It is safe to say that new Hamilton Tiger-Cats starting quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell is the franchise’s most-hyped acquisition in quite some time.
Not since 2007, when Hamilton signed QB Casey Printers and paid him $500,000 season, have the Ticats made as big of a splash at the game’s most important position.
Much to the chagrin of the Tiger-Cats’ faithful, Printers flamed out after two dreadful seasons in Hamilton in which he threw for 2,467 yards, tossed only six touchdowns and was intercepted 14 times.
Those two seasons (2007-’08) with Printers and head coach Charlie Taaffe, when the Cats compiled back-to-back 3-15 records, remain the worst two year stretch in franchise history.
Hamilton’s hype machine went into overdrive again in 2018 when former NCAA star QB Johnny Manziel joined the club.
But ‘Johnny Football’ never took a snap for the Cats in the regular season and was traded after only five games to the Montreal Alouettes where he showed little promise in 11 outings.
Mitchell, who is a lock to gain induction into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame when his playing days are over, is dead set against history repeating itself.
The 33-year-old gunslinger guided the Calgary Stampeders to two Grey Cup victories during his decade long run in the Stampede City and has arrived in Steeltown on a mission.
Mitchell would love nothing more than to prove to the league that he still has the talent that allowed him to win two Most Outstanding Player awards, but more importantly he wants to win another ring.
And what better way to make a first impression with a new fanbase than to guide his new team to its first championship crown in nearly a quarter of a century? And do it at home, no less.
Hamilton is hosting the 110th edition of the Grey Cup on Nov. 19 and Mitchell and his mates, and the entire city for that matter, would love nothing more than to etch their names in history.
The quest to end the Canadian Football League‘s longest active championship drought begins Saturday afternoon when the Tiger-Cats play host to the current title holders, the arch rival Toronto Argonauts.
“I’m very excited,” said Mitchell, when thinking about his first game in a Ticats uniform and walking out of the tunnel and onto the turf at Tim Hortons Field. “I can’t wait to get out there and prove to you guys (fans) why I’m here.”
It may only be a preseason game, but the Ticats — like every other team in the league — have a multitude of players to evaluate and important roster decisions to make.
Come June 9 when the regular season kicks off and games begin to count for something, the Tiger-Cats will attempt to set the tone for what they hope will be their most successful season since 1999.
The year prior to ’99, many in Hamilton will recall, the Cats made a trio of franchise-altering acquisitions when they brought in head coach Ron Lancaster, and signed star QB Danny McManus and super receiver Darren Flutie.
The 2023 version of the Ticats are hoping to replicate the recipe that worked so well in 1999 and live up to the hype.