Blue Bombers name Matt Nichols starting QB

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers will have a new look under centre next week, as head coach Mike O'Shea announced Sunday that Matt Nichols will take over as starting quarterback.

Nichols replaces Drew Willy who led the Bombers to a 1-4 record this season, including a 33-18 loss to the Calgary Stampeders on Thursday. Willy was 137-of-191 for 1,473 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions in five starts.

O'Shea addressed reporters Sunday and offered insight to his decision to make the quarterback change.

"Try and provide a spark for the offense, change it up a little bit, and try and score a few more points," O'Shea said when asked about his motivation to hand the offensive reigns over to Nichols. The Bombers bench boss leaves a significant window of opportunity open for Nichols, but is not willing to completely cast Willy aside just yet.

"It's a good opportunity for Matt, and we'll see where it takes us," O'Shea said. "I believe Drew Willy is still a big part of this football team and I've always maintained you need two quarterbacks to get to where we want to be to win a championship, so I expect Drew to be ready to go at any time, and I know he will be."

The 29-year-old Nichols has appeared in two games this season, attempting one pass in Week 2 and then going 9-of-15 for 88 yards and a touchdown in relief of Willy against the Stamps. He's completed 60.6 percent of his career passes for 5,234 yards with 31 touchdowns and 25 interceptions in parts of four seasons with the Bombers and Edmonton Eskimos.