Menu
November 5, 2017

Mission remains the same

QB Bo Levi Mitchell before a game on July 22, 2017 (Photo by Eric Boldt)

They can’t help but hear the talk.

The unfamiliar undercurrent of scepticism. About sudden vulnerability, surprising fragility.

Chinks in the armour. Flaws in the design.

About how manifest destiny has given way to nagging uncertainty.

“I told the guys,’’ reported Bo Levi Mitchell. “Who’s going to remember this —— when we win the Grey Cup?

“Who’s going to remember these three losses?

“Nobody.

“Other people were talking about how great we were before this started. Not us.

“Well, right now we know we’re not that great, we’re not invincible.

“We have to go out and work our asses off in order to win against a tough opponent in two weeks and get to the big game at all.

“That’s the reality. That’s where we’re at. And that’s what we’re gonna do.”

A fortnight to prepare. A fortnight for the Stampeders to identify technical issues and make necessary repairs.

A fortnight to correct sloppy practice habits and rediscover the trademark mojo.

Pro sports, of course, are (in)famous for offering precious little grey area. Win or lose. Good or bad. Hero or goat.

This is a business of the here and now.

Depending, it’s either half-price Happy Hour at Mardi Gras time on Bourbon Street or the dark, dank underbelly of Hell.

Head coach Dave Dickenson (Photo by Johany Jutras)

Perennially installed as title favorites, the Stamps are usually tasked with proving people right. Now they find themselves tasked with proving a growing number wrong.

“The goal back in training camp,’’ reminded coach Dave Dickenson, “was a one-game home playoff game to get to the Grey Cup. And it’s still there.

“The mission is (the same). We can still accomplish everything we want.

“But bumpy. Bumpy right now. The road is certainly not smooth but we can do it.

“It’s up to our guys and our coaches to rally, join together and get it done.

“We’ve got a lot to prove, a lot to prove as a team. I know what’s being said out there. People have brought it up for years.

“For me, it’s a great opportunity to prove people wrong. And there should be doubters. We need to play better.”

Mitchell, the spoke that turns the offensive wheel, is accustomed to using his quarterback sensors to deflect incoming outside pressure. But usually it’s in the form of someone such as Odell Willis, say, or Willie Jefferson.

“This is something I haven’t had to deal with in my career,’’ he concedes. “All this doubt. It’s been awhile since we lost three in a row, right? I heard since 2007.

“We’re a confident group, but we’re also realists. I know losses can cause doubt to creep into the back of people’s minds.

“But doubting should only increase motivation. It should inspire you to work harder, dig deeper. Doubt shouldn’t make you sit back and fold.

“Man, I’m excited. I truly am. This is a new challenge. Let’s take it on. Let’s work through this.”

Before his teammates dispersed Saturday, the franchise’s name-above-the-marquee man gathered his struggling offensive compatriots together for a pep talk.

“There’s no reason for us to lose confidence. We’re still one of the highest-scoring offences in this league. Yeah, we’ve stubbed our toes these last three games. No, it hasn’t been much fun.

“But what we have to do the next two weeks is buy in. It’s not trying to change game plans or reinvent the wheel or convince guys to do this or that.

“It’s buy in. It’s the coaches’ job to create a good plan and our job is to implement it.

“Buy in.

“When we buy in, man, we’re very hard to beat. We’re very dangerous. But when guys don’t understand details or understand what we’re trying to get out of a play, things aren’t going to go the way you want.”

Photo by David Moll

Owing to the bye layoff, the Stamps aren’t officially back on the field until Thursday. With his brief down time, Mitchell wasn’t planning on going wake-boarding on the Colorado River or jetting off to Houston to stock up on that must-have Astros’ 2017 World Series commemorative gear.

“The next four days,’’ he reports, “I’m going to watch Edmonton for two days, create 15-20 plays, give ’em to Dave, then watch Winnipeg for two days and create 15-20 plays and tell him: ‘Hey, man, this is what I like; this is what I think might be open.’

“And he might throw ’em in the trash or he might like one or two of ’em.

“But it helps me see more film on teams we could be playing. Man, you cannot see enough film. I know Quay (Marquay McDaniel) will be.

“I hope other guys in here are doing the same.”

Best record in the league. Top defence. Second-highest scoring offence.

Still one home win away from a Grey Cup trip.

Still a two-game win streak from the ultimate prize.

Yet these Stampeders, in the eyes of many, have never seemed more assailable.

Let ’em doubt, reckons Bo.

“There’s blood in the water,” ,’’ he acknowledges. “They can see it. Or think they can.

“Other teams right now probably aren’t scared to play us.

“That’s good.

“That’s very, very good.

“I hope you come in with that attitude and you’re not worried about us cause then I’m gonna come out and kick your (butt).”