Coming off a less-than-spectacular 2023 season, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats still have high hopes for starting quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell.
“Bo’s resume speaks for itself. When you look at the last several years, you could argue that the numbers haven’t been quite the same,” Ticats general manager Ed Hervey told the media via videoconference on Tuesday. “But in watching him practice and knowing what he’s capable of doing now … it’s going to require Bo to make some changes to what he does, but I don’t think it’s going to be a point to where it’s a forced change.”
The two-time Grey Cup champion and CFL Most Outstanding Player started six games during his first season in Hamilton, missing time with an adductor injury and a fractured leg. He completed 59.1 percent of his passes for 1,031 yards with six touchdowns and ten interceptions, posting a 2-4 record.
Hervey pointed to Hamilton’s head coach Scott Milanovich and the success he found helping Hall of Fame quarterback Anthony Calvillo later in his career with the Montreal Alouettes.
“I think if you look back several years ago, I think people thought Anthony Calvillo’s career was done. Then when Scott and (Marc) Trestman got with AC, things changed and he finished (his career) very strongly,” Hervey said. “We feel the same way about Bo as well, so it’s really about his health, the conditioning that he comes into training camp with, and surrounding him with players that can help not only make plays for him but protect him and, defensively, getting the ball back.”
The CFL’s all-time leader in passing yards was coming off two down years in 2006 and 2007 during which he threw for a combined 8,322 yards, 37 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions. Enter Milanovich, who was promoted from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator with the Alouettes in 2008.
Calvillo went on to throw for 5,633 yards, 43 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions, winning the league’s Most Outstanding Player Award and leading Montreal to a home Grey Cup appearance. The veteran quarterback won a second consecutive Most Outstanding Player Award the following year and helped the Alouettes win another pair of Grey Cups, beating Saskatchewan in both 2009 and 2010.
Although Hamilton’s front office believes that the 33-year-old Mitchell still has enough in the tank to lead them to a championship like Calvillo, Hervey also made it clear that Hamilton isn’t looking for Mitchell to win games by himself.
“If there’s a point where he’s managing the game, relying on the players around him, we feel that he gives us just as great of a chance at winning as anyone else would have when we looked at who else was available to us.”
Prior to his much-anticipated arrival in Tigertown, Mitchell was a three-time West Division all-star in 2015, 2016, and 2018 with the Calgary Stampeders, while earning league honours in 2016 and 2018. He became the franchise’s all-time leading passer in 2022 and has thrown for 32,541 yards with 188 touchdowns and 89 interceptions over his 10-year career. Mitchell also won Grey Cup MVP in 2014 and 2018.
Hamilton opens its 2024 regular season on Friday, June 7 when they visit Mitchell’s former team, the Calgary Stampeders, for the first time in his tenure.
