Arland Bruce Traded

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have dealt Arland Bruce to the BC Lions for a third-round draft pick and a conditional draft pick.

I said just last night that I didn't think the Cats would trade Bruce, because I felt that the team would allow him to work through his problems.

I'm not going to sugarcoat this: I think this was a bad move. I have not agreed with everything that Bob O'Billovich has done as General Manager, but I have never disagreed with him more than I do today. A third-round pick for a player who was third in the league in receiving yards last season? And the Cats didn't even get a roster player from BC.

Bruce was given a contract extension just this past off-season, and today he finds himself on a plane out of town. I don't get it, and I don't agree with it.

The only way that this makes sense is from a financial point of view. Bruce was one of the highest-paid players on the Cats, and trading him means that Hamilton frees up cap space to make a move later on.

Even from that perspective, I don't like the trade. I would have preferred it much more if the Tabbies had dealt Marquay McDaniel or Maurice Mann. Neither of those players has shown one-tenth what Bruce has shown.

This was a bad trade. A really, really bad trade.

Trade Rumours Swirling

It looks as if the plethora of Receivers in Hamilton's stable could be getting smaller. Rumours abound that the BC Lions and Hamilton Tiger-Cats are in trade talks regarding one of Hamilton's Receivers.

With the emergence of Chris Williams, the Tiger-Cats have an abundance of Receivers, so the Lions inquiring about Hamilton's Receivers is not the least bit surprising.

Equally unsurprising are the names being rumoured: Maurice Mann and Marquay McDaniel.

(I know that Arland Bruce's name is also out there, but I don't see Hamilton trading him until they know whether his early-season struggles are age- or injury-related.)

I would think that Mann would fetch more in a trade, based on his reputation and contract – Mann is signed until 2012, whereas McDaniel is a free agent after this season.

For other teams, McDaniel might be more attractive because he is younger – 27 to Mann's 29 – and would likely cost less to acquire.

If it were up to me, I would trade McDaniel. He is clearly not in Hamilton's plans going forward, and it might be best to cut ties with him now and allow him to continue his career elsewhere. It was also rumoured back in February that the Lions and Ti-Cats had discussions about moving McDaniel west. So there has been interest from the Lions in McDaniel as far back as the winter.

I can see the merit in trading Mann, as he likely has a larger contract than McDaniel. Also, Mann has been replaced in the starting lineup more than admirably by Chris Williams, which does make Mann expendable.

Should either player be moved, it likely means that the other – as well as Arland Bruce – is unlikely to be dealt at any point this season.

What the Ti-Cats are looking to receive as compensation is unknown. Could it simply be draft picks, or do they have their eye on a particular player in BC?

It'll be interesting to see what, if anything, happens over the next couple of days.

Stala Named Canadian Player of the Week

After a 107-yard, two-TD performance in Friday's win over the Montreal Alouettes, Hamilton Tiger-Cats Receiver Dave Stala has been named the CFL's Canadian Player of the Week.

Stala is on pace for 936 yards, which would be the third-highest total of his career. He is also one touchdown away from tying his single-season high of six, set just last season.

Stala has been one of the Tiger-Cats' most consistent Receivers in 2011, and his big performance against Montreal was his best outing of the season. While I am no Nostradamus, I feel confident in predicting that this will not be Stala's only Player of the Week award.

Power Poll (Week 5)

Another great week in the CFL leads us to another edition of the Power Poll. It was a great week of football that saw the waters get a little muddier. There was a bit of a shift in the hierarchy this week as the defending champs tumble down the rankings.

1. Edmonton Eskimos (Last Week: 1)

What can be said about the Eskimos that hasn't already been said? They just find ways to win football games. It was another strong effort from the Green & Gold as they upped their record to 5-0 and solidified their position atop the Power Poll.

2. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (Last Week: 3)

The Bombers still have trouble on Offense, but that won't matter if their Defense continues to pile up sacks at a ridiculous pace – averaging over four per game! Next week, Winnipeg gets their shot at the number-one spot when they take on the Edmonton Eskimos at Canad Inns Stadium.

3. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (Last Week: 4)

Seems like a long time ago when the Tabbies were at number eight. That's what three wins in a row will do for you, the last coming against the Montreal Alouettes. If the Cats keep it up, they will be on top in no time.

4. Montreal Alouettes (Last Week: 2)

Montreal's descent continues as they suffer their second loss in a row. There are no excuses for this one, as Anthony Calvillo played the entire game and the Als simply got beat. Expect Montreal to come up with a much better effort in Week 6 against Toronto.

5. Calgary Stampeders (Last Week: 5)

I just don't understand Calgary. They may be 3-2, but they are the most uninspiring 3-2 team I've ever seen. Winning in Regina is never easy, but I just don't feel confident about this Stampeder squad. They face a tough test this upcoming week as the red-hot Hamilton Tiger-Cats make the trek to McMahon Stadium.

6. Saskatchewan Roughriders (Last Week: 6)

Just when I thought Saskatchewan was going to turn the corner, they fell flat on their face. They should have won in Week 5 against Calgary because everything was in their favour. The Riders were at home, against a team that was hardly a world beater, coming off a stellar win the previous week. This is simply a mediocre football club.

7. Toronto Argonauts (Last Week: 7)

Kudos to the Argos for a great effort against the undefeated Eskimos. But a loss is a loss, and the Boatmen have now lost four straight. Until the Argos find themselves a Quarterback, the losses will continue to increase. Things won't get much easier for Toronto as they face an angry Alouette team on Thursday at the Rogers Centre SkyDome.

8. BC Lions (Last Week: 8)

Bringing up the rear are the winless BC Lions. I picked them to finish first in the West; boy was I wrong. The Lions have played well in pretty much every game, but they lack that certain something to get the win. But with Saskatchewan's troubles, the Lions are not in as bad a position as a winless team should be. And BC will get their chance in Week 6 as they face the Riders at Empire Field. A win there and BC will move up the poll.

Highest Climb: Winnipeg, Hamilton (+1)
Steepest Fall: Montreal (-2)

Newest Member of the Community

We all come to our fandom in different ways. For Doug McLeod, it started when the Buffalo Bills decided to make Toronto a sporadic home. He didn't like how the CFL was being treated as a second-class league, and he especially didn't like how the city of Toronto seemed to relish the idea that they were now an NFL town.

A fan of the CFL for 30 years – when his grandmother was one the people who took him to see his first game, a contest between the Toronto Argonauts and the Montreal Alouettes in 1980 – Doug decided to abandon his allegiance to the Argos over this and hop aboard the Tigertown express. Doug then became a season-ticket holder in 2009, and now makes the long two-hour trek from his home in Toronto to Ivor Wynne for every game.

You may be asking yourself: why I am telling you a story about a fan? Well, Doug is not your ordinary fan. Doug is doing something interesting that I find worthy of promoting. He calls it commen-tweeting.

During each Hamilton Tiger-Cat game, home and away, Doug will be posting his thoughts on his Twitter account (@DiefOnCats). What I find especially noteworthy is that Doug will be providing his insight during home games from his seat in Section 22. He will be live tweeting from Ivor Wynne. I find that to be an excellent way of providing something different than anyone else out there. I do not know anyone else who live tweets from games.

Doug also post his thoughts on each game on his blog, Dief On Cats.

So if you have Twitter, give him a follow. His thoughts are well articulated (even at 140 characters), and he supplements them by putting up a fascinating and detailed account in his post-game blog. I highly advise that you check that out as well.

I would also like to point out that since Doug created his blog, the Tiger-Cats have yet to lose. His first post is about the Hamilton's victory over Saskatchewan. It's got to be a coincidence... or perhaps Doug simply has the magic touch.

While Doug may be new to the Tiger-Cat community, he sure seems to be making up for lost time. I look forward to reading more of Doug's commen-tweeting on Twitter and reading his thoughts in his post-game blog.