Older, wiser Mitchell set to start as Stamps head to Hamilton

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In the fourth quarter of the Calgary Stampeders’ Week 1 win over the Montreal Alouettes, quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell came off the field limping.

The game was tied 27-27, and the veteran was unsure if he could move normally in the pocket. With the game on the line, he had an honest chat with head coach Dave Dickenson about his health. Ultimately, Dickenson inserted backup Jake Maier, who marched the Stampeders down the field before Rene Paredes hit the game-winning field goal.

Mitchell, who will start in Week 2 on Saturday against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats after recovering from what was described as a charley horse type of injury, readily admits that the decision to be fully transparent about his health in the middle of a game is not one he would have made in the past.

“That’s a tough one for me,” Mitchell said of the conversation with his head coach.

“QBs, we dream of always being there at the end to lead that drive. But I’ve tried to grow in my years and be mature and I just didn’t think I’d be able to push off and make a move if the pocket broke down. Watching Jake [Maier] on the one where he had to scramble out right and he found Richie [Sindani] there on the sidelines, I don’t know if I’d have been able to do that on that drive.”

It’s a departure from last season when Mitchell was in a similar situation. In Week 1, he was hit late by Toronto Argonauts defensive end Charleston Hughes. Mitchell broke his fibula but suited up the next game against the BC Lions before being placed on the six-game injured list.

“Dave [Dickenson] was handcuffed as far as plays he could call,” Mitchell said, of what happened last season. “He knew I was stuck in the pocket there and that was something I didn’t want. He even