Mitchell McDaniel tandem hit stride from the get-go
The third-string quarterback, a clean-shaven pup then, is diligently taking notes.
Beside him in the meeting room is a seasoned receiver, a chap with talent, with numbers – and with a gnawing need for redemption. But he isn’t saying much.
At that time, at that place – 2012 main camp at McMahon Stadium – Bo Levi Mitchell and Marquay McDaniel are on the margins of the Calgary Stampeders’ blueprint. Nothing to get too excited about.
The Stamps, following Henry Burris’s departure, already have in place an established pitcher (Kevin Glenn) and a prime-time catcher (Nik Lewis).
So Mitchell, a 22-year-old rookie out of Eastern Washington, and McDaniel, coming off a frustrating one-game campaign with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, are not expected to figure prominently in the locals’ fortunes. At least not then. But it is the beginning of something special.
As a teaser, when the Grey Cup rolls around later that season, Mitchell and McDaniel make their first connection – 29 yards’ worth. Soon enough, they get what they deserve.
The savvy slotback resurrects his stalled career in the Canadian Football League. And the bright passer tops the depth chart.
For the two men, there remains a strong link.
Even as newcomers to Calgary, they’d made considerable impressions – on each other.
“Always quiet – and usually the quietest guy in the room is the smartest guy in the room,” Mitchell says of McDaniel. “So he was a guy I asked questions. I asked him for his help, I asked him for his insight.
“He wasn’t going to say anything to me on the field unless it needed to be said. So when he came to me to talk about a route – or how he felt he should run it – you’re going to listen and pay attention.”
Meanwhile, McDaniel had been taken by the kid’s earnest bearing, by his studious approach.
“He was preparing like he was the starter,” says the receiver. “You see how it’s paid off. Now he doesn’t have to take notes.”
Leave the note-taking these days to the enemy – the Ticats are here Sunday – for whom No. 19 to No. 16 is a terrific headache.
It’s a sequence that can be counted on – and counted up.
Including playoffs and Grey Cups, Mitchell has found McDan- iel 221 times. The quarterback has 932 regular-season completions – 195 of them to his favourite target.
“We’re always on the same page,” says McDaniel. “The biggest thing is: I see the field how he sees it. So, on certain routes, if a defender is playing a certain way, he knows how I’m going to run my route and I know how he’s going to throw the ball.”
In last week’s pulverizing display against the B.C. Lions, Mitchell heaved 10 footballs into McDaniel’s mitts, popping the receiver’s total to 50 through eight dates.
“The way we describe him – he’s one of most consistent in the game,” says Mitchell. “A guy I can’t talk about enough, but I don’t want to talk about too much and get people, all of a sudden, to start respecting him and to start covering him all that much more.
“He doesn’t get the respect he deserves. That’s the unfortunate part – that people have to say that. People say it so much it’s become a cliche.
“Ask any player or any coach in this league, they’re going to tell you that he’s a problem. “He’s tough to cover.” And, as the right-side slotback, he happens to be handy, too.
“Teams play a lot of zone,” McDaniel explains, “and I’m one of the closest guys to him, so … I benefit from that.
“There’s no science to it. Good play-calling and being on the same page, really.” Sounds simple. And it works. Even if opponents, when the Stamps are pressing, know where the ball is often bound.
McDaniel paces the league with 22 second-down conversions.
“If we get a (man-to-man) look,” says McDaniel, “he’s like, ‘OK, I know Quay’s going to get open. That’s where I’m going with the ball.’ It’s that trust factor – he’s going to come to me because I’m going to be where I’m supposed to be. That’s the main thing.”
Adds Mitchell: “He knows how to find every hole in the zone. That’s what this game has turned into – with nine guys dropping and three guys blitzing. He’s just one of the best.”
Despite being five-foot-10 and 32 years old – and not exactly a speed demon. So what is it with McDaniel? Smarts? Great hands? Crisp routes?
“All of the above,” replies Mitchell, grinning. “He’s got the head of a quarterback and the hands of a great receiver. Sure, he’s not six-five. He’s not going to go over the top and make those extravagant catches over two guys.
“Consistency is the best way to describe him – but nothing less than miraculous.”