Trade for Arland Bruce

[joe kapp22]

Love this trade. Are people forgetting the season he had last year? A 3rd round pick is really inconsequential. There's really no risk for an 0-5 team to bring in a proven star receiver to the mix. Headcase or not, Bruce is still a great receiver in this league.

I have been an outspoken critic of Wally this year. But it appears he's wearing recent failures like gum on a shoe. No matter what he does, he can't shake harsh and unrelenting criticism. There's a poll right now on CFL.ca, "Is the acquisition of Bruce a good move or a bad move for the Lions?" 95% of posters responded with "Good." Yet if you were to conduct that same poll on Lionbackers, I'll bet it would be the reverse.

Wally could go out tomorrow and obtain Anthony Calvillo for futures, and still many here would be complaining, "....but he's going to impede Travis's development."

DH

Exactly, if Wally tries to improve the roster, he is "desperate" if he does nothing he is "reluctant to change".

It's a good move, hands down.

[Rammer]

Love this trade. Are people forgetting the season he had last year? A 3rd round pick is really inconsequential. There's really no risk for an 0-5 team to bring in a proven star receiver to the mix. Headcase or not, Bruce is still a great receiver in this league.

I have been an outspoken critic of Wally this year. But it appears he's wearing recent failures like gum on a shoe. No matter what he does, he can't shake harsh and unrelenting criticism. There's a poll right now on CFL.ca, "Is the acquisition of Bruce a good move or a bad move for the Lions?" 95% of posters responded with "Good." Yet if you were to conduct that same poll on Lionbackers, I'll bet it would be the reverse.

Wally could go out tomorrow and obtain Anthony Calvillo for futures, and still many here would be complaining, "....but he's going to impede Travis's development."

DH

Afterall Cavillo is beyond his best before date as well.....just having fun with this.

The sole reason it is a good trade for the Lions, is we are at the bottom of standings and we really didn't give up much. If we get the mojo of Bruce back, it may even turn the tables for the Lions, as he knows how to YAC.

[pennw]

There's a poll right now on CFL.ca, "Is the acquisition of Bruce a good move or a bad move for the Lions?" 95% of posters responded with "Good." Yet if you were to conduct that same poll on Lionbackers, I'll bet it would be the reverse.

Wally could go out tomorrow and obtain Anthony Calvillo for futures, and still many here would be complaining, "....but he's going to impede Travis's development."

DH

You need to go back and read that "tired of negativety "thread to help you understand this . Funny how many people just can't see them selves . Never thought I would be thinking the [Leave other people out of it. Edited by Mod staff] was one of the more sensible posters on here , but in this thread it appears to be true .
Yes it's a desperation move , but that still doesn't make it a bad move . There is really no risk in this for BC , especially considering the recent track record of non-success in the draft. Most of them are long gone or bench warmers at best . If Bruce Regains his form for 2 years here , then it's great move .
As far as using other teams using retreads goes , I noticed Tad Crawford in an Als uniform recently and Barin Simpson in Rider gear , it's not like BC's the only team doing it .

[tigerrr22]

Arland Bruce in BC? Great move. He's a threat that defences must pay attention too. The word out of Hamilton is that he was a good team mate and helped the younger receivers with the mental side of the game. He's a play maker that may be past his prime but still very capable of being an effective supporting receiver for the offence. Geroy Simon will gain from this. Also Arland Bruce's energy, personality and "in your face" attitude might wake this team's side line up for once this season. I think he'll be a great cup of coffee for this offence and when you're 0-5 what else can you be but desperate! The Grey Cup isn't in your city very often. Win now is all the Lions can try to do in 2011! Wally Buono want's to conclude his coaching career in style! Not 0-18!
Arland Bruce could be a marketing boost for 2012 as well. Lots of tickets needing to be sold for the new stadium in 2012.

Dominic in Vancouver

[Toppy Vann]

Here's what Drew Edwards from the Ti-Cats blog had to say:

Despite Bruce's stellar numbers last year, there is concern in Ticat circles that the slow start to this season (nine catches, 104 yards, zero touchdowns) is the continuation of a slide that started in the latter half of last season and manifested itself with a sudden inability to hang onto the football. Bruce will be 34 in November and has a lot of CFL miles on his chassis: injuries have also been a recurring theme of late. There's little question that Bruce can still be productive: but how productive and for how much longer are still very much in doubt.

And, as always, money is an issue. Bruce was the highest-paid non-quarterback on the team, earning in excess of $150,000 plus incentives. That's a big chunk of the salary cap tied up in a guy that, so far at least, isn't producing at that level.

http://scratchingpost.thespec.com/

It's another Charles Roberts move that placates a few fans with memories of by gone years. It is a very astute move as it looks to a casual fan that the Lions just upgraded its receiving corps.

Wally knows that this move will be talked about for some time now and all the while deflecting it from where it should be headed.


BUT the facts are:

1. see post above for current reality.

2. Wally said he is phasing out older receivers and names names - jackson and kamau P. If this is what he is doing why is he adding a 34 year old receiver who is not producing?

3. He won't play Jackson now claiming he can't run some days. With Wally's stories who knows if this is true. The player says he can play but sees the politics. Why not play the assets you have now? Or cut the guy


Bottom line:

Other teams have young receivers too like the Esks and Hamilton and they seem to be doing not badly. What is with the Lions and so much poor play here. Maybe coaching in BC is an issue on both sides of the ball.

I think Wally and the Lions will be reading the happiness here and laughing that he's pulled off another smart trade just to keep the fans fooled.

If Bruce were the player the Lions needed he'd not be trade bait.

[tigerrr22]

Here's what Drew Edwards from the Ti-Cats blog had to say:

Despite Bruce's stellar numbers last year, there is concern in Ticat circles that the slow start to this season (nine catches, 104 yards, zero touchdowns) is the continuation of a slide that started in the latter half of last season and manifested itself with a sudden inability to hang onto the football. Bruce will be 34 in November and has a lot of CFL miles on his chassis: injuries have also been a recurring theme of late. There's little question that Bruce can still be productive: but how productive and for how much longer are still very much in doubt.

And, as always, money is an issue. Bruce was the highest-paid non-quarterback on the team, earning in excess of $150,000 plus incentives. That's a big chunk of the salary cap tied up in a guy that, so far at least, isn't producing at that level.

http://scratchingpost.thespec.com/

It's another Charles Roberts move that placates a few fans with memories of by gone years. It is a very astute move as it looks to a casual fan that the Lions just upgraded its receiving corps.

Wally knows that this move will be talked about for some time now and all the while deflecting it from where it should be headed.


BUT the facts are:

1. see post above for current reality.

2. Wally said he is phasing out older receivers and names names - jackson and kamau P. If this is what he is doing why is he adding a 34 year old receiver who is not producing?

3. He won't play Jackson now claiming he can't run some days. With Wally's stories who knows if this is true. The player says he can play but sees the politics. Why not play the assets you have now? Or cut the guy


Bottom line:

Other teams have young receivers too like the Esks and Hamilton and they seem to be doing not badly. What is with the Lions and so much poor play here. Maybe coaching in BC is an issue on both sides of the ball.

I think Wally and the Lions will be reading the happiness here and laughing that he's pulled off another smart trade just to keep the fans fooled.

If Bruce were the player the Lions needed he'd not be trade bait.

Arland Bruce is older than those younger Ti -Cat receivers that have started to show they are capable of leading their offence moving forward. The Ticats were smart and the Lion's needed an upgrade at receiver. At this point in time I think the deal is win/win. I would suggest the deal is a success if the Lions:
1)Get into the playoffs.
2)Host a playoff game.

Beyond this is just gravy for the Lions regarding a third round draft pick for compensation. Bruce might even wake up the defence too!

Dominic in Vancouver

[ducepot]

IS Bruce a receiver or is he going to run the ball,or is a running back going to receive the ball more than he runs,under Chapball who knows...Chapball has to go

[Rammer]

IS Bruce a receiver or is he going to run the ball,or is a running back going to receive the ball more than he runs,under Chapball who knows...Chapball has to go

I think that I am going to start to call him Chapstick, because we can't seem to get rid of him...

[TheLionKing]

And I have the potential of winning Lotto Max this Friday

[Honour Dewalt]

Buono is probably gonna bench him. Good thing too cuz we're not phasing out enough receivers.

[WestCoastJoe]

http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Bruce ... story.html

Bruce trade a ‘wake-up call’ for Lions

By Mike Beamish, Postmedia News August 3, 2011

The B.C. Lions believe they’ve made a great catch in snaring a veteran receiver with two different names, a narcissistic personality and a bizarre history of behaviour.

But did they acquire Arland Bruce III, a three-time CFL all-star with six 1,000-yard seasons? Or did they instead get Runako Reth, Bruce’s alter ego who has just nine catches for 104 yards and was regarded as a fading force with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats as he approaches his 34th birthday?

Narcissism is a job requirement for receiver, is it not?

On one hand, Wednesday’s trade with the Tiger-Cats for Bruce/Reth smacks of desperation by Lions coach and GM Wally Buono. On the other, the Lions get a proven veteran anxious to show that his best days aren’t over.

Whatever it is, or whoever he is, the Lions and their fans will have to wait nine more days to find out.

Bruce isn’t expected to arrive in Vancouver until Friday. He won’t practise with the Lions until Monday and won’t play for B.C. until Aug. 13, a home game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

By that time, he should have sorted out what name he wants on the back of his jersey.

"Wednesday’s trade with the Tiger-Cats for Bruce/Reth smacks of desperation by Lions coach and GM Wally Buono."

Desperation? Yeah.

The newest Lion said he’s undecided if he’ll wear Bruce — his “slave name” — or go with Reth, his new nom de plume that, roughly translated, means “African King.”

“I don’t want coach Wally Buono to give me a hard time about Runako Reth,” he said. “If ‘Bruce’ is on the back of the jersey, that’s fine, too.”

Arland Bruce III ... Sounds more like Batman than a slave. Runako Reth has a ring to it. The ring of a free man. Free thinker. Unbridled. Unhinged? LOL

In the past, Bruce has accused CFL officials of racism, donned a Spider Man mask to celebrate a touchdown, removed his helmet and shoulder pads in the end zone and assumed the position of a corpse in a bizarre tribute to the late singer Michael Jackson.

After openly criticizing Toronto coach Bart Andrus and quarterback Kerry Joseph two years ago, he was traded from the Argos to the Tiger-Cats.

The diva personality is something of a masquerade, said Lions receivers coach Travis Moore, who was the Tiger-Cats’ offensive assistant and running backs coach in 2009 when Bruce was acquired by the team.

Accused CFL officials of racism. Hmmmmm So he played the racism card. That is getting a bit old.

I don't care if he is a prima donna, a diva. Can he catch? Can he run? Can he have a good attitude?

“You heard all kinds of things about him,” Moore said, “and I found out a lot of things weren’t true. He’s very professional, a guy who will work hard out here every single day and be a leader for our young guys. With him and Geroy (Simon), the young guys are just going to soak up their knowledge and experience. I think they’ll make everyone better.”

It seems all those Hamilton young guys did not need him as their mentor.

If Bruce can be the player Buono still thinks he can be, it will give the 0-5 Lions the luxury of two go-to receivers in critical situations where they’ve come up short repeatedly this season.

“It’s kind of a wake-up call for everybody,” Simon said. “It shows that there’s no security in this business. It shows the young guys that there’s a dark side to football. I understand what this means. It’s something that had to happen.”

The Lions most affected by the trade are rookies Dobson Collins and Nick Moore. Collins, wide receiver who has earned the nickname “Dropson” for his many misplays, has been parked on the practice roster. His days as a starter — indeed his short career as a Lion — may be over.

Moore, given a second chance to make amends for a bungled debut June 30 in Montreal, probably will need a productive game Friday at Empire Field against the Roughriders to survive.

I hope Nick Moore does well. Collins is probably toast.

[Blitz]

Heard that it was in the works yesterday, prayed it wouldn't happen, and it has.

Another desperation move by Wally...he really is Nixon in his final days in the White House...

[donefron]

unfortunately in the nhl offseason the woe is me canuck fans become football fans & nothing can be done to ake them happy! we just added Dennis, Kornegay & Bruce for a 3rd & futures so at least an attempt has been made to improve, maybe some djustment in the coching ranks might be next

[B.C.FAN]

of course sarcasm aside you are absolutely correct when you place the majority of the blame on the woes of the D on this team. We are dead last in most defensive stats, the only productive ones have been Solomon with 31 tackles tied for league lead and maybe Dante with 23 being in the top 10.the offence is not as bad as people want to believe
CFL League Leaders | Offence Passing Yards
1. Ray, R EDM 1,492
2. Calvillo, A MTL 1,485
3. Lulay, T BC 1,404
4. Burris, H CGY 1,401
5. Glenn, K HAM 1,238
a better running game and more consistency from some of our recievers would be nice but we are scoring enough points to win games. unfortunately we dont stop enough of them to win. Bruce may provide that consistency but hopefully he can relieve some focus of the pressure from Geroy so that he may better do his job with out getting mugged downfieldw hile the refs sit on the flags( Cough Cough Winnipeg Cough Cough). A little more D and we might be 3-2 right now, the D lost both the Hamilton & Calgary games and helped Wally give away that game in MTL as well.

That is kind of were stats do not tell the whole story though, to many 2 and outs by the offense and frankly, no one making plays when the game is on the line, but the Defence has been horrible, no doubt about that one.

Interestingly (to me, anyway) the number of 2 and outs for all teams in the West is almost identical despite their records. There are slight differences in offensive scoring drives, with B.C. ranking second to Edmonton among Western teams.

2 and outs
B.C. 28
Calgary 28
Saskatchewan 28
Edmonton 27

Scoring drives
Edmonton 27 (34.6%)
B.C. 23 (30.3%)
Saskatchewan 19 (26.0%)
Calgary 20 (24.7%)

You're right that the defence has been horrible. The Lions are last in most defensive categories, including most touchdowns and scoring drives allowed. That's the main reason the Lions are 0-5.