Mitchell gaining confidence

It wasn’t a record-breaking performance by any stretch, but it was a much-needed confidence booster for Dillon Mitchell.

The struggling Blue Bombers receiver had a season-high three catches for 67 yards and a score in the team’s 40-3 beatdown over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats prior to last week’s bye. The touchdown was a 44-yard corner route in the first quarter with Mitchell making an impressive grab by the front pilon.

“It definitely felt amazing,” said Mitchell after Tuesday’s practice. “I felt like I could feel all the energy, especially from the fans, as it was my first time scoring at Princess Auto Stadium.”

Mitchell was expected to make impact plays like that on a consistent basis when the Bombers signed him to a $148,000 contract in free agency but that hasn’t been the case. After a lacklustre showing in training camp, the Bombers opted not to dress Mitchell — who had 58 catches for 727 yards and four touchdowns a season ago in Edmonton — until Week 10.

Prior to making a splash against Hamilton, Mitchell didn’t show anything to prove the Bombers were wrong for holding him out of the lineup as he had just 15 catches for 126 yards in his first seven games.

“He’s always been good. It was just a matter of him knowing what we’re doing and getting comfortable in the offence,” said head coach Mike O’Shea.

“We’ve always known he’s a good player. I’m happy for him personally to have success and feel good to have your work pay off for you. But you could see some of the other things he does — he’s hard to bring down, he’s got a strong lower body; he’s got some greasiness to him, some shift that makes him hard to tackle. We’ve seen him get whacked and pop back up like nothing’s happened.”

In a September interview with the Free Press, former Bombers receiver Kenny Lawler — now with the Ticats — said he felt disrespected that Winnipeg signed Mitchell before offering him a contract.

Was Mitchell eager to make Lawler eat his words?

“I wouldn’t say it was on my mind. Did I catch word of what he said? Yeah, for sure. But that has nothing to really do with me,” said Mitchell.

“I think Kenny’s a great guy and I feel like he just wanted to be here. Everybody’s emotions can spill out in different ways.”

If Mitchell can get hot down the stretch, he’ll end up being worth every penny. Mitchell will meet his former team on Saturday when the Bombers (8-7) take on the Edmonton Elks (6-9) at Commonwealth Stadium at 6 p.m. CT.

“I see us keep on stacking days,” said Mitchell. “I feel like I’m not only getting more comfortable and my confidence continuing to rise as a player, I see myself being a huge part of a Grey Cup run.”

NEWS AND NOTES

Corner back Demerio Houston flew home for the bye week and didn’t make it back to Winnipeg for the first two days of practice. He’s expected to be back in town on Wednesday.

Receiver Nic Demski and centre Chris Kolankowski were also absent on Tuesday for personal reasons. Defensive back Jamal Parker has been a full participant this week after being sidelined against Hamilton with a leg injury.

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca