Bert Faibish
Ticats.ca
Like a Swiss army knife that was missing its blade, the Tiger-Cats offence has been without something rather important over the past few weeks.
While still an effective unit, without Arland Bruce III, Hamilton’s receiving corps has been missing its most potent weapon.
That will all end come Sunday when Bruce returns to the lineup for the East Semi-Final against Toronto and one Ticat in particular couldn’t be happier about it.
“He’s a seasoned vet who knows about the playoffs and knows what it takes to get to the Grey Cup, so it’ll be great to have him back in the lineup,” said Ticats quarterback Kevin Glenn.
Despite missing almost three full games, the Glenn-to-Bruce connection isn’t expected to miss a beat.
“He’s been at practice, and the way that guy practices, you know that he’ll be ready for the game,” said Glenn.
Even though he sat out the final 11 quarters of the season, Bruce still finished third in the league in receiving yards and only 77 yards back of the league leader, Saskatchewan’s Andy Fantuz.
Bruce, who has managed to stay healthy for most of his career, managed to find some positives in what was a very frustrating three weeks for him.
“It’s tough, it actually made me a little mentally tougher because you train so hard during the off-season to get through the whole season, so then when you have to sit out or miss any games its tough to deal with,” said Bruce.
“I’m just looking forward to getting back on the field and getting back into rhythm with my quarterback and be with my guys who’ve been out there, going to battle,” added Bruce.
Even with all of the talented receivers on the Ticats roster, with Bruce in the game it’s a whole different animal.
While it’s impossible to get him the ball on every play, the attention that Arland attracts makes him an impact player on every down.
The double and triple teams that he attracts gives players like Dave Stala and Marquay McDaniel the extra room underneath that they need to produce big plays.
If a potential spot in the East Final wasn’t enough motivation, Sunday’s Semi-Final will come against the team that traded Arland away, the Toronto Argonauts.
“I felt a little extra emotion the first time I faced them on Labour Day, but it’s not really an issue any more.”
Maybe not for him, but Tiger-Cats fans will pack Ivor Wynne Stadium this Sunday for a chance to see the Ticats beat the hated Argonauts for a fourth time this season.
