating Crompton. I'd take him over DeMarco in Ottawa but that's about it. I'd take the chance on an unproven guy like Jeff Matthews in Hamilton before I would go with a mediocre QB like Crompton. He has no future in the CFL. I'm hoping he gets the start this week so we can see exactly what Nichols vs Crompton looks like.

 

The only player being wildly overrated around here is Matt Nichols. He was just replaced by an unproven guy in Edmonton.

 

That guy (Franklin) had a great game against an unprepared Argo game, and had his butt handed to him Marve-style the next week against Calgary.  And now Reilly, their true starter, is back.  The only reason Edmonton traded Nichols to us is that they knew Reilly was ready to come back, otherwise they would have kept him.  As for the Crompton/Nichols debate, both are decent to good game managers but unlikely to rise much higher.  Although if Nichols can stay healthy and play for a decent stretch maybe he can realize the potential he had a couple years ago before Reilly usurped him.  I think we saw the best Crompton has to offer last season during that impressive Als run, which was due as much to a tough D and good ground game as it was to Crompton himself.  Having Duron Carter and S.J Green to throw to didn't hurt either.

[gbill2004]

Crompton would be an upgrade over Brohm and Marve, but I'd much rather have Nichols.

[iso_55]

When a coaching staff sours on a player it's very difficult for that player to get back in their good graces. Politics as well as favouritism sometimes plays a huge part on who plays & who doesn't as well who gets chances & who doesn't. I think that's what happened to Matt Nicholls in Edmonton. He fell out of favour even though he was still winning games.

I think Chris Jones felt that he wasn't doing a good enough job even while finding ways to win. You could see the pressure Nicholls was under before the trade with his body language. He didn't look like he was having fun playing for Jones & McAdoo in Edmonton. Contrast that to the game here last Saturday where he was smiling & having fun. And the way he applauded the IGF crowd at the end you could see he appreciated their support. He wasn't doing any of that in Edmonton. I think he needed a change & is happy to be here. 

[Jesse]

Crompton would be an upgrade over Brohm and Marve, but I'd much rather have Nichols.

At the moment, I agree. I would like to see Nichols against Montreals defence as opposed to Saskatchewans before I completely buy in.

Regardless, Nichols is way better than Brohm or Marve.

[17to85]

When a coaching staff sours on a player it's very difficult for that player to get back in their good graces. Politics as well as favouritism sometimes plays a huge part on who plays & who doesn't as well who gets chances & who doesn't. I think that's what happened to Matt Nicholls in Edmonton. He fell out of favour even though he was still winning games.

I think Chris Jones felt that he wasn't doing a good enough job even while finding ways to win. You could see the pressure Nicholls was under before the trade with his body language. He didn't look like he was having fun playing for Jones & McAdoo in Edmonton. Contrast that to the game here last Saturday where he was smiling & having fun. And the way he applauded the IGF crowd at the end you could see he appreciated their support. He wasn't doing any of that in Edmonton. I think he needed a change & is happy to be here. 

Yeah Jones gave the impression he was looking to get rid of Nichols from the get go. Even last year they would try and get their 3rd stringer into games. I don't think it's fair to judge him on how Edmonton viewed him, They wanted something else at their #2 qb slot but no one did them a favour of outright beating him. 

[Fan Boy]

Not only did the find him... they passed on him 3 times!  After his 4th tryout with the Bombers, he finally got invited to camp.  He didn't "fit" whatever Etch was doing with the linebackers so that's why he never got the call until this season.

This goes to show how these things go. I am not the only one here who thought last year's defence was a series of weird ideas. We see how guys slip through the cracks and it has nothing to do with the player himself. I know it was 1 and 9 team but that defence is coming around. Messam (spelling approximate) had a couple of big runs but he got stood up a bunch and that did not happen a lot last year.

 

By the way does this fit the story that Walters is useless at Americans?

[iso_55]

How many carries did Messam have against us on Saturday? Was it 9 carries? The Riders have a beast at tailback playing well & a struggling rookie qb yet they throw 90% of the time. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad for their play selection as it played right into our defense's hands but you have to ask the question, "Why do the Riders continue to do what they do offensively refusing to run the football with Messam?" Maybe MB isn't the only OC with questionable play selections. Rider fans must be going nuts trying to figure things out. Messam should be carrying that football 20 times a game minimum to open up the passing game to take the pressure off Smith.

[17to85]

How many carries did Messam have against us on Saturday? Was it 9 carries? The Riders have a beast at tailback playing well & a struggling rookie qb yet they throw 90% of the time. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad for their play selection as it played right into our defense's hands but you have to ask the question, "Why do the Riders continue to do what they do offensively refusing to run the football with Messam?" Maybe MB isn't the only OC with questionable play selections. Rider fans must be going nuts trying to figure things out. Messam should be carrying that football 20 times a game minimum to open up the passing game to take the pressure off Smith.

The Bombers stopped the run game short a bunch of times. Put a team in 2nd and long because you stop the run game and it makes it a lot harder to be productive on offence. Same reason the Bombers get away from the run. When it's being stuffed it's not really that great an idea to just keep trying to pound it. Bombers did to Sask what so many teams have done to the Bombers lately. Stop the run and say "ok your rookie qb has to beat us with his arm"

[iso_55]

 

How many carries did Messam have against us on Saturday? Was it 9 carries? The Riders have a beast at tailback playing well & a struggling rookie qb yet they throw 90% of the time. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad for their play selection as it played right into our defense's hands but you have to ask the question, "Why do the Riders continue to do what they do offensively refusing to run the football with Messam?" Maybe MB isn't the only OC with questionable play selections. Rider fans must be going nuts trying to figure things out. Messam should be carrying that football 20 times a game minimum to open up the passing game to take the pressure off Smith.

The Bombers stopped the run game short a bunch of times. Put a team in 2nd and long because you stop the run game and it makes it a lot harder to be productive on offence. Same reason the Bombers get away from the run. When it's being stuffed it's not really that great an idea to just keep trying to pound it. Bombers did to Sask what so many teams have done to the Bombers lately. Stop the run and say "ok your rookie qb has to beat us with his arm"

 

Yes, we sure did & I agree with you 100% but I think the Riders have abandoned the run way too soon all season. They did the same thing in Ottawa a few weeks ago where Messam had just 4 carries the entire game. If I was Jacques Chapdelaine I'd have stuck with the run game. A power back like Messam wears down defenses & the guy absolutely loves the physical contact & the workload. He doesn't have the speed to take it outside but wow is he a powerful runner inside the tackles. Who knows, had he carried the football 20 or 25 times by the second half he might've started breaking some big runs. But hey, the Riders gave up & never tried so too bad, so sad. Doesn't break my heart.

[HardCoreBlue]

 

 

How many carries did Messam have against us on Saturday? Was it 9 carries? The Riders have a beast at tailback playing well & a struggling rookie qb yet they throw 90% of the time. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad for their play selection as it played right into our defense's hands but you have to ask the question, "Why do the Riders continue to do what they do offensively refusing to run the football with Messam?" Maybe MB isn't the only OC with questionable play selections. Rider fans must be going nuts trying to figure things out. Messam should be carrying that football 20 times a game minimum to open up the passing game to take the pressure off Smith.

The Bombers stopped the run game short a bunch of times. Put a team in 2nd and long because you stop the run game and it makes it a lot harder to be productive on offence. Same reason the Bombers get away from the run. When it's being stuffed it's not really that great an idea to just keep trying to pound it. Bombers did to Sask what so many teams have done to the Bombers lately. Stop the run and say "ok your rookie qb has to beat us with his arm"

 

Yes, we sure did & I agree with you 100% but I think the Riders have abandoned the run way too soon all season. They did the same thing in Ottawa a few weeks ago where Messam had just 4 carries the entire game. If I was Jacques Chapdelaine I'd have stuck with the run game. A power back like Messam wears down defenses & the guy absolutely loves the physical contact & the workload. He doesn't have the speed to take it outside but wow is he a powerful runner inside the tackles. Who knows, had he carried the football 20 or 25 times by the second half he might've started breaking some big runs. But hey, the Riders gave up & never tried so too bad, so sad. Doesn't break my heart.

 

Yes I agree he's shown he can.

However the games I've watched Messam play is he doesn't seem to have the endurance to do that consistently.

He seems to get worn out quite quickly.He tends to tap his helmet a lot to come off. 

[Goalie]

Yup. Messam doesn't have the stamina to be an every down back. Not sure how many times he gets 15 carries a game. It's not often that's for sure

[mbrg]

 

When a coaching staff sours on a player it's very difficult for that player to get back in their good graces. Politics as well as favouritism sometimes plays a huge part on who plays & who doesn't as well who gets chances & who doesn't. I think that's what happened to Matt Nicholls in Edmonton. He fell out of favour even though he was still winning games.

I think Chris Jones felt that he wasn't doing a good enough job even while finding ways to win. You could see the pressure Nicholls was under before the trade with his body language. He didn't look like he was having fun playing for Jones & McAdoo in Edmonton. Contrast that to the game here last Saturday where he was smiling & having fun. And the way he applauded the IGF crowd at the end you could see he appreciated their support. He wasn't doing any of that in Edmonton. I think he needed a change & is happy to be here. 

Yeah Jones gave the impression he was looking to get rid of Nichols from the get go. Even last year they would try and get their 3rd stringer into games. I don't think it's fair to judge him on how Edmonton viewed him, They wanted something else at their #2 qb slot but no one did them a favour of outright beating him. 

 

 

Agree with all of that, and money has to also be a factor in Edmonton's decision to move Nichols.  They re-signed him to compete for the #1 spot a few years ago.  His base salary is probably steep enough that keeping him in the 3 spot is too hard to justify.  Trading him for a 7th is about the same as admitting you were going to cut him and are glad to get anything at all.

[Fatty Liver]

Yup. Messam doesn't have the stamina to be an every down back. Not sure how many times he gets 15 carries a game. It's not often that's for sure

 

Thus the reason they were running the "3-headed monstert" last year, they gave up on that concept way too early imo.

[iso_55]

Yup. Messam doesn't have the stamina to be an every down back. Not sure how many times he gets 15 carries a game. It's not often that's for sure

I think he has the stamina or he wouldn't be playing at this level. I just think he needs the rock more. I could be wrong. 

[bearpants]

 

Yup. Messam doesn't have the stamina to be an every down back. Not sure how many times he gets 15 carries a game. It's not often that's for sure

I think he has the stamina or he wouldn't be playing at this level. I just think he needs the rock more. I could be wrong. 

 

 

I've also heard that he doesn't really have the stamina for 20+ carries a game... that being said, I thought the major reason Dyce immediately dressed Allan again was so that they can split the carries... the 2 combined should easily be able to handle 25+ carries a game...

[Goalie]

However, with SASK, if you stop the run game, like we did last week, the pass game will have to beat you and it can't with Smith as QB.  

[Doublezero]

Bombers would be smart to have real competition for the starting QB role in 2016.

Not sure if that would be Nichols.

But if he plays well for the remainder - why shouldn't he get a shot to knock Drew Willy off his anointed perch?

[gbill2004]

Bombers would be smart to have real competition for the starting QB role in 2016.

Not sure if that would be Nichols.

But if he plays well for the remainder - why shouldn't he get a shot to knock Drew Willy off his anointed perch?

I agree.