Mitchell, Maier, what’s the difference?

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This article was published 22/08/2022 (1111 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If the Calgary Stampeders are pondering who should start at quarterback this week, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers defence isn’t all that concerned with the answer.

There’s a QB controversy brewing in Calgary at the moment, after the Stampeders opted to bench starter Bo Levi Mitchell at halftime in their Week 11 road matchup against the Toronto Argonauts. Trailing 16-10 at the break, Jake Maier came in for the final two quarters and led, with the help of a strong defence, Calgary to a 22-19 victory.

The architect of the Bombers defensive schemes, defensive co-ordinator Richie Hall, isn’t showing much concern over who wins the job. He doesn’t see having to plan for two potential quarterbacks as any obstacle for his veteran-laden defence.

“Not much of a challenge at all…they are who they are,” Hall said under a hot sun following Monday’s practice. “Even when (Maier) went in for the second half, they still ran the same things. We faced them last year, they still run the same Calgary offence.”

There is plenty of evidence to back up Hall’s assertion that Mitchell and Maier run similar packages, notably because they employ a similar skillset. Both are pocket passers and aren’t known to take off with their feet, with Mitchell boasting 26 rushing yards on nine carries this season and Maier with two runs for 11 yards.

That doesn’t mean they’re exactly the same, either.

Mitchell has been inconsistent behind centre for the last couple of years and has once again seen his play dip in 2022. Part of that regression is owed to Mitchell having to deal with a series of serious injuries over the past few seasons, including a throwing shoulder that required off-season surgery after the 2019 season and a broken leg suffered in Week 1 last year.

Meanwhile, Maier, who at 25 is seven years younger than Mitchell, is a healthier option. He’s also been more accurate this season, albeit with a much smaller sample size, completing 81.3 per cent (22-for-27) of his passes against Mitchell’s mark of 61.3 per cent (160-for-261).

“When it comes to preparation for a game, we don’t necessarily get ready for the quarterback,” Bombers defensive end Willie Jefferson said. “As a defensive line, we look at the offensive line and run plays and passing plays. But when it comes to the quarterback, he’s going with the offensive system.”

He added: “Bo Levi, he’s a veteran guy who has been in that system for a while, so he reads things differently. With Maier, he’s a younger guy, he’s been in that system, but he’s not going to make the same throws as Bo.”

Maier signed with the Stampeders in 2020, but with the cancelled season that year, the California native wouldn’t see his first CFL action until the following season. With Mitchell still recovering from shoulder surgery, Maier led Calgary through the first three games of the 2021 campaign — his only starts in the CFL — and became the first player in league history to pass for at least 300 yards in each of their first three starts (the Stampeders went 1-2 over that stretch).

Maier has been a fan-favourite ever since, with many in Calgary wanting him in over Mitchell ever since. As for Thursday’s game against the Bombers, the Stampeders are in a position to keep their hand close to the chest.

Calgary is practising just once this week, on Tuesday, which is closed to the public. They ran a walkthrough on Monday, but that provided little insight into who was running the offence.

Linebacker Adam Bighill studies as intensely as any defensive player in the CFL. He believes Mitchell will get the start given his experience and history — a projection and sentiment shared by Jefferson — but insists the challenge is not who’s throwing the ball, but besting a well-coached team that has pushed the Bombers twice this season, even if both games resulted in losses, with a 26-19 score in Winnipeg in Week 3 and a 35-28 result in Calgary in Week 8.

Bighill is just grateful not to have a similar problem in Winnipeg, with quarterback Zach Collaros being the CFL standard when it comes to actions on and off the field. Collaros is 26-3 as a starter with the Bombers and is the league’s reigning most outstanding player and Grey Cup MVP.

“I’ve played with some really great quarterbacks in my day and it makes all the difference, because not only can he place the ball and make great decisions – escape the pocket, look down the field – but it’s all the things that people really don’t see,” Bighill said.

“It’s how does he help everyone around him be in the places they need to be? How does he communicate and say, ‘Hey, this is what I need to do.’? That’s the next level of being a quarterback that allows you to see some of the awesome things that you see, is he’s special in those other ways, other than his football talent, because his football IQ is leadership.”

The Stampeders are expected to get running back Ka’Deem Carey back this week, which would provide a significant boost to their offensive attack. Carey has missed the last three games with a hamstring issue, which he suffered in the loss to Winnipeg back on July 30 – a game he recorded 92 rushing yards on 14 carries, along with a pair of touchdowns.

Carey’s 471 rushing yards through six games was the second-most in the CFL at the time and it’s currently the fourth highest, with Saskatchewan’s Jamal Morrow leading the way with 564 rushing yards in 10 games. Among the league’s running backs, Carey leads the pack in rushing touchdowns, with five, and average yards per run, at 6.5.

The game will also be significant in the race for top spot in the West Division. The Bombers currently lead the pack at 9-1, with the Stampeders (6-3) in third place, behind the B.C. Lions (8-1) in second. Saskatchewan (5-5) and Edmonton (3-7) round out the division.

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton