Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Matt Nichols is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a knee injury.
It has now been more than two weeks since the Blue Bombers starter suffered an injury to his right knee in practice. So he’s about halfway through the estimated four- to six-week timeline for his recovery.
Speaking on the Blue Bombers pre-game show, Nichols told CJOB’s Bob Irving that his recovery shouldn’t take much longer.
“Honestly, I’m feeling great,” Nichols said. “Without too many details, I feel like I’m ahead of schedule. I feel like I want to be out there soon and expect to be out there soon.”
Rookie Chris Streveler started the first two games of the season at quarterback in Nichols’ absence.
“In my mind, as soon as I’m out there practicing, I’ll be playing,” Nichols said. “I’m grinding on the rehab.”
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Nichols patrolled the sidelines in their season-opening loss. He was wearing an earpiece and helped out any way he could. Nichols was kept home for their matchup against the Alouettes in Montreal.
“We all kind of decided that it was best for me to not travel to the game because I’m able to get three more extra days of rehab,” Nichols said.
“This is the first time I haven’t travelled to a game since 2013, and so it feels weird for me, but at the same time, I’m putting in the work to make sure I’m out there soon.”
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Nichols has a long history of injury problems. While a member of the Edmonton Eskimos, he suffered a gruesome dislocated ankle back in 2012. He missed the entire 2013 season after he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a pre-season game. Last season, Nichols injured his calf and his hand but missed only a single game.
“I feel like I’ve been through basically everything that can be thrown at you as a professional athlete and nothing really fazes me mentally anymore,” Nichols said. “Immediately when it happened, it was: ‘What do I need to do to get back out there?’
“I feel like I’ve always recovered well from injuries, recovered quickly, and I feel like I’m progressing along quickly with this one. It’s hard to say the exact timetable, but I wouldn’t expect to miss too much more.”
LISTEN: Matt Nichols on Blue Bombers pre-game show with Bob Irving
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