Ex-Bomber Bruce figures to be factor

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This article was published 24/11/2011 (5249 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

VANCOUVER — They are the most significant additions to their respective clubs and come Sunday the matchup between Tim Burke’s defence and Arland Bruce’s offence will tell the tale in our national football championship.

Burke is the wizard behind the Winnipeg Blue Bombers defence while Bruce is the enigmatic B.C. Lions slotback. Their arrival and impact on their respective clubs are major storylines and there are indicators that will again be the case in Sunday’s Grey Cup.

Burke’s assignment is to draw up the right game plan to shut down the Lions while Bruce and his offensive teammates must score, score and score some more.

The Bombers have developed into a dominating defence under Burke’s leadership and for Winnipeg to win on Sunday they must control the Lions and the game.

“We can’t give up big plays. We have to keep our team in the game. We have to stop the run, generate a four-man pass rush and we can’t give up the big play in the back end,” said Burke, in his first year as defensive co-ordinator with the Blue Bombers but in his fourth straight Grey Cup and a two-time winner with the Montreal Alouettes.

For B.C., the story has been the growth of their offence and its coming out coincides almost precisely with Bruce’s arrival following his troubled start with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

The Lions were a floundering team when coach and GM Wally Buono took a risk and traded for Bruce. The one-time Blue Bombers slotback arrived in B.C. just in time for a loss to the Bombers, which saw B.C. fall to 1-5.

Settle

But Bruce was able to settle in with the Lions as they went on an eight-game win streak and he caught 49 passes for 755 yards with eight touchdowns as B.C. won 11 of its last 12 regular-season games.

“(Arland) gave us a new leader, another leader. It gave us some extra energy, he’s been around for a long time and he’s done a lot of great things in this league,” said Lions veteran receiver Geroy Simon. “He gave us another weapon. I didn’t lobby for him to come, but once I heard that he was coming I was really excited. I know what he can do for an offence and a team.”

Burke says Bruce adds an element to the Lions offence that will stretch his group to its limit.

“Going into Arland’s first game with the Lions we were going to double Geroy because we didn’t think they had enough time to incorporate Arland into the offence and it turns out they didn’t,” said Burke. “But now that he is, it puts two really good players in there on different sides of the ball and you can’t double just one. Our goal is to stop the run and make them try and pass. Then we can’t allow them to make any plays on the back end and Arland has made that more difficult.”

Burke took the Bombers defence from a young and hungry outfit unable to close games into an angry and unflinching mob that imposed its will on opponents for much of the season.

Bruce added one more weapon to the Lions, making them difficult to predict and defend.

Both teams surged and improved this season. What club got further on the growth curve will be revealed Sunday. Burke will give his marching orders and Bruce will dance to his own drum.

The last two Grey Cups have hinged on Burke’s ability to silence any offensive music and if he can steal Bruce’s drum altogether, the next marching the Bombers do will be in a parade down Portage Avenue.

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @garylawless