CALGARY’S CHANGING OF THE GUARD
By: Stephen Lylyk, RP Show Intern
In 2019 as Calgary Stampeder quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell was pondering a move to the National Football league he said this during an interview with TSN’s Dave Naylor.
“I don’t know how to sit on the sideline,” said Mitchell. “I don’t know that I could wake up and enjoy my job if I’m going there to help prepare another guy to be the starter.”
At that time Bo was a 2-time CFL Most Outstanding player coming off a 2018 Grey Cup victory where he received Game MVP.
Fast forward to 2022 and plenty has changed.
Through the last couple seasons Bo has suffered through varying ailments, such as a leg injury in 2021, and an offseason shoulder procedure following that campaign.
It was during the 2022 season where 770CHQR Calgary Stampeder host Jock Wilson noticed that Bo was no longer the same Quarterback.
“You could see the trend happening,” said Wilson during his Friday appearance on the Rod Pedersen Show. “Bo wasn’t the same QB after the shoulder surgery, he wasn’t staying in the pocket as much, and he didn’t have the same velocity on his throws.”
The struggles would lead to Bo being pulled at halftime in a game against the Toronto Argonauts in favour of backup Jake Maier.
In a press conference prior to the team’s labor day classic game vs Rival Edmonton Bo, in front of the media, publicly accepted his demotion. This is how 3DownNation Contributor Ryan Ballantine described it during his Friday appearance on the Rod Pedersen show.
“Bo stood in front of the media” said Ballantine, “and said. “I’m disappointed with the decision I believe I can still compete in this league. I’m [still] gonna support this team and do everything I can to help win a championship.
As Bo stepped into the background the Jake Maier era in Calgary officially began.
Now in week 20, prior to facing the struggling Saskatchewan Roughriders, Wilson gave a preview of what lay ahead for the Stampeders this postseason.
“[Stamps] [Fans] know their destiny,” said Wilson. “They’re going to be a third place team, and they’re going to go to Vancouver for the west semi-final. Bottom line is, if [the] BC [Lions] get Nathan Rourke back they scare the hell out of me.”
Wilson also noted that his biggest concern for the Stampeders is their current offensive line situation.
“Sean McEwen (starting centre) hasn’t been playing great since he got back from injury, and [for] the left tackle position Hugh Thornton wasn’t very good against Hamilton, took a couple [bad] penalties. That’s a weakness for this club right now.”
With the fate of both teams essentially decided, these last two weeks for the Stampeders are games with “no stakes” as Ballantine puts it.
Given that Bo will likely no longer be a Stampeder after this season, one would wonder whether he should play in either of these final two regular season games? From Wilson’s perspective the answer is no.
“Jake Maier is still a young QB,” said Wilson, “with a very small sample size. I think Jake has to start both these games for the stampeders. Also does [Bo] really want to play in a mean nothing game on October 29th in Calgary against the Riders? I don’t think that’s fair if the Stampeders are moving forward without him.”
There has been alot of speculation regarding what Bo will do next year? Will he go to the Riders, as pundits have speculated? Will he retire? Or as Ballantine hypothesizes will he go to Broadcasting?
“Bo has in the past,” says Ballantine, “when the stamps didn’t make it to the grey cup, featured on TSN during grey cup week. He offers good insight, he knows the game inside and out. The question for me is whether or not he’d be able to walk away from the game and do that [full] [time].”
Whatever this offseason may bring for both Bo and the Stampeders it is clear that we are ending a chapter in Stampeder history, and are about to begin a new one.
(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET on Game+ TV and WQEE Radio. Call your cable provider to subscribe. You can also watch on YouTube Live or listen 24/7 at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive)
