Beau Levi Mitchell arrived in Calgary on Wednesday night with a personalized game plan for his first appearance on enemy soil at McMahon Stadium.
There will be no pregame fraternization with opposing teams, no hometown visits, no “quick” drinks with family and friends — Mitchell is back at the helm of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats offensive line, determined to orchestrate a comeback worthy of the Texas Cowboys this season.
It all starts on Friday night in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
“To say I'm excited to come back and play again at McMahon Stadium, where I have so many good memories, would be an understatement,” Mitchell said before boarding a plane to Alberta. “Good, bad and everything in between.”
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Some of the fond memories include winning the CFL Most Valuable Player award twice (2016 and 2018) and winning two Grey Cups (2014 and 2018). Other fond memories include countless laps on the Calgary Stampeders touchdown horse with Mitchell, who boasted a glorious 47-13-2-tie record with McMahon.
“I've had some great years in front of our fans,” said Mitchell, now a veteran at 34. “I'm looking forward to some great matches in front of our fans again.”
Even if it means (temporarily) ignoring your loved ones before the opening kickoff.
“For me, it's important to go out there and get off to a good start,” Mitchell said, “so I'll be hanging out with my teammates, at home, in the hotel and seeing everyone after the game.”
At the end of the '22 season, the Stampeders traded Mitchell's rights to Hamilton in exchange for a draft pick, and two months later, Mitchell signed a three-year contract with the Tabbies.
However, the 2023 season did not go as planned for Mitchell and his new team, as injuries limited the Eastern Washington native to just six starts and modest performances (2-4, 78-for-123 passing completions for 1,031 yards, six touchdowns and 10 interceptions).
Those numbers look especially mundane when compared to Mitchell's career 2,574 points.–He completed 3,998 passes for 33,572 yards, 194 touchdowns and 99 interceptions.
“On the personal side, I'm just looking to get back to playing healthy and strong football and lead the offense and lead the team,” he said.
Barring a few minor hiccups, Mitchell knows what to expect from Calgary's defense.
And the Stampeders know what to expect from him.
“There's not going to be a defenseman he hasn't seen or a blitz he hasn't seen,” Calgary cover man Brandon Dozier said. “He's going to throw the ball deep and challenge you to make plays as a DB.”
“He's probably going to take his eyes off the safety and the DB and go the other way, so we've got to pay attention to his pre-snap cues and where he's actually looking and what they're trying to set up.”
Mitchell is preparing for a long-awaited return to Calgary, where he had a Hall of Fame-level career with the Stampeders (Ticats.ca)
There's no hiding the fact that Calgary's coaching staff has a lot of respect for Mitchell.
“He's a great guy,” defensive coordinator Brent Monson said, “a Hall of Fame player. We've just got to do what we have to do and try to make him uneasy.”
And history tells us that the bigger the moment, the bigger No. 19's performance — no matter how uncomfortable he may have been.
“He's not my player and I'm not his coach,” Calgary head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson said, “but he'll always be a part of me. Our relationship is great and what he's brought to the Calgary Stampeders is great.”
“But we have to try to win and make his life a little miserable.”
Dickenson and Mitchell have spoken openly about the possibility of one day coaching together, and Mitchell's broadcasting talents are evident whenever he steps into the TSN studio as a guest commentator.
A career behind the microphone is within reach for Mitchell if he wants it.
“He's one of the best players, and I'm sure he'd be happy to hear that,” Dickenson said while watching his former quarterback play on TSN. “He's doing a great job, but I also think he'll be a great coach one day. And he's one of the best players. We've got to go out and win games, but I feel really good about Bo.”
Regardless of what happens in Friday's game, when he can finally be reunited with his family and friends after the final gun sounds, Mitchell's body will undoubtedly remind him of the passage of time.
At 34, the pain after a blow is even worse than it was at 24.
“I'm not done with this game yet, and I hope I'm not done with it yet,” Mitchell said. “I remember Milt Stegall telling me, 'You'll know when it's over, because you'll never want to get hit again.'”
“I'm still okay with getting tackled. And I'm still having fun.”
