While he weighed his options and tried to get a sense of a fit with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Bo Levi Mitchell wanted some assurances that there would be some key figures in place before he signed with the team.

He asked the organization about coaching stability. Specifically, there were three coaches that he wanted to work with, if his status were to go from simply having a fading contract in the hands of the organization to physically wearing the Ticats’ Black and Gold.

Mitchell told those gathered at his introductory press conference on Jan. 24 that he wanted to work with head coach Orlondo Steinauer, offensive coordinator Tommy Condell and defensive coordinator Mark Washington. Mitchell got his assurances, hands shook and Mitchell put his name to a three-year deal to settle into Hamilton.

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That Mitchell targeted two defensive coaches in that process is interesting. The reason behind that goes back to his relationship with his former quarterbacks coach in Calgary, Marc Mueller.

“One thing that’s always stuck with me that Mueller has told me was his first year of coaching, he coached on the defensive side,” Mitchell recalled.

“He was like, ‘Man, if I could ever give you a piece of advice, your first year coaching, try to coach somebody on defence. Whether you’re an intern, linebackers, whatever it is. Your respect for the game, your knowledge of the game will grow so much.’

“So in my mind, I thought the same thing for right now. I want the ability to go sit down with O (Steinauer), have those conversations with Mark and be able to talk those guys about defence. Because if I can understand defence that much more than I already do after being in this league for 11 years, then mine and Tommy’s conversations become a lot easier on creating an offence and creating something to be successful.”

Mitchell said he was fortunate through his time in Calgary to have excellent coaches around him. As he looks at what he called a second career in Hamilton, he sees an opportunity to learn the game from a different perspective.

“I’ve always only played for offensive guys and it’s great,” Mitchell said.

“It’s funny because in practice you’re No. 1 offence vs. No. 1 defence. If there’s a PI call, sometimes the offensive coach sides with the offence a lot. It’ll be fun to kind of see that with the shoe on the other foot or whatever.”

While Mitchell has spoken openly in the past about his desire to coach when he finishes playing, he thinks that defensive exposure in Hamilton will help him first as a player. That should resonate with Steinauer, the former defensive back that went into coaching when his playing days were over. Before he took the head coaching role with the Ticats in 2019, Steinauer spent the 2018 season as June Jones’ assistant head coach, studying how a great offensive mind ran the team.

“You want to be around great minds,” Mitchell said, looking ahead to his Hamilton experience.

“I’ve learned so much from Dave (Dickenson). I could stay in a room with Dave for 10 years and not learn everything that he knows about football. But I’ve learned a lot from Dave and that’s the offensive side of the ball.”

A more well-rounded Mitchell could make him and the Ticats a dangerous team this season.