Kyle Myers
Ticats.ca
The 2012 CFL offseason was a busy one for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. There’s an almost entirely new coaching staff in place, and there are new players at every position competing for a starting spot on the team.
One of those new players is Brian Bulcke, a defensive lineman who played the past two seasons with the Calgary Stampeders.
Bulcke was signed by the Tiger-Cats on the first day of free agency and he enters camp looking for vengeance for his team’s loss in the 100th Grey Cup. The Stampeders were defeated by the Toronto Argonauts, who the Ticats happen to face in week one of the 2013 season.
“Let’s see, on my playbook I have 101st Grey Cup written, and when I turn on my phone I have a picture of the Grey Cup as my background,” Bulcke said. “It’s beyond an obsession for me.”
That attitude will certainly be welcomed in TigerTown. Head Coach and GM Kent Austin has rebuilt the staff from the ground up, and with his fresh perspective arriving in Hamilton, new players like Bulcke could play large roles this season.
Like so many of the Tiger-Cats veterans have already done, Bulcke also praised Austin’s ability to inspire his team in such a short amount of time.
“It’s a winning culture he’s building here,” said the Bulcke. “You can see it already, veteran guys helping the rookies, and other guys staying late after practice doing reps. The biggest difference for this team is a culture change.”
And Bulcke knows all about culture changes. As a freshman at Stanford, he was a member of a football team that went 1–11, but by his fifth season Bulcke and his teammates were 12–1 and the victors of the first Orange Bowl in school history. Bulcke believes that the Tiger-Cats are in a similar transformation, and that they too are on the path to greatness under Coach Austin.
But in addition to the culture change around Hamilton, Bulcke has additional incentive in moving back to Ontario. The lineman is a native of Windsor – only a three hour drive from Hamilton – and moving back near his family was a huge bonus of signing with the Ticats.
“It was a no-brainer,” said Bulcke of accepting the contract with the Tiger-Cats. “I’ve got 50–100 friends and family that are coming out to every home game now. It feels good to be back home.”
Bulcke is a non-import defensive lineman who has the skills and the size to be a starter on the Ticats in 2013. His Grey Cup goal is lofty, but with the new direction that Hamilton are headed, there is are many reasons to believe that it isn’t too far off.
NOTES FROM DAY 3
- After scouts from the NFL’s Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots observed practice on Tuesday, a scout from the Chicago Bears was at Ron Joyce Stadium to check out today’s sessions.
- For the second day in a row, receiver Lyle Leong Jr. made an impressive diving catch during the skelly period.
- Rookie defensive end Craig Marshall had a solid day, forcing the quarterback out of the pocked on multiple occasions.
- QB Jeremiah Masoli and WR Greg Ellingson connected on an impressive 40-yard toss for a touchdown. Masoli rolled out of the pocket and fired a bomb to Ellingson, who leapt over a defender to make the catch.
- The Caretaker himself, Bob Young, was in the house to see how the team is shaping up.
