ABIII

From the Vancouver Province.

[url=http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Lions+Arland+Bruce+turnaround+specialist/5583992/story.html]http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Lions ... story.html[/url]

[b]
It would be no surprise because if Bruce has cemented a reputation with the Lions, it is not that of a reclusive malcontent but of a professional turnaround specialist. The combined first-season record of the four CFL teams for which he has now played is a standout 40-18-1, including two Grey Cup appearances.

“It doesn’t surprise me,? Glenn said of the Lions’ No. 3 receiver, who developed a relationship with Bruce that was closer than many of his teammates when the two were united in Hamilton early in the 2009 season.

“Everyone knows Arland isn’t the most outspoken, but what he did was bring his attitude and work ethic. His practice work was amazing.?

For his part, Bruce will try to ­deliver another Grey Cup appearance for the Lions in the hope coach/GM Wally Buono will honour the sizable option-year in 2012 on his ­contract. B.C. got a bargain when Bruce took a pay cut off a reported $190,000 deal in exchange for an extra season on his contract. Hamilton also paid him a signing bonus. The numbers may not be quite as palatable next ­season.

“Playing in B.C. is everything I thought it would be. Being that there are only eight teams in this league I understood the talent they had regardless if they were 0-5,? said Bruce, who is less than a first down away from going over the 10,000-yard career receiving mark Saturday.[/b]

Bruce will most likely get picked up for next season as he has been an integral part of the Lions resurgence.

That being said, i hope this trade doesn't come back to haunt the Cats, as our number one guy (Williams) is out indefinitely. :frowning:

From what I’ve been reading, most of the credit to the Lions’ resurgence has been going first to the defence and second to the run game. Here’s a small sample.

a dominant defensive unit led by the likes of Solomon Eliminiam, Aaron Hunt and Korey Banks, is playing defence these days like one of the greatest units ever to play shutdown football at the corner of Cassiar and Hastings.

The miserly 9.4 points per game allowed in the Lions’ current five-game win streak is the best five-game stretch since the 1964 Grey Cup-winning Lions opened the season by giving up only 36 points while going 4-0-1

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Lion … z1bRESn9gd

On offence, that meant a greater commitment to the running game, and changing the blocking scheme. The Lions fiddled with a zone blocking scheme early in the season, but returned to man-blocking designed to push defenders vertically instead of horizontally.

It also meant more misdirection to confuse defences, and offensive co-ordinator Jacques Chapdelaine began calling more plays where quarterback Travis Lulay did not have a run-pass option. Lulay was still growing into his starting position, and the Lions had put too much on his plate too soon in his development.

On defence, B.C. had hoped to play a base defence of three linemen and four linebackers. But when defensive end Khreem Smith showed promise, defensive co-ordinator Mike Benevides reverted to a four-man front. He also got more aggressive, blitzing more frequently from the edge with speed rushers such as Korey Banks and Anthony Reddick, and using more zone coverage because it was tricking opposing quarterbacks.

“Wally managed the coaches in an exceptional way,? Skulsky said. “He knew what it would take to keep them focused.?

[url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/football/how-the-bc-lions-came-back-from-the-dead/article2200542/]http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/f ... le2200542/[/url]

Canadian RB Andrew Harris has been very good since getting into the lineup!
He is from a B.C. local league

[b]December 15, 2008

(Vancouver) The BC Lions Football Club announced today that they have agreed to terms with non-import running back Andrew Harris.

“Andrew is a phenomenal athlete who put up some amazing numbers with the Vancouver Island Raiders in 2008,? said Neil McEvoy, Lions player personnel coordinator. “He’s an elite talent and another example of the gifted players the BCFC is currently producing.?[/b]

I liked him as a Ticat...found him to be a Great Personable individual and I for one look forward to seeing him play here...even if it's against my beloved Ticats.

I think he will play another couple of years if he stays healthy and I wish him well. If keeps putting up good numbers he will stick around the CFL. :thup:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rjPHj_BW70
[url=http://scratchingpost.thespec.com/2011/10/why-the-ticats-traded-arland-bruce-and-what-he-really-thinks-of-them-cfl-bclions.html#comments]http://scratchingpost.thespec.com/2011/ ... l#comments[/url]

Why the Ticats traded Arland Bruce (and what he really thinks of them)

A few days ago, I got an email from Scratching Post reader Adam which read, in part:

Last year I brought my girlfriend's little sisters to the playoff rally to meet their favourite players, Baggs and Bruce. The eldest one met Baggs, but the youngest was unable to get through and meet Bruce, so I promised her this year we would meet him for an autograph. Unfortunately, Arland was traded away (which I still feel that kick in the sack everytime I see him in the endzone), but regardless, I would really like to hold my promise and get her to meet her favourite player which is still Mr. Bruce.

Within Adam's email was an implied question that I think many Ticat fans are asking: why did the team dump an elite-level receiver for, essentially, a bag of footballs. It's an interesting question.
When Arland Bruce was traded in August he had nine catches for 104 yards and no touchdowns through the first four games. Since landing in Vancouver in early August, he's collected 35 catches for 577 yards and seven scores in nine games.
So what led to the turnaround?
I think it was a number of factors. First, he's playing on the opposite of one of the league's premier receivers in Geroy Simon, meaning defences are not rolling coverage to his side as they did through much of his time in Hamilton. Second, B.C. quarterback Travis Lulay's style, in which he extends plays with his legs, suits Arland who, after all these years, knows where to go to find the seams in a defence. Ticat coach Marcel Bellefeuille made these points during his press conference yesterday.
But there is a bit more to it than that: there are some that believe that Arland Bruce has lost a step, that he no longer gets easy separation from defenders and is therefore more effective when things break down and he can make something out of nothing. Arland said yesterday that B.C. offence "wasn't a timing system" like Hamilton's, which is another interesting observation.
And there are other factors. Arland could see that the Ticats were trying to get bigger and faster through young receivers like Chris Williams, Bakari Grant and Aaron Kelly (and giving Mo Mann a bigger role, though that fell through when he got hurt.) It was pretty much a given that the Ticats had no intention of picking up the option year on his contract next season. Arland, it was clear, was no longer The Man.
By going to B.C., he's been able to re-invent himself as a complimentary piece, a role that's easier to assume coming into on a new team than slide into on an existing one. He's motivated, in part, by a desire to show the Lions what he can do so they'll pick up the last year on his still-lucrative deal. And of course there's the old stand by, wanting to prove everybody wrong.
Arland being Arland, as careful and cryptic in mass media settings as ever, he alluded to some of these things in his scrum yesterday but not others.
“It put some more coals in my grill – it set me on fire and motivated me because I feel, without it being said, people were wondering 'does he still have it?' It made me work even harder.?
“The Ticats were there for me through thick and thin. They accepted me and I did what I was supposed to do for them. I have a lot of great memories here – a lot of disappointments too.?
I asked Arland about Mann's comments when he was traded, in which he said that Hamilton was not a veteran-friendly place and alluded that he and Arland would have lots to took about in the off-season (Mann was at it again yesterday, encouraging Arland to "smash them fools homie!" on Twitter.)
Arland, who is, despite his reputation for speaking out, impossible to goad into inflammatory comments (the only time he goes off is when he's emotional) looked at me with that hard stare of his.
“We'll have to wait until December to talk, then I'll get back with you.?
And that was it. That was as close as Arland Bruce was going to get to slamming his old team and he went on to say nice things about them (no bitterness, with me through thick and thin, yada yada yada.)
The truth lies, as always, somewhere in the middle. Arland is smart enough to recognize that the Ticats did him two favours: one by rescuing him from Toronto when he was essentially a pariah and two, trading him before things got ugly here and giving him a chance to re-invent himself (and earn his money) in Vancouver. Arland is being as truthful as he can be, choosing to emphasize certain things over others, understanding as he does that there's nothing to be gained by burning bridges in a league with eight teams.
However... there seems little question that certain players find life under Bellefeuille's regime difficult. While I think the organization treats players well and with respect - Obie's been at this a long time and Scott Mitchell was a player agent so they know the mind of the player – it's pretty clear that Bellefeuille runs a tight ship and one that isn't afraid to replace veterans when they feel the time has come (which also jibes with Obie's 'better is better' way of thinking.)
This is not a criticism, necessarily, just an observation and it goes at least part way to explaining Mann's comments, Nikki Jimenez's tweets and Arland's cryptic quote. Taken on their own, these things can all be dismissed. Together though, a pattern may be emerging. Winning, as it always does, will make all these issues slide back under the surface.
As for Adam, he and and his girlfriend's sister Alexis came to walkthrough yesterday and, with a minor assist from B.C.'s generally excellent PR guy Jamie Cartmel, got an autograph, a pic and a few moments of genuine interaction from the ever-gracious Arland Bruce. Adam was wearing a Ticats Bruce jersey and Alexis was sporting a shy perma-smile.
Hey Drew, it's Adam from today. I would like to thank you very much for helping Alexis and I meet Arland, we greatly appreciated it, and I know she was extremely happy and still is talking about it. Thanks, and oskee wee wee!

I will applaud on his entrance and first catch, but that will be all. Good luck Arland, except against us.

He's a lot smarter than Mo Mann that's for sure. I saw Mann at the game. For all his twitter bravado he was hugging and making nicey nice with all the "fools" we wanted AB to smash. I know people are still ticked about these trades but I have NEVER believed in the lunatics running the asylum so if a guy doesn't fit in with the team (either on the field or due to his attitude) I say adios and I'm with the coach on this one. I guess those are some good insights into why AB wasn't doing so well here and they do make sense so I'll keep my thoughts about it to myself. :smiley:

I kept an eye on Bruce during the game and he did get open but Lulay had #92 Rose and #9 Williams in his grill most of the night. If not for our pass rush , I think Arland would have had a solid performance against us. Having said that, I still like the trade to BC. As for the Mo Mann trade, my response would be Grant and the "Kelly - Kelley Brothers". All of these youngsters can catch and run. They all play special teams. Oh, did I mention that they can all Catch and Run? To paraphrase Professor Frink, Maurice Mann " not so goooood "

Pat Lynch(the old guy)