There are a lot of hands hovering over the panic button for Bo Levi Mitchell and the Calgary Stampeders after their upset loss to the Montreal Alouettes on Friday. Is it too soon? Yes, it’s too soon, but there are understandably some raised eyebrows.
It’s been a while since the Stampeders have gone into the locker room at the half without a single point on the board, but that was the picture on Friday night. Most people, like me, thought that after Bo Levi Mitchell’s three interceptions last week and the many penalty flags thrown in that game, Coach Hufnagel would have laid down the law. Calgary should have been tight, ready to bounce back. Montreal’s rookie quarterback, Rakeem Cato, was supposed to stumble.
None of that happened.
Cato was fantastic, Calgary’s defence looked inexperienced, Mitchell couldn’t connect with his receivers, and the flags kept flying. Calgary’s only hope came from slotback Marquay McDaniel, who had over a hundred yards and a spectacular 63-yard catch that led to Calgary’s only touchdown.
Yes, there were injuries that affected the Stampeder line-up; Jeff Fuller, last week’s star, was a pre-game scratch, and Charleston Hughes also left the game. But these things alone didn’t result in the poor performance and loss. What were most concerning were the defence, the flags, and Bo Levi Mitchell’s inability to move the ball.
Calgary’s defence couldn’t get past Montreal’s offence. Cato and Montreal played a good, aggressive game, producing three touchdowns. Calgary’s inexperienced defence wasn’t prepared for that; the injuries to Hughes and Beltre didn’t help either.
Flags. One would think after last week’s fiasco, Coach John Hufnagel would have demanded more discipline. Instead, Calgary was flagged 10 times for over 70 yards, and two of those penalties were for objectionable conduct. You can’t win football games with penalties. It’s time to clean it up.
And then there’s Bo Levi Mitchell. He completed only 19 of 30 passes for 244 yards. He couldn’t connect with receivers as he’s done in the past. Remember those objectionable conduct flags? One was Mitchell’s.
But no quarterback is perfect, and it’s normal to have off games. He is still an MVP quarterback. Mitchell recognized the deficiency in his and the team’s performance. After the loss, Bo tweeted, “Long season, but still not ok to lose game 2. I’ll be better for my teammates. We must improve as a team. Starts with me.” And then later, “Judge me not by my success, but by my failures. And once you get out of our corner, don’t come back in. Because we will be on top again.”
It’s been said this year that Calgary has the strongest depth at quarterback position with Mitchell, Tate and Moniz. Why wasn’t Mitchell pulled earlier and see what Tate or Moniz could produce? Again, not a lack of confidence in Mitchell, but rather an attempt to mix things up and show different aspects that the other two quarterbacks can bring to the game. This is not to say it would have resulted in a different outcome, but it was worth a shot. It clearly wasn’t Mitchell’s best game.
Is it time for Calgary fans to press the panic button on the Stampeders? Certainly not. It’s way too early. I would bet this week’s game tape will be subject to much scrutiny. Coach Huf looked uncomfortable enough that unnecessary penalties will be addressed at practice.
Do issues need to be addressed? Of course, and I would expect nothing less. It’s one loss after a much anticipated return of a Grey Cup Championship team – no panic button yet. Besides, no one wants a perfect season anyway. Ask the 2007 NFL New England Patriots.
