VANCOUVER — There’s a long list of things the Toronto Argonauts must do if they hope to upset the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Sunday’s Gray Cup game.

Near the top is explosive running back Brady Oliveira.

The Argos are planning a “more is better” strategy to prevent Oliveira from running amok at BC Place on Sunday.

“The thing about Brady is he’s so powerful,” said Kevin Eiben, who shares Toronto defensive coordinator duties with Will Fields. “His legs are built like tree trunks.

“You have to have more than one guy at tackle. We have to invade the ball.

Defensive tackle Jake Ceresna could be the first point of contact with Oliveira. He said proper attire was a must.

“You have to tighten your chinstrap a little tighter and make sure you have your pass rusher with you, because he runs the ball hard,” said Ceresna, who had 28 tackles, eight sacks and a forced fumble this year.

“He runs the ball hard. He’s not an easy guy to deal with. It is slippery, elusive.

At five feet 10 inches tall and weighing 222 pounds, Oliveira is built like a fire hydrant. What he lacks in speed, he makes up for in raw strength. He can make a tackler miss with a clever move or leave cleat marks on his chest that cover him.

Oliveira led the CFL with 1,353 yards and 239 carries this year. He is also dangerous as a receiver, making 57 catches for 476 yards and a touchdown.

“You can never forget it,” said Toronto linebacker Wynton McManis, rolling a toothpick around his mouth as he spoke. “He’s great in the passing game, he catches the ball really well out of the backfield.

“Once he catches the ball, he becomes a running back. Then his instincts kick in. A difficult player to deal with.

Oliveira was named CFL Most Valuable Player and Most Valuable Canadian at the CFL awards ceremony on Thursday. He joins Jon Cornish, Russ Jackson and Tony Gabriel as the only players to win both awards in the same year.

Toronto has beaten Winnipeg twice this year. One game went to overtime. Both were decided by three points or less. Oliveira had a total of 25 carries for 160 yards and 12 catches for 92 yards in the two games. He didn’t score a touchdown. He also fumbled once.

Oliveira did some strength training during the Bombers’ 38-22 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in last weekend’s West Final. He totaled 119 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries and added 22 receiving yards on two catches.

During the season, Winnipeg finished third in the league averaging 111.7 rushing yards per game. Argo’s defense finished second in allowing 85.1 yards per game.

Safety Royce Metchie said one of the best ways to stop Oliveira is to not let him start.

“We need to get as many guys as possible on every play,” said Metchie, who led Toronto with 87 tackles, had one interception and forced two fumbles. “Once it gets going, it’s hard to bring it down.

“If we can get to it early and close it out, that would help us as the game goes on.”

Oliveria is an emotional player. He jumps up after a big race, hitting himself on the helmet.

Eiben said one player won’t stop Oliveira.

“Everyone has to get to the ball and make sure that when we get there, we knock it away,” he said. “He gains a lot of yards after contact. We need to get at least three guys in contact and try to get him to back up.

The Argos are also good at forcing a team to put the ball on the ground. Toronto finished third in the league with 20 forced fumbles during the regular season and recovered four in the win over Montreal.

“When you make contact, try to get the ball out,” Eiben said. “We did a great job of getting that ball out and turning turnovers into scores.

“This is going to be a big topic this week. Let’s create some turnovers.

Argos quarterback Chad Kelly will miss the Gray Cup after suffering a gruesome leg injury in the win over Montreal. This made Toronto a heavy underdog heading into Sunday.

McManis said a good performance on defense can give the underdog some bite.

“We can make a statement,” McManis said. “We can come out, be physical, change the game. That’s our plan.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published November 15, 2024.