By Kevin Thompson
Your team came up with a big win last week. What are your thoughts on beating the defending Grey Cup champs, the Calgary Stampeders?
MB – “It was a good game. It was a tough and physical game. I thought our guys were resilient, played hard for sixty minutes, stayed positive and we made enough plays to win.”
Quinton Porter started at quarterback after missing a few games due to injury. How would you evaluate his performance after his time off?
MB – “I thought he did a good job. Obviously there are some plays in the first half that he would like to have back but I thought he settled in quite nicely, got into a nice groove as the game went along and did a good job. I was quite happy with how he finished.”
On Friday, a couple of rookie receivers (Airese Currie and Marquay McDaniel) started on offence. Can you talk about their performances?
MB – “They both did a good job. Marquay McDaniel has played for us before and had some playing time so he was solid in there and very dependable which was good. Currie had a great return to get the ball out of our end zone, which was important to us. He also did some other good things when he settled down in the second half just like Quinton and was really productive for us in the second half.”
Arland Bruce III was named the CFL’s Offensive Player of the Week and has led the Ticats in receiving in every game he’s started, so everyone should know what he brings to the team on game day… but what else does Arland bring to this team?
MB – “Arland is a professional. He works hard at practice everyday, sets the tone, doesn’t take reps off and runs hard. He is a great example for the younger receivers as he studies really hard and he’s a fun guy to be around. The players enjoy having him around the locker room. He brings some leadership, but it is one of those leadership deals where he shows the way instead of just talking about it.”
Dylan Barker is three special teams tackles away from breaking the team’s single-season record. Can you talk about his play on special teams?
MB – “He’s done a great job on special teams, he’s been solid and made plays. There is the natural progression from becoming a good special teams player to eventually getting onto a starting line up so he’s doing a nice job, progressing quite well and is a very important part of what we’re doing.”
The Alouettes are 9-2 and have established themselves as the team to beat this season. What will your team have to do to hand the Als their third loss in 2009?
MB – “We have to play 60 minutes, you can’t just play two quarters, two and half or three quarters against these guys. You got to be able to play for sixty minutes, play smart, continue to make plays and if you do that than you have an opportunity.”
Should we expect to see any changes to the starting roster against Montreal?
MB – “We will make that decision once we see where we’re at injury wise.”
The Cats are 5-1 at Ivor Wynne Stadium so far this year; clearly the 13th man has worked to your advantage. Can you talk about how the fans have positively affected games at Ivor Wynne Stadium?
MB – “It’s a great place to play, it’s a great stadium, great ambiance so the fans are very important to us. The more people that are in here, the more encouraging it is for the players, the louder it is and tougher for our opponents to operate so that’s very important for us.”
