Would you call it a Bo-mance?

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This article was published 22/09/2016 (3300 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Few teams have been able to figure out the Calgary Stampeders this season.

Through 12 games, Calgary has lost just once. At 10-1-1, their lone blemish came in a season-opening defeat to the B.C. Lions, 20-18, in a game they led in the fourth quarter.

Since then, only a tie to the Ottawa Redblacks in Week 3 separates 10 victories, including nine straight — a streak that is no longer being measured in weeks, but months.

Now the clear powerhouse in the Canadian Football League, few predicted the kind of success the Stampeders are enjoying. After an off-season of changes, including major overhauls to both the coaching staff and throughout the locker room, many believed an inevitable dip would follow.

A rookie head coach in Dave Dickenson, courtesy of John Hufnagel, who stepped aside after eight seasons to focus solely on being the general manager. A new defensive co-ordinator in DeVone Claybrooks, who was promoted from defensive line coach after Rich Stubler was lured to Toronto.

Then there was the loss of last year’s leading receiver, Eric Rodgers, to the NFL, and a dent to the team’s leadership group with the departure of defensive backs Juwan Simpson, Keon Raymond, and Karl McCartney and running back Jon Cornish to free agency and retirement.

But even with all those question marks, it proved to be a premature judgment, especially for a team that has hit double digits in wins since 2008, with at least 14 victories in each of their last three seasons.

But perhaps what was most foolish was to count out a team that still possesses its biggest weapon, quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell.

“He continues to prove that he’s one of the best, if not the best, quarterbacks in the league as far as moving the offence and putting up points,” said Bombers quarterback Matt Nichols after practice Thursday, two days ahead of when the Bombers are to set to play the Stampeders at McMahon Stadium Saturday afternoon.

It isn’t the first time Nichols has shown admiration towards Mitchell. They both attended Eastern Washington University, and though their time there never overlapped, Nichols played a major role in the recruitment of Mitchell as his replacement.

After a successful collegiate career, Mitchell’s transition to the CFL has been a seamless one. Over his career, Mitchell is 38-7-1 — a winning percentage of 83.7, which ranks No. 1 all-time in the CFL.

After taking over the starting job partway through the 2013 season, the 26-year-old Mitchell has led the Stampeders to the playoffs every season since, including two first-place finishes in the West Division in 2012 and 2014 — the latter campaign ending with a 20-16 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the 102nd Grey Cup.

This year, he’s guided the Stampeders to an unbeaten streak that is tied for the sixth longest in CFL history and led an offence that is a big reason Calgary averages the most points per game in the league, with 33.8.

In last week’s 48-23 win over Ottawa, Mitchell completed 24 of his 36 pass attempts, totalling 361 yards and two touchdowns. It was the 10th time this season he’s thrown for 300-plus yards. He also leads the CFL with 22 touchdowns.

“Even when I watch him, it just seems like he’s almost acting lazy back there, like it’s easy,” said Nichols, “and I know from experience how hard it is.”

Bombers defensive back Chris Randle can remember the first time he met Mitchell. The two joined Calgary at the same time, for the start of the 2012 season. Even then, when Mitchell was third on the Stampeders quarterback depth chart, Randle knew there was something special about him.

Randle can pinpoint the exact moment. It was during Mitchell’s first scrum with the media. Impressed by how confident Mitchell was and how he handled reporter’s questions, Randle did the unorthodox and pulled out his phone to record it.

“I knew at that point he was going to be a star, just by how he carried himself that day,” he said. “I still have that interview on my phone.”

Asked what made him such a dynamic presence on the football field, Randle said it was a mix of physical and mental skills. Mitchell can read defences as well as anyone, Randle said, and he has the accuracy to deliver the ball in small spaces.

But what impressed Randle most about Mitchell was his ability to lead, to have his players believe in him, right from the beginning.

“I don’t see another quarterback looking at a whole other team’s sideline and being like ‘I’m ready for all y’all,’” he said. “If you’re doing that, your whole team is going to follow you.”

“He feels very comfortable and feels like he’s going to go out and play a great game every single week,” added Nichols. “That’s the model you want to follow when you’re a professional quarterback, is to go out and be consistent and that’s where I’m trying to get to.”

Nichols appears well on his way to finding that rhythm. He’s won all seven starts for the Bombers in 2016, improving from a 2-5 record in Winnipeg last season following a trade from Edmonton midway through the year.

When the Bombers and Stamps take the field Saturday, the combined winning streak of 16 games will the highest by two teams in CFL history. Between the two quarterbacks, Mitchell has had the more success against the opponent. He’s won seven of his eight starts against the Bombers — including 2-0 this season — while Nichols is 0-5 versus Calgary.

As much as it will be a match-up against two of the hottest teams in the CFL right now, the game will also pin the league’s best offence against a Winnipeg defence that has created nightmares for opposing quarterbacks in recent weeks.

The Bombers D currently leads the CFL with a turnover ratio of plus-25. In the last six games alone the Bombers have 28 takeaways, while giving the ball away just five times.

Saturday will provide the biggest test yet.

“They’re on top right now and I love being the underdog,” said linebacker Maurice Leggett, who leads the CFL with six interceptions. “If we turn over the ball against a disciplined team like Calgary then people will start talking. But at the end of the day all we want is the W.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton

Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

Jeff Hamilton is a sports and investigative reporter. Jeff joined the Free Press newsroom in April 2015, and has been covering the local sports scene since graduating from Carleton University’s journalism program in 2012. Read more about Jeff.

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