BC Lions / Nathan Rourke discussion

TBURGESS · January 15, 2023, 08:04:08 PM

Congrats to Rourke. Hope he does well in the NFL.

The Zipp · January 15, 2023, 08:49:06 PM

Quote from: theaardvark on January 15, 2023, 07:34:57 PM
"CFL was an unforseen detour"... WTH?

https://twitter.com/nathan_rourke/status/1614692883898183680

His goal was to play in the NFL - prob was for most of not all QB's at one point in their lives...for Rourke it is still alive.

Just how it is...

ModAdmin · January 15, 2023, 09:34:27 PM

Quote from: The Zipp on January 15, 2023, 08:49:06 PM
His goal was to play in the NFL - prob was for most of not all QB's at one point in their lives...for Rourke it is still alive.

Just how it is...

He could have chosen his words better.

Pete · January 15, 2023, 09:54:34 PM

Quote from: theaardvark on January 15, 2023, 07:34:57 PM
"CFL was an unforseen detour"... WTH?

https://twitter.com/nathan_rourke/status/1614692883898183680

a little bit out of context he also talks about how great the experiance in cfl and how it helped him grow as a professional and was neccessary in order to reach the nfl
www.cbc.ca/sports/football/nfl/nathan-rourke-jacksonville-jaguars-1.6714877

Lincoln Locomotive · January 15, 2023, 10:01:45 PM

I think it was inevitable as his play was the talk of the CFL and the NFL corporation took notice too and are not keen on any competition from the CFL when it comes to star players.....he was going to make a roster and it looks like he was more or less able to do this on his terms....something Chris Streveler was unable to accomplish.

Time will tell if he gets to play meaningful minutes right off the hop and if he does I'm fairly certain he will excel and make an immediate impact. It's in his genes to do so....

Congratulations Nathan....it was the NFL's gain and the CFL's loss but for me it was never in doubt that he'd be snapped up by the No Fun League!

TecnoGenius · January 16, 2023, 04:05:46 AM

Rourke is great, and great for a rookie, for sure. But he's not NFL starter material right now. He just isn't. If they start him in his 1st year he'll get eaten alive by middling to good D's. Just like WPG ate him alive every time we played him.

The best hope for him is he gets to be a solid #2, doesn't really have to start, maybe takes some garbage time snaps. He needs to learn more and get better on the IQ front. He has all the physical qualities, that I certainly wouldn't deny, but can he learn to be great? Maybe.

But I would bet heavily he'll be back in the CFL by 2026.

Pigskin · January 16, 2023, 04:47:24 AM

Rourke isn't going to be the starting QB in Jacksonville for awhile. Right now there trying to develop Trevor Lawrence. He also had a pretty good season. 4113 yards passing, 25 TDs, 8 Ints.

Sir Blue and Gold · January 16, 2023, 01:30:19 PM

Do any of you guys watch the NFL? He is never going to supplant Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville without some significant injures to Lawrence. What he wants is a good spot to be the legitimate number two QB for a couple years while trying to earn an opportunity to be a starter elsewhere. He might not have been at a stellar program but he did play Div 1 ball in the NCAA for three years and all those guys want to play in the NFL.

I'm sure that release was also written for an American audience in mind more so than the CFL one. He doesn't plan to be back, I am sure.

Jesse · January 16, 2023, 01:41:53 PM

Quote from: theaardvark on January 15, 2023, 07:34:57 PM
"CFL was an unforseen detour"... WTH?

https://twitter.com/nathan_rourke/status/1614692883898183680

Jumped out for me too.

Did not like it at all.

blue_gold_84 · January 16, 2023, 02:07:58 PM

Quote from: Jesse on January 16, 2023, 01:41:53 PM
Jumped out for me too.

Did not like it at all.

Poor wording, IMO.

Blue In BC · January 16, 2023, 03:14:42 PM

Sad to see him leave the CFL but it's certainly understandable. Look forward to seeing him play when he gets a chance. Good luck for a long and successful career.

the paw · January 16, 2023, 03:21:36 PM

Quote from: Sir Blue and Gold on January 16, 2023, 01:30:19 PM
Do any of you guys watch the NFL? He is never going to supplant Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville without some significant injures to Lawrence. What he wants is a good spot to be the legitimate number two QB for a couple years while trying to earn an opportunity to be a starter elsewhere. He might not have been at a stellar program but he did play Div 1 ball in the NCAA for three years and all those guys want to play in the NFL.

I'm sure that release was also written for an American audience in mind more so than the CFL one. He doesn't plan to be back, I am sure.

I agree. I think Rourke expected a legit NFL shot coming out of college, and had the confidence to expect he would make the most of it. The fact that did not transpire would have been like a bucket of cold water, certainly not something he had planned for. To his credit, he strapped up and did the extra work in the CFL to improve his game and his odds.

Even thought he refers to this as a "detour" I thought the whole of his post was incredibly gracious to both the Lions and the CFL. That post does nothing but help legitimize the CFL as a viable next step in a pro football career.

theaardvark · January 16, 2023, 03:26:00 PM

My point about the "detour" is that is denigrates the league that got him his deal. Sure, he thanks the CFL for giving him the tools and training to land an NFL deal, he mentions how BC taught him how to be a professional... but this statement and the "detour" comment made it sound like the CFL was beneath his consideration, and only came here because he was out of options...

Just saying, as a "professional", he really fumbles his exit. The entire tone of his release said "I;m far too good for the CFL, I won't be back" and was a slap in the face to BC and the CFL, in my honest opinion.

Personally, I'd far rather have a QB here who is thankful for the opportunity to play, and brings his lunchbox to work. Rourke did put up some spectacular numbers and plays, but at the end of the day, the last image of him in a CFL uni for me is him crying.

If/when he flames out in the NFL, I have no doubt that, should he still want to play, every CFL team will open thier wallet for a NAT QB, In the meantime...

Buh Bye.

Quote from: the paw on January 16, 2023, 03:21:36 PM
Even thought he refers to this as a "detour" I thought the whole of his post was incredibly gracious to both the Lions and the CFL. That post does nothing but help legitimize the CFL as a viable next step in a pro football career.

I think that any fluff he says in praise of the CFL is more than negated by the detour comment. Erase that line, and my opinion might be different. But in that one sentence he sums up his feeling about the CFL... detour my butt.

blue_gold_84 · January 16, 2023, 04:16:22 PM

That's some absurd manufactured outrage.

It could simply be a case a young athlete being both grateful for his opportunity in the CFL while also misspeaking. Detour probably wasn't the ideal choice of wording but fixating on that while ignoring the rest of what he said is not a good look.

Rourke crying at the end of the 2022 West Final has already been covered - ad nauseam. Leave it where it belongs: last year.

You know the old adage about opinions, though.

Throw Long Bannatyne · January 16, 2023, 04:34:03 PM

Quote from: theaardvark on January 16, 2023, 03:26:00 PM
My point about the "detour" is that is denigrates the league that got him his deal. Sure, he thanks the CFL for giving him the tools and training to land an NFL deal, he mentions how BC taught him how to be a professional... but this statement and the "detour" comment made it sound like the CFL was beneath his consideration, and only came here because he was out of options...

Just saying, as a "professional", he really fumbles his exit. The entire tone of his release said "I;m far too good for the CFL, I won't be back" and was a slap in the face to BC and the CFL, in my honest opinion.

Personally, I'd far rather have a QB here who is thankful for the opportunity to play, and brings his lunchbox to work. Rourke did put up some spectacular numbers and plays, but at the end of the day, the last image of him in a CFL uni for me is him crying.

If/when he flames out in the NFL, I have no doubt that, should he still want to play, every CFL team will open thier wallet for a NAT QB, In the meantime...

Buh Bye.

I think that any fluff he says in praise of the CFL is more than negated by the detour comment. Erase that line, and my opinion might be different. But in that one sentence he sums up his feeling about the CFL... detour my butt.

Very true, but unfortunately that's the reality of the situation now so we might as well accept it as the truth, very few football players grow up with the goal of playing in the CFL and that includes young Canadians. The NFL is a huge entity, if players establish careers in the CFL it's usually because it was a secondary option. I would expect a similar statement from Schoen if he is fortunate to receive a generous offer from an NFL team for a roster spot, but as that is unlikely, he will probably make no final comment at all, which is wise.

As Stanley Bryant said recently in his interview after re-signing, he did not know the CFL even existed until after being cut by multiple NFL teams and his agent suggested it. He's perfectly happy with how it's all worked out, but that's not how he dreamt it originally. I think in hindsight Stanley would admit it's worked out better than he could have ever imagined, minus the bigger pay cheques. He's managed to put in a HOF career, earned multiple championship rings and is now in a situation were he can pretty much play football as long as he wants, which is his motivating desire. All he's gained from his CFL career would never have materialised in the NFL.