No decision yet from coach on who starts at QB saturday
Mitchell sees practice time but status for Saturday remains up in the air
Dave Dickenson still hadn’t made a decision.
Speaking shortly after a Thursday morning practice in which Calgary Stampeders quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell had significantly increased his participation compared to the rest of the week, Dickenson wouldn’t say whether his star would be getting the start on Saturday against the Montreal Alouettes.
“He did more, so it was an encouraging sign,” said the Stamps head coach. “His availability will be, I guess, decided (based on) how he feels after today. We’ll get some treatment going on, we’ll see how he sleeps, but it was very encouraging to see him out there in practice.”
Until the Stampeders release their position chart for Saturday ’s game (7 p.m., McMahon Stadium) we probably won’t know for sure whether it will be Mitchell or backup Nick Arbuckle getting the start.
Arbuckle took over from Mitchell after a low hit in last week’s win over the Ottawa Redblacks and has taken the majority of first-team reps this week.
Dickenson, though, has refused to rule Mitchell out, and the 2016 CFL Most Outstanding Player stepped up his workload on Thursday.
“(The decision) is on me, basically,” Dickenson said. “If I need it, he’ll give it to us and he’ll play and I’ve got to make sure, first off, how he felt after a little activity because it’s been five days and I have to make sure I do a good job of seeing how he’s moving around and how he’s feeling and go from there.”
There’s no real concern around McMahon Stadium about whether Mitchell can throw the ball. His arm is fine, and there’s been no indication that he’s been hampered in that regard.
The primary reason he might be kept out of the lineup is mobility and whether his injured “lowerbody ” — a term we’re using in football now, apparently — will allow him to escape when the Alouettes defensive line crashes down on the pocket.
“If I don’t feel he can keep himself out of harm’s way, I’ll go with Nick and keep Bo ready to go,” Dickenson said.
One thing Dickenson said wouldn’t affect his decision is the Stamps’ opponent on Saturday night.
The Alouettes have won only one of their four games this season and are tied for the least points-scored in the CFL. Considering that the Stampeders are undefeated at 4-0 and have allowed the least points, it’s possible they won’t need all that brilliant a performance from their quarterback to win.
That’s not something that will factor into Dickenson’s decision, though.
“I tell our guys each and every week that a win in Week 5 is the same as Week 18 or Week 10,” Dickenson said. “To me, just try to check them off. Any win you can get, at home especially, go get the job done.”
Dickenson did, however, acknowledge that it was possible that Mitchell could be in the lineup and dressed, but not actually serve as the team’s backup.
“Yes, definitely,” Dickenson replied. “That’s all I need to say on that.”