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WestCoastJoe
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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/f ... e21807864/
The future is now for quarterbacks Zach Collaros and Bo Levi Mitchell

DAVID EBNER

VANCOUVER — The Globe and Mail

Published Wednesday, Nov. 26 2014, 9:59 PM EST

Last updated Thursday, Nov. 27 2014, 10:38 AM EST

Nik Lewis holds court.

Of course Lewis holds court. Holding court is what Lewis does. He talks jive. He laughs. He’s thoughtful. Lewis, 32, is one of the best receivers in CFL history. But he’s struggled the past two seasons – almost a singular symbol of the struggles of the entire CFL. One step slow. Not quite what it once was.

The head coaches for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Calgary Stampeders give their philosophies on players having sex before Sunday's Grey Cup.
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Video: Grey Cup coaches on sex before the game

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats won the CFL East Division final against the Montreal Alouettes and will go on to the Grey Cup championship. Ticat quarterback Zach Collaros says the team went in ready to compete and win.
FOOTBALL

Calgary Stampeders running back Jon Cornish says confidence is key to winning the Grey Cup. The Stampeders defeated the Edmonton Eskimos Sunday and will take on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the CFL's championship game.
FOOTBALL

Video: Jon Cornish says he believes in Grey Cup-bound Stampeders

Wednesday, midday, Lewis is at BC Place, at the end of one end zone, holding court. He knows, with only one Grey Cup ring, this is the chance for redemption for the best CFL team of 2014. “We have been underachievers, in my career here,” says Lewis of the Calgary Stampeders, “as a team.”

Lewis, too, one of the voluble and spectacular stars of the past decade, knows this is the chance for a new star, or two, to emerge from the hero factory of a championship game. The CFL desperately needs new heroes. The league cannot even sell out the Grey Cup, still some 4,300 short of a capacity crowd of around 53,000.

It is 24-year-old Bo Levi Mitchell, the Texan quarterback of the Stampeders, and 26-year-old Zach Collaros, the pivot for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats from Ohio, who are poised. Two young men who can make their names on Sunday, at the 102nd Grey Cup; for each, it is their first title shot. Mitchell has guided the Stampeders through a superb season. Collaros struggled with concussions before he retook the helm, and all-in, was 8-5 in his first season as a starter, giving his so-so team a shot at the title.

Mitchell is listed at 6-foot-2. Collaros is 6-foot. Both are probably an inch shorter. It doesn’t diminish the potential star quality. Collaros strides in the back concrete hallway of BC Place with an easy gait, an easy smile, his dark hair well kept, a little like Clark Kent. Big arms. A couple inches taller, maybe he’s a NFL quarterback. He exudes an all-American feel. Mitchell, meanwhile, sports a wispy red-orange beard. Striding up to a scrum of reporters, he wears a grey Stampeders tuque, the image of the white horse emblazoned on the front, the trim pink and white. Grey sweats. His black jersey. “What’s going on?” he asks.

The first question happens to be something from what Lewis jawed out. Lewis invoked the name of a legend, the recently retired Anthony Calvillo. Granted, Lewis is prone, at times, to hyperbole, but he didn’t speak the words with undue hubris. It felt as if Lewis meant them. And for the CFL, for people who watch three-down football, it’s an enticing harbinger: “At his age,” Lewis said of Mitchell, “if he can stay healthy, I would say Anthony Calvillo’s records [have] somebody who can actually take them down.”

Mitchell, of course, parries the prediction. It’s his first Grey Cup, as it is for Collaros. Mitchell, asked about Lewis’s envisioning of this fate, said: “That’s in the future, man. I’m more about winning. Man, we’ve got a very big business trip coming up right now.”

Business trip. It is, in the parlance of sports, a somewhat new fixture in the clichés of these games. It was memorably invoked by Peyton Manning before he won his only Super Bowl for Indianapolis in 2006 against the Chicago Bears. “This is a business trip,” declared Manning.

“That’s what it is to us,” says Mitchell on Wednesday. “Everybody’s focused up. Staying out of treats, staying out of festivities. I know it’s hard. You know, this is what you work for, so you want to take part in those kind of things. We have a goal. We have a very big goal right now.”

Mitchell, who is 16-2 as a starter in the CFL, has stoked the respect of opponents. Simoni Lawrence, a linebacker on Hamilton’s tough defence, is quick with an answer.

“I’ve said Bo Levi Mitchell was the man. I love his game. I love watching his game. He’s a great quarterback.”

Lawrence loves his man, too.

“Zach Collaros, he’s a baller. He’s definitely going to be here for a while, doing a great job.”

Brandon Stewart, a Ticats defensive back, likewise provides some equal credit. “They definitely have star power, both of those quarterbacks.”

The CFL, facing the retirement of the legend Wally Buono, has a problem. Where do the next generation of quarterbacks come from? Who develops them? Well, in Calgary, with head coach John Hufnagel and his successor, offensive co-ordinator and assistant head coach Dave Dickenson, and in Hamilton, with head coach Kent Austin and offensive co-ordinator Tommy Condell, it is no coincidence such mentors guided two young men, Grey Cup first-time starting quarterbacks, to this point.

“The game’s not too big for Bo,” said Hufnagel of his quarterback during a Wednesday morning session with both teams’ coaches. Austin, then: “Zach is very similar in the sense that the game’s not too big for Zach either. I mean, Zach’s played in a lot of big games. He’s a proven winner at every level.”

Game on. The hero factory of Grey Cup, on Sunday, awaits – and three-down football awaits to anoint a new generation.
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
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WestCoastJoe
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Two organizations.

Two men, Hufnagel and Austin. Both acknowledged Xs and Os masters. Acknowledged at least by some.

Both men show they can develop quarterbacks.

Under Hufnagel, along with Dave Dickenson, the Stampeders have developed Drew Tate and Bo Levi Mitchell.

Under Austin, along with Tommy Condell, the TiCats have developed both Zach Collaros and Dan LeFevour. Scott Milanovich had a hand in the early development of Zach Collaros.
.......

It seems to me this is the future of the CFL. Xs and Os mastery. Development of talent. Development of quarterbacks.
........

Just IMO, as a fan of the CFL ...
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
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WestCoastJoe
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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/f ... e21783728/
Bo Levi Mitchell kept the Stampeders offence clicking all season

ERIC DUHATSCHEK

CALGARY — The Globe and Mail

Published Tuesday, Nov. 25 2014, 7:47 PM EST

Last updated Tuesday, Nov. 25 2014, 7:47 PM EST

On the day after the Calgary Stampeders qualified for the Grey Cup with a resounding win over their provincial rivals, the Edmonton Eskimos, Bo Levi Mitchell was standing in front of the assembled microphones, answering the obligatory look-ahead questions about Sunday’s championship game against Hamilton.

The Calgary Stampeders are preparing to play for the West Division championship Nov. 23, as temperatures plunge into the minus teens. Linebacker Juwan Simpson says he's trying to get used to the weather by not over-dressing.
FOOTBALL

“Damn, there’s a lot of you all here,” said Mitchell in that familiar drawl of his, a smile slowly playing across his face. “Must be no hockey today.”

Gotcha. For one week anyway, Mitchell’s team will push the improving Calgary Flames out of the spotlight, as the Stampeders chase their first Canadian Football League championship in six years. Mitchell, a 24-year-old quarterback from Katy, Tex., with disarming southern charm, won the starter’s job in training camp over the more experienced Drew Tate and never looked back.

The Stamps’ brain trust is peopled with ex-quarterbacks, including head coach John Hufnagel and offensive co-ordinator Dave Dickenson (Grey Cup MVP in 2006), which has helped Mitchell learn and improve.

Moreover, prior to this season, Mitchell made a commitment to further upgrade his understanding of the CFL game by attending, at his own expense, an off-season quarterback camp run by former Stampeders’ QB Jeff Garcia in California. Garcia won a Grey Cup MVP award in 1998, and went on to make four Pro Bowl appearances as an National Football League starter.

This regular season, his third in Calgary, Mitchell was the epitome of consistency, connecting for 22 touchdown passes against just eight interceptions – and then adding four more TDs in the playoff against Edmonton; he finished with a 146.8 quarterback rating and earned the league’s offensive-player-of-the-week award. The 43 points scored by Calgary was the second-highest playoff point total in team history. He has a record of 16-2 as a CFL starter.

Mitchell attended Eastern Washington University near Spokane, where he played two seasons before signing with the Stampeders as a free agent in April, 2012. In 2010, he led EWU to an NCAA division championship (formerly known as Division 1-AA) with a 20-19 win over the University of Delaware, and was selected the game’s outstanding player. He also won a state high school championship in football-mad Texas.

So Bo clearly knows winning.

The Grey Cup may not be the Super Bowl, and a lower-tier college championship is not the BCS title game, but championships matter to athletes, whatever happens to be at stake.

“It’s something you work for and take pride in,” said Mitchell. “This is what we do. This is what we love. Winning the championship is the biggest deal. It’s what you imagine yourself doing when you’re young, acting like you’re Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Johnny Unitas – just going out there and winning the big game.”

According to running back Jon Cornish, what sets Mitchell apart from other QBs is his consistency.

“Bo is a champion,” Cornish said. “He’s proved that at the lower levels, as a lot of guys have. I think a lot of people don’t give him as much credit as he’s due.”

While many other teams were derailed by quarterback injuries this year, Mitchell was the reliable glue that kept the Stampeders offence clicking all season long. He didn’t make his first CFL start until July of last year, but he was on the roster the last time the Stamps were in the Grey Cup two seasons ago, and threw a touchdown pass in relief in a losing effort.

Mitchell found the hoopla around that Grey Cup week difficult, but not for the reasons you think. “I had broken ribs, so it was tough just getting through practice,” said Mitchell.

The team’s focus on getting to the Grey Cup began, he said, when the Stamps were upset by Saskatchewan in last year’s Western Division final. “It’s tough when you know you have the talent and when you know you have the best team in the league, and don’t finish it,” said Mitchell. “So in our minds, we made sure that every single game was important to us. We played every single game this year as if it was the Grey Cup.

“In saying that, we’re not going to treat the Grey Cup any differently. We’re not going to act as if this game is any bigger than it is. It’s all that matters and it’s what we’re judged on, but from the first kickoff, we’ve got to understand it’s just another football game. We’ve got to go out and play it the same, and play our way … because we’re playing a very good, tough football team. It’s going to be a good game.”
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
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WestCoastJoe
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“Damn, there’s a lot of you all here,” said Mitchell in that familiar drawl of his, a smile slowly playing across his face. “Must be no hockey today.”
The Stamps’ brain trust is peopled with ex-quarterbacks, including head coach John Hufnagel and offensive co-ordinator Dave Dickenson (Grey Cup MVP in 2006), which has helped Mitchell learn and improve.

Moreover, prior to this season, Mitchell made a commitment to further upgrade his understanding of the CFL game by attending, at his own expense, an off-season quarterback camp run by former Stampeders’ QB Jeff Garcia in California. Garcia won a Grey Cup MVP award in 1998, and went on to make four Pro Bowl appearances as an National Football League starter.
Who's that? Garcia? Jeff Garcia? Had a hand in the development of Mitchell? Cool.
This regular season, his third in Calgary, Mitchell was the epitome of consistency, connecting for 22 touchdown passes against just eight interceptions – and then adding four more TDs in the playoff against Edmonton; he finished with a 146.8 quarterback rating and earned the league’s offensive-player-of-the-week award. The 43 points scored by Calgary was the second-highest playoff point total in team history. He has a record of 16-2 as a CFL starter.

Mitchell attended Eastern Washington University near Spokane, where he played two seasons before signing with the Stampeders as a free agent in April, 2012. In 2010, he led EWU to an NCAA division championship (formerly known as Division 1-AA) with a 20-19 win over the University of Delaware, and was selected the game’s outstanding player. He also won a state high school championship in football-mad Texas.
“It’s something you work for and take pride in,” said Mitchell. “This is what we do. This is what we love. Winning the championship is the biggest deal. It’s what you imagine yourself doing when you’re young, acting like you’re Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Johnny Unitas – just going out there and winning the big game.”
The team’s focus on getting to the Grey Cup began, he said, when the Stamps were upset by Saskatchewan in last year’s Western Division final. “It’s tough when you know you have the talent and when you know you have the best team in the league, and don’t finish it,” said Mitchell. “So in our minds, we made sure that every single game was important to us. We played every single game this year as if it was the Grey Cup.

“In saying that, we’re not going to treat the Grey Cup any differently. We’re not going to act as if this game is any bigger than it is. It’s all that matters and it’s what we’re judged on, but from the first kickoff, we’ve got to understand it’s just another football game. We’ve got to go out and play it the same, and play our way … because we’re playing a very good, tough football team. It’s going to be a good game.”
I expect a good game. These two franchises look solid for now and for the future.
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
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Toppy Vann
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Bo Levi going to work out with Jeff Garcia was recommended by Dave Dickenson if I recall an earlier story on that.

DD and Jeff C are known to each other as is Wally to both of them.

Nik Lewis is not quite the player he was but he is more of a leader in the team AND Calgary that Cornish (and I'm not knocking this guy as his play speaks for itself - even if some of his comments are more 'me' focused than Nik Lewis ever says.
“At his age,” Lewis said of Mitchell, “if he can stay healthy, I would say Anthony Calvillo’s records [have] somebody who can actually take them down.”
You have to think that Lewis has to be close to the end but do you ever hear the brain trust in Calgary trash their older players or this one who the story shows as holding court at BC Place?

Not that I've read. I find it a bit unusual that in Calgary stories they quote the HC, OC, QB and Nik Lewis and Lewis speaks of QBs like Mitchell and before that Kevin Glenn - often using the same language that Hufnagel and Dickenson use.

Lewis says things like compare the potential of BLM to AC but he doesn't brag like 'no one can beat us' stuff that just fires up opponents.

I found Hamilton not touching their trophy strange this year and of course it just takes one guy to start that talk and it appears that is what happened. Odd.
"Ability without character will lose." - Marv Levy
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Two quarterbacks in their first year as a starter and making their first start on the championship gamw
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