SAY HELLO TO THE BAD GUY
Mitchell doesn’t mind playing villain
Move over, Henry Burris. There’s a new villain in the sights of Rider Nation.
Calgary Stampeders quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell has filled the void that was created by the recent retirement of Burris.
Burris was the target of Saskatchewan Roughriders fans after leaving the team for the Calgary Stampeders in 2005. The fans’ animosity toward Burris extended long past his tenure with Calgary.
Fast forward to 2017 and Mitchell is the quarterback Riders fans love to hate. Mitchell has drawn their wrath through his presence on Twitter and by baiting the Riders fans with provocative tweets.
“The game needs villains sometimes, so I’m OK with stepping into that role every now and then,’’ said Mitchell, whose Stampeders are to play the Riders on Sunday, 2 p.m., at Mosaic Stadium.
Riders slotback Bakari Grant, who spent the 2016 season with Stampeders, isn’t surprised that Mitchell relishes the role.
“He plays the role as a competing quarterback and he engages the fans,” Grant said. “That’s why people attack a little bit, and he likes it.’’
Mitchell moved up on the hate metre in 2016 after the Riders had announced the signing of five players to the practice roster.
Mitchell responded by tweeting: “I bet none of the people they signed needed flights,” insinuating that the players had already been working out with the Riders.
The Riders were eventually fined by the CFL for roster violations. Mitchell was called out by the Green and White’s fans for his role in exposing the infractions.
“People hate Bo Levi and most teams hate Bo Levi because he’s so good at coming in and winning games,” said Riders offensive lineman Derek Dennis, who spent the 2015 and 2016 seasons with the Stampeders. “I know there will be a lot of interesting signs for him at game time.”
Mitchell wouldn’t have it any other way.
“They shouldn’t like opposing quarterbacks or even the opposing teams and it would be kind of weird if they did,” Mitchell said. “I like how loyal they are to their team and to their players. It’s good to be a part of that rivalry.”
Mitchell isn’t averse to stoking the rivalry.
Earlier this week he noticed there wasn’t a lot of chatter on social media setting up Sunday’s game. He then posted this message on Twitter: “Where’s all the @sskroughriders fans with their trolling tweets? Did y’all forget we play this upcoming weekend!’’
Mitchell explained there was a reason for the tweet. He has a weekly radio show in Calgary and was looking for content for a segment called Troll Tweets.
Mitchell quickly had enough comments to fill the segment.
“I like to have fun with it and make it more than trash talk than anything,” Mitchell said. “I would never go too far or take it to a place that I shouldn’t.”
Mitchell also enjoys the back and forth with fans and even opposing players on social media.
“It’s a part of the CFL that you have a little more access to the players,” Mitchell said. “The players don’t mind engaging back and usually in a positive way.’’
Mitchell is a lot more than Twitter trash talk because he can also play. He was named the CFL’s most outstanding player in 2016 after leading the Stampeders to a 15-2-1 regular-season record.
This season, Calgary is 10-1-1 and the team will carry an eightgame winning streak into Sunday’s game.
Mitchell is 53-8-2 as a starter over his six-year CFL career and he’s unbeaten in six games versus the Riders.
“His record speaks for itself,” Grant said. “He’s a playmaker. He attacks defences and he knows what he’s doing. He also watches a ton of film and he knows the playbook inside out. He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes and that’s what makes him so successful.”
Being successful against the Riders may be more challenging than it has been in recent encounters. The Riders are 6-5 and have won four of their last five games. The offence, defence and special teams have all improved since the Stampeders beat the Riders 27-10 on July 22.
“You have one team that’s tops in the West and another one that’s on the rise, playing hot and at home before their big crowd,” Mitchell said. “It’s one of those games that CFL fans may have circled on their calendar before the season started. It should be a good one.”
People hate Bo Levi and most teams hate Bo Levi because he’s so good at coming in and winning games.