BC Lions / Nathan Rourke discussion

[Austin85]

Bombers better be prepared for this team, they are much improved.

[ModAdmin]

Tonight the Argos defense could not cover the Lions receivers.  Too often Lions receivers were wide open and Argos coverage was loose.  Certainly O'Rourke looked good but the Argo defence was burned time after time.  Won't be as easy with the Bombers but I agree the Bombers will have to step up to the challenge.

[BLUEBOMBER]

The Lions beat the Argos easily even without Burnham and Butler.  There were a number of other Lions that are getting banged up but overall, it looks like ORourke is willing to gamble big to get the big yards.  If we can rattle him early on and rush him into making some bad throws, then intercept some of his passes, we could possibly come out on top.  The Argos did look like a very tired team.  Who set the schedule so that the Argos have to start a game at 7 pm Western time?  This is 10 pm Eastern time and no doubt many players are already sleepy at the start time.

[Jockitch]

This Qb., for the Lions, Rourke seems certainly the real deal. Quite a decent arm, good feet, mobility and seemingly a terrific IQ for read and react.

[M.O.A.B.]

He is a very good QB and has quick release. Although he went up against 2 bad defenses.

But surely he will be a tough match-up for the Bombers D in next next week.

[prairiegirl]

I think we are in big trouble against BC and mainly because of the schedule. Play in Toronto Monday and then BC Saturday. Lots of travelling, little time for practice and if Toronto hits like they did in the first half we may have some really bad banged up players

[dd]

It?s going to be very tough to beat the Lions. Our secondary is going to have their hands full with Rourke and their receiving corps, and Butler is going to run rampant on our front 7.

[CrazyCanuck89]

He is a very good QB and has quick release. Although he went up against 2 bad defenses.

But surely he will be a tough match-up for the Bombers D in next next week.

Argo's have a very good defense, the problem is they went up against the best offense in the CFL right now.  Even when they pressured Rourke, he shook it off, took the hit, or he took off with his feet.

[TBURGESS]

The Lions look scary good, but we won't know how good until they play a top tier team.

Edmonton hung with Regina and Calgary after getting blown out by BC. Toronto beat Montreal who beat Regina.

The offence is the best in the league by a huge margin & defence has only allowed 18 points in two games.

Toronto tried to bully them. Hardest hitting game this year. Didn't work. BC lost Burn-em and Butler and still scored 24 points in the second half. They lost Lokombo on defence and still shut Toronto out in the second half.

It'll be interesting to see how they play on the road on a short week, but based on the first two games they're 1 or 1A in the league.

[The Zipp]

Lions have improved their o-line and surrounded Rourke with some decent weapons.  They have designed a playbook that gets the ball out quickly and the guy has a great arm and is playing very confident       .  He is going to have some tough games but it looks like his team and him are making the game "easier" for him. 

[Horseman]

Rourke throws a very nice ball with a tight spiral, I watched the entire game and he did not throw one lame duck pass. All of his passes were crisp and on a rope to the receivers even in tight coverage. Rourke set a record for most passing yards by a Canadian QB in last nights game, 436 yards, beating Gerry Dattilio's old record.

[The Zipp]

Rourke throws a very nice ball with a tight spiral, I watched the entire game and he did not throw one lame duck pass. All of his passes were crisp and on a rope to the receivers even in tight coverage. Rourke set a record for most passing yards by a Canadian QB in last nights game, 436 yards, beating Gerry Dattilio's old record.

Young man's game and this kid can throw it.  He will get NFL looks if this continues. 

[Lincoln Locomotive]

Young man's game and this kid can throw it.  He will get NFL looks if this continues. 

I'm curious about what they're paying him at the moment?   They signed a lot of good players and I'm thinking his salary perhaps allowed them some flexibility with cap space?   At this point of the season he's the talk of the CFL despite a few teams who remain undefeated which includes only us and the Stamps.
Having said that it's a looong season....

[Blue In BC]

I'm curious about what they're paying him at the moment?   They signed a lot of good players and I'm thinking his salary perhaps allowed them some flexibility with cap space?   At this point of the season he's the talk of the CFL despite a few teams who remain undefeated which includes only us and the Stamps.
Having said that it's a looong season....

He's still on his ELC contract so he's not making much. There are probably some # 2 QB's in the league making more at the moment. Whether the Lions have cap space to give him a better deal I don't know.

His salary did allow the Lions to spend SMS elsewhere. Essentially the opposite of when they signed Reilly and couldn't sign good players around him.
People thinking he'll get a look from an NFL team is premature. It's a small sample and their are a bunch of ranked QB's in the NFL draft each year.

Rourke was drafted in 2020 so he could be on the last year of his current deal. I'm not aware of any extension or re-negotiation yet? Something for the Lions to contemplate soon.

[bomb squad]

Wow. I'm fired up about this guy. How can you not be if your a Canadian sports fan! Very impressive so far and very exciting. This could be a huge opportunity for the BC Lions and the league to catch lightning in a bottle. The next game will be the big test. If he plays the close to the same way on the road in Ottawa, look out. If that doesn't get the turnstiles spinning again in Vancouver, nothing will.