It was a great storyline in itself on draft night 2020 when Nathan Rourke’s name was called in round two by the BC Lions. Now that he is on track to potentially make his second start in as many pro appearances Thursday in Calgary, it has begun to garner even more national attention.
The best part of it all? Rourke, the Victoria-born quarterback who re-wrote program record books at the University of Ohio, is handling all the extra attention more like the season-veteran of Michael Reilly’s caliber.
“It’s mostly just extra attention from you guys (media), so other than that it doesn’t feel much different,” chuckled Rourke during one of his multiple ZOOM commitments this week.
Yes, it is indeed possible that number 13 can take some snaps in Calgary. Head coach Rick Campbell has stuck with the same messaging all week long. The plan is for Rourke to start and if Reilly can get some snaps, it will be a nice bonus.
But as the veteran’s arm continues to heal and with the goal for him to be healthy when the games get more and more important, Rourke will be given more opportunities to shine. And even though he claims to prepare as though he will always play, at least having more of an idea that he is likely the guy ahead of time should bode well for his preparation against the Stampeders.
“I think that the way that prepared and the way I was mentally; I was just taking it all in, take it moment by moment and trying to stay in the present as best as I could. That’s what I’m going to try to do this week as well, is just enjoy the experience and not really think too much of it. I hope I’m able to go in there, just have fun and play football.”
Nathan And The Maple Leaf ‘Stigma’
Rourke himself takes pride in being part of the next breed of Canadian quarterbacks. Despite re-locating back east with his family at the young age of two, Rourke continued to root for the Lions and idolized Travis Lulay growing up
But speak to him on the subject for just a few moments and he will tell you he eventually wants to be known as just a good football player, regardless of his birth certificate. He also knows the extra attention will come with the territory, at least for the time being as he goes through the motions as a professional rookie. Any extra pressure? He will deal with it in stride.
“I’ve done five years in the United States where that was what literally separated me from the next guy was me being a Canadian and some of the people down south not fully understanding what they meant because they didn’t have a lot of interaction,” he said.
“That’s something that’s kind of made me stand out for a bit down south and I think it was very difficult to be recruited or taken seriously down there. At this point, it’s something I’ve dealt with for awhile. It’s not anything new. I think it means a little bit more now because I’m in Canada and from here. It’s awesome to be able to play in front of Canadian fans. It’s something that’s cool and I think the fact that I’m the first Canadian to start in awhile is pretty cool but it’s not the reason we’re doing this. We’re out here to win games.”
And that’s the exact mindset the Lions and their fans want him to operate with.
Canuck Connections
He won’t have to look far on Thursday to spot a fellow Canadian pivot. The Stampeders are backed up by Michael O’Connor, the former Vanier Cup UBC standout who also attended camp with the Lions in 2016 as part of the CFL’s Canadian quarterback internship program.
O’Connor, from Orleans, Ontario, was then drafted by the Argonauts in 2019 and took his first pro snaps in late October of that season before landing in Calgary as a free agent. The quarterback duo has developed a bond over the long layoff and not just because of their birth certificates.
“(We) got really close this past year. We were both working with (Personal Trainer) Rob Williams in the Vancouver area. I got to see him up close and it’s pretty cool. He’s a great player and it’s pretty cool to be able to work out with the other Canadian, in terms of quarterbacking, in the CFL. I look forward to seeing him hopefully play this year a little bit, take pride in the fact he;’s the second guy there making a mark for Canadian quarterbacks. I think it’s awesome.”
Rourke took virtually all of the practice reps this week. Should he in fact end up getting another start, it will serve Nathan well having last week’s wonky experience in Regina under his belt.