Nit-picking, says Anthony Parker, comes with the territory.

“I think,’’ reasons the Stampeders’ homegrown receiver, “it’s people trying to find a weakness, right?

“It’s one of those ‘What can we talk about?,’ stir-the-pot kind of things. Oh, ‘He doesn’t run the ball enough …’ or ‘he doesn’t do this enough, or that enough …’

“I guess they won’t be happy unless he throws for 7,000 yards. And he just might, one day.

“I guess some people are just never satisfied. But that’s the great thing about Bo. He’s never satisfied, either.

“But as long as we’re winning football games, I know he’s happy and we’re happy, too.”

Okay, nattering nabobs of negativity, maybe Bo Levi Mitchell’s numbers aren’t quite to the celestial level of a year ago when he chucked 32 touchdowns and filled the air with footballs for 5,385 yards.

But, hey, cut the guy some slack, would ya?

He’s still the linchpin of 12-1-1 team. Can still repeat as CFL passing champ with four games to go. His name remains very much in the mix in MOP chatter (and don’t put it past him to become only the third man in two decades – Anthony Calvillo, 2008-2009 and Doug Flutie, 1996-97 – to repeat as top dog).

An off-year?

Everyone else can only dream of being so off.

Mitchell celebrates a touchdown with teammates (Photo by Angela Burger)

“As an entire team we’ve played outstanding, amazing, all year long,’’ praises the cool cucumber from Katy. “I laugh when I hear about myself and my personal play tailing off, just because other quarterbacks are having good years.

“I think what you have to look at and be happy about are you have five to six guys playing elite football right now. A lot of them are young and we can be doing this together for years to come.

“The stats right now aren’t far off from last year. The only thing really off right now is (passing) touchdowns. Well, I don’t know how many times we’ve had the ball on the one-yard-line and we’ve run it in from there.

“And you’ll never hear me complaining about that.”

Undeniably, this season offensively – hampered by a slew of injuries to key receivers – has been a grind in comparison to the laser-light show the Stampeder offence bedazzled with a year ago.

So with only 3,978 yards passing through 14 starts, some folks gnaw away at Mitchell’s slight drop in personal production like a mongrel on a chew-toy.

“I’m always telling Bo: ‘Don’t be chasing stats. Focus on how we want to approach the game,’ ’’ emphasizes Stampeders QB coach Ryan Dinwiddie. “You know what matters to me? Wins. Even if it’s not as clean throughout the game as maybe he’d like, he finds a way at the end to make the plays that make the difference.

“His mental makeup is so impressive; he’s so strong-willed. Maybe at the beginning things aren’t going so well. But he doesn’t get down.

“He knows he’s going to lead us back. We know that, too. Guys believe in him.

“He’s similar to a Tom Brady or Drew Brees type of quarterback in that respect. Tom has his games where he’s not absolutely great, maybe they have seven going into that fourth quarter but he finds a way to score that last touchdown when they need it.

“The bar he set last year stat-wise was just unheard of. Stats are nice for the media, it’s a number, so they can rank those things.

“For me, the one stat that always matters: wins.

“Winners are winners. If you’re going to take a team to first place and get a home playoff bye – which we’re shooting for – how could the guy not be MOP?”

Dinwiddie and Mitchell take a look at a play on SkyCoach (Photo by David Moll)

As spectacularly as Calgary’s defensive fortification has held this campaign, the Stamps still grade out best in points scored, at 463.

“This year’s been tougher for us offensively,’’ acknowledges Mitchell’s most trusted sidekick, savvy slotback Marquay McDaniel. “Just the looks we’ve been getting from defences. He’s taking what they give him. If they drop eight guys, he’s got to check it down for a couple five-yard gains. We’re not making as many big plays because we’re not seeing as much man-to-man.

“He battled through some stuff early on but you can see now, the last couple games, he’s back to looking like the Bo from last year. The confidence and preparation are always there, givens, but you can see he’s got that zip back.”

Right on cue. Right when they need him.

“I’m happy,’’ says Mitchell. “Happy to be having the year I am even if some people seem to be concerned about it.

“If that’s how high expectations are for me, well, I must be doing something right.”

Mitchell during the a game on June 29, 2017 (Photo by Rob McMorris)

Down at the Scotiabank Saddledome, where the hockey season is only now picking up a head of steam, the tag-line is: It’s Go Time.

Up north Crowchild Trail way at McMahon Stadium, as crunch time draws ever nearer, the slogan is changed slightly to: It’s Bo Time.

All nit-picking aside.

“All I know,’’ says Parker, “is that he’s doing an awesome job taking care of the football. Our turnover differential is tops in the league. We’re doing the job there.

“All I know is that he manages games exceptionally well. All I know is that when we need him to make a play, he makes it.

“All I know is that I wouldn’t want anybody else throwing me the football – we wouldn’t want anybody else quarterbacking this team.”