Mitchell finds his form

HAMILTON — In the midst of a roller-coaster season, both individually and as a teammate, Bo Levi Mitchell still has his signature touch.

The future hall of famer exudes confidence the same way he did as a longtime member of the Calgary Stampeders. It was in Calgary where Mitchell first made his mark on the CFL, where for a decade he would grow into one of the league’s biggest stars and where he set the foundation to becoming the league’s all-time win percentage leader at a nearly 75 per cent clip.

Inked by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to a three-year, $1.62 million contract ahead of the 2023 season, the past two years haven’t always gone as smoothly in Steeltown. A slew of injuries, including a broken leg, marred Mitchell’s first season, while inconsistent play and the need for a spark after a dreadful start almost derailed this year’s campaign.

As the Ticats get ready to make one final push for a playoff berth, Mitchell is playing some of the best football of his career. With no more threats of losing his job, Mitchell has proven he still has plenty left in the tank, with his recent play putting him among the front-runners for the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player award.

“Individually, I think it’s been one of my better seasons,” Mitchell told the Free Press. “I feel like it’s been a bit of a resurgence for me with my legs and having the ability to move around.”

He added: “When you have the O-line that we have in front of you and the receivers we have on the outside, we’ve put together what we think is the best offence in the league.”

Despite the Ticats having a 6-9 record, putting them in last place in the East Division, Mitchell’s has some facts to back up his opinion.

The Ticats lead the CFL in offensive yards per game (394), first downs (326), average yards per play (6.92), passing yards per game (324) and passing touchdowns (29). Hamilton is second in the league in offensive points per game (28), touchdowns (43), offensive touchdowns (40), offensive plays per game (58) and average yards gained on first down (seven).

Meanwhile, Mitchell leads the CFL in passing yards (4,359) passing attempts (513), passing completions (356) and passing touchdowns (26). But he’s also tied with Winnipeg’s Zach Collaros for the most interceptions, with 14, and it was those turnovers that almost cost Mitchell his job — and possibly even his career.

Mitchell lasted two series, the second of which was ended by his then league-leading 10th interception, in a Week 10 loss to the Montreal Alouettes before Ticats head coach Scott Milanovich had finally seen enough. Milanovich announced after the game the team would be moving forward with second-year QB Taylor Powell, who had thrown for more than 300 yards and a pair of touchdowns in relief against the league-leading Als.

Mitchell dodged reporters after the game but then took to social media the next day, posting a photo of his two young daughters working a lemonade stand. It was a friendly shot at his demotion, the joke made complete by suggesting his kids would have to bring in additional income.

Mitchell pointed to a similar post he made after losing his job to Jake Maier in Calgary as simply using humour to deal with an otherwise crummy situation. It was also his way of letting his teammates know that he wasn’t at home feeling sorry for himself or dwelling on the situation.

“It was a way of telling my teammates that I’m not sitting in a dark room crying, thinking my life is over,” he said. “But just understanding this is a game and if my opportunity comes up again, that I’m going to be ready.”

Mitchell said it helped that Milanovich took the time to explain the situation. Milanovich told Mitchell he didn’t feel he was playing poorly, but he wanted to see what Powell could bring to the offence, ending the chat by letting Mitchell know that his time in Hamilton wasn’t over.

The seemingly warm approach by Milanovich contradicted what was a tense interaction caught on live TV between the two just a few weeks earlier. Mitchell had just thrown an interception, and as he exited the field, he was greeted immediately by Milanovich, who tore a strip off him in a way rarely seen between a head coach and his No. 1 QB.

“Individually, I think it’s been one of my better seasons.”–Bo Levi Mitchell

Mitchell said he took no issue with Milanovich singling him out, adding their relationship has evolved over time and they’ve worked to build trust and find common ground.

He added Milanovich told him early on if he couldn’t criticize his QB, he risked losing trust from the other players on offence. It’s an approach Mitchell said he not only agreed with, but if we were ever to become a coach, would likely adopt the same approach.

Many had wondered if Mitchell would even be back with the Ticats this season after former head coach Orlondo Steinauer and Milanovich, who was then the club’s offensive co-ordinator, opted to play Matthew Shiltz in last year’s East semifinal.

Mitchell started the last three games of the regular season, only to be benched when it mattered most.

“If you’re not playing your highest-paid player on the team in a playoff game, I don’t foresee myself probably being here,” Mitchell said after the game.

It was a conversation with Milanovich, shortly after he was promoted to head coach, that not only convinced Mitchell to return to the Ticats, but also inspired him to come back better in 2024.

As an even deeper showing of his trust, Mitchell agreed to restructure his contract and take significant pay cut, with the two-time Grey Cup champion and two-time league MOP agreeing to $225,000 in hard money — including a $50,000 signing bonus — with the chance to make an additional $110,000 in incentives.

Mitchell said in his first season with the Ticats he was careful not to impose himself on the leadership group, knowing it wasn’t an ideal way to ingratiate himself on a new team. It didn’t help he was limited to just six games due to injury.

This year, Mitchell vowed to do more than lead by example, giving himself a bigger voice. He still understood it was Milanovich’s team and some of the stuff he was used to in Calgary — such as interrupting the coach mid-sentence to point something out to a teammate — wasn’t going to fly.

“Last year was one of learning and trying to feel it out, understand who Scott was as a guy,” Mitchell said.

“After spending the entire offseason with him, on the phone, going over the offence, realizing more and more how much I am like him, in the sense of the way he attacks the game, the relationship became much, much better. I made the decision to come back after talking to him about it.”

As it would turn out, Powell’s time behind centre would be short-lived, as the 25-year-old attempted three passes before suffering a concussion and being put on the six-game injured list. Suddenly, the 34-year-old Mitchell was back in the driver’s seat.

It’s been a relatively smooth ride ever since. Following a couple of hiccups, including a 47-22 thrashing at the hands of the Edmonton Elks, the Ticats have won four straight games and are among the hottest teams in the CFL.

They still have their work cut out for them to make the playoffs, needing at least two victories in their final three games, along with a little help from other teams, but it’s nevertheless made for an exciting ending after a dismal start to the year.

As for Mitchell, his resurgence this season, whether it results in a third MOP award or not, has left an indelible mark on the veteran QB. It has been a blessing and a confidence booster, with Mitchell likely to hold off on a much-anticipated broadcast career and keep playing the game he loves.

After all these years, he still feels like he has something to prove.

“Over the last few years, I’ve been tired of not playing good football,” Mitchell said. “I can defend certain plays, certain games, or blame it on an injury here or there. But the fact is, I wasn’t playing up to the standard that I’ve been used to playing my entire life, and so that wears on you. You’re not in a bad or a dark state, but you’re just like, ‘F—-. Am I going to get back to that position?

“When I think about the future, my thought process is strictly I’ll see what happens. I’ll see where the conversations go. And now I feel like I control my own destiny. If I want to stop playing, I can stop playing. If I want to keep going, I’ll keep going. But it gives me the ability to not have to hope somebody calls or hope somebody wants to allow me to try to make a comeback.”

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