The deal between the Ticats and Lions for Arland Bruce was a win-win for both teams.
It is hardly a surprise the B.C. Lions traded with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for receiver Arland Bruce. The Lions need Bruce, the Ticats don't.
Bruce was dealt to the Lions on Wednesday for a third-round pick in next year's Canadian draft - and sportsnet.ca wrote about trade talks between the two teams on Tuesday and that Bruce's name was involved in the dialogue.
The Tiger-Cats have an abundance of receivers and the 33-year-old Bruce, once the go-to guy, became lost in the mix this year with the emergence of some younger players. Bruce became disgruntled about his role and popped off at one point, and then declared he wanted to be known as Runako Reth, instead of what he declared was his slave name. He even had the word Reth briefly on the back of his practice jersey.
Curiously, he is Arland Bruce III and he carried on the tradition with his son, naming him Arland Bruce IV. But we digress.
When Bruce was on his game -- and he certainly was last year -- he was among the premier receivers in the league. He was also paid as such, earning a salary believed to be between $125,000-$150,000.
But something happened to Bruce this year, whether it was physical, mental, emotional, spiritual or a combination of some or all. He changed his Twitter account name from Mr. Mature to Runako Reth. Mr. Mature seemed an oddity in itself.
In 2008, Bruce received a fine from the Canadian Football League for removing a Spider-Man mask from his helmet and putting it on after scoring a touchdown in a game in Hamilton, in which he caught 10 passes for 149 yards.
It would not be his last curious TD celebration. He was slapped with a $4,000 fine by the CFL for his tribute TD celebration to Michael Jackson in a game in Hamilton in July, 2009, removing his helmet and shoulder pads and lying down in the end zone with his arms crossed -- as if lying in a coffin. It became a Youtube sensation.
Bruce had a personality clash then with rookie head coach Bart Andrus, who himself had done some curious things of his own. But not long afterward, Bruce was dealt to Hamilton.
He totaled 1,043 yards from 74 catches, 14 of them for touchdowns, in 14 games with Hamilton. Overall, he played 17 games that season and had 1,242 yards on 88 catches and 10 touchdowns. He became a favourite of the fans, who shouted "Bruuuuuuce" every time he made a catch. And he did not do anything to disrespect himself, his teammates or the team. He was a modal citizen.
Last year in 16 games, he had his second-best season since coming to the Canadian Football League in 2001, totaling 1,303 yards, only 67 back of his personal-best in 2006 with Toronto. His 86 catches were only six back of his p.b. in 2008.
This should have been a year for Bruce to climb to the next level, instead he regressed.
Perhaps it was because he was no longer the feature receiver in the new offence designed by Khari Jones, the team's former quarterback coach, or his desire, intensity and focus had decreased.
In his last game, he dropped an easy catch and then got his hands on another ball which appeared to be intended for a teammate. He took himself out of the game with a leg injury and then apparently developed an eye injury.
It was obvious then he had stopped becoming useful.
He had only nine catches for 104 total yards in four games.
He had a meeting with the football operations brass earlier this week to address his situation and to apparently clear up some things.
When contacted by sportsnet.ca on Tuesday about trade talks with the Lions that had been reported by Vancouver radio station CKNW, Ticats' general manager Bob O'Billovich did everything he could to downplay it, including when asked about the suggestion a deal may occur within the next two days.
Hey, O'Billovich isn't paid to reveal classified information, though he did say Bruce would not be playing this week because of the leg injury, though he did say it wasn't too serious. But sources tell sportsnet.ca that Bruce will likely be added to the Lions' roster for Friday's game against Saskatchewan.
Bruce is now headed to B.C., which desperately needs receivers, in particular ones who can catch. This was an issue this year for Bruce, and whether it was an aberration or a surfacing problem, the Lions need Bruce. He automatically becomes a great teammate for veteran Geroy Simon, who has had struggles this year, but has also been frustrated by his younger teammates dropping balls. Now he has a veteran who can be a major contributor when he wants to be. His philosophy according to his Twitter account is "Never stop learning. Your knowledge is power."
It will be interesting to see how Bruce evolves and develops with the Lions. Right now they need him to catch the ball by whatever name he uses.
