When the BC Lions kick off their 2022 CFL season against the Edmonton Elks on Saturday night, it will be fresh-faced Oakvillian Nathan Rourke at the team's helm.
The Lions feature one of the league's most dangerous offenses, so while his team finished the 2021 season fourth in the Western Division, don’t think for a second that last year's campaign is weighing heavily on the sophomore pivot.
Rourke has enough to think about in achieving his own goals in bringing the team success that he doesn’t have time to worry about outsider opinions: he has a clear vision of what lies ahead of him.
“I have to take advantage of every single rep that I get, and be able to learn quickly in order not to slow this team down," he says. "So I’d love to be able to see continual improvement, to be able to take care of the ball, and not lose games, and really be able to contribute to this team in a really valuable way.”
It’s not surprising to hear that he doesn’t let other people’s expectations control his thoughts when he talks about his reaction to the news of having earned the starting spot, with the team he cheered for growing up.
“I’m quite honoured and it’s a big confidence boost from the organization, putting their trust in a second-year player like myself, but I was really, really excited by the Lions’ front office and coaching staff,” he says.
Rourke, who played at Ohio University, was drafted 15th overall by the Lions in 2020. That season was cancelled due to COVID-19, but when things finally got back underway in 2021, he started the first game of the year.
Despite his immediate taste of action, it was never expected that he, as a rookie, would come in and usurp veteran QB Mike Riley, a player Rourke calls a “Hall of Famer.”
But he also admits that his second-string role was challenging last year. Following an illustrious university career, where he led his team to three consecutive Bowl game victories, Rourke was suddenly no longer 'the man.'
“I had a difficult year last year -- for me not to play, to watch -- but I learned as much as I could,” he says.
He says he made good use of his time on the sideline, absorbing what it means to be professional and transitioning from the more structured world of collegiate ball.
Playing behind someone like Riley -- someone who has seen it all -- has given Rourke an outstanding role-model to emulate.
“I think the biggest thing was watching Mike, and watching his preparation each week. I think we talked about it a lot, at the pro level, it’s how to be a pro, and just taking care of what you need to do, because there’s a lot less regulation at the professional level, in terms of taking care of your body, and studying, watching the film, keeping yourself in good physical shape, all that stuff goes in the same bucket of being a pro.”
So, it caught Rourke a little off guard when Riley announced his retirement in the offseason.
"He (Mike) had a great year last year, so I was a bit surprised when I heard the news that he was going to retire."
Another reason that Rourke isn't feeling a ton of pressure is that he's surrounded by some of the best-skilled players in the CFL. He can rely on a dynamic receiver core and a speedy backfield.
"I know that this team needs me to be a distributor and get the ball in the hands of our playmakers and let them go to work with it."
Among those numerous weapons is Bryan Burnham, one of the best receivers in the league who sits 5th on the Lions' all-time receiving yards list. Rourke credits Burnham -- "a huge positive influence in the locker room" -- for helping him transition to the pro game.
Ask Rourke to describe himself and he says, “I’m someone who’s willing to do whatever it takes to move the chains.”
That seems fitting for a player who grew up studying Brett Favre highlight videos. He’s a dual-threat, just like the legendary Green Bay Packer. And like his childhood hero, he's able to pick out a pass or use his legs to keep defenses guessing.
"I think it keeps the defence on their toes when you have a quarterback who can run. If that’s what’s best for the team and puts pressure on defences, then I’m willing to do that."
Rourke's ability to run the ball made him a regular choice for his coaching staff last season, when the offense was faced with short-yardage scenarios on third downs. It appears their trust in him has blossomed from there.
His workman-like attitude makes it hard not to root for him. He thrives on progression, winning the little battles, and taking notes. Setting targets and once they are met immediately setting new ones, or, conversely regrouping after setbacks and analyzing his failures for a better outcome the next time around.
When you get him one-on-one he talks with the kind of confident humility that comes from having done things the hard way, taking the road less traveled, and believing in yourself.
He points to his journey from being unrecruited coming out of high school, and venturing the Junior College route, before joining Ohio University, as a testament to his self-belief and determination.
“I ended up having a bit of a detour before I ended up at my home, and I think that’s noteworthy because it just goes to show the lengths I’m willing to go to, to live out my dream, and pursue what I want to do.”
For the last two years he and his family have been making their home in Maple Ridge, a town about an hour east of Vancouver, and he loves the temperate climate that lets him to train outdoors all year round.
“I was living in Ontario during the COVID year, and I was still training and had to shovel off a couple of fields just to have a little bit of space to throw and stuff, and that’s never fun. It’s a real blessing to live out here, where the weather might not always be nice, but to be able to be on a field year-round, that’s pretty cool, and that’s been the best part about living here in my opinion.”
According to BC head coach Rick Campbell, games are not won on ‘game days’ and that attitude seems to resonate with Rourke, who spent the off-season working hard to develop consistency in his own game, with the hope of ever-improving results on the field of play.
“I think it starts with understanding the offense and trying to take a step there and trying to grow in that department," he says. I think that the more decisive that you can be, the faster that you can through your reads and everything, the better that you’re going to be in the long run.
"Secondly, I think it comes down to refining your mechanics, and whatnot. Sometimes you get into the habit of missing high or missing low, or whatever it might be, being inaccurate. It comes down to little things here and there with your mechanics.”
In the preseason, the Lions matched up with the Calgary Stampeders and Saskatchewan Roughriders. Nathan didn’t feature in the first game, a blow-out loss against the Stamps, and he saw limited time against the Roughriders, but went 13 for 19 on passing attempts, with a 145 passing yards, and a touchdown against Saskatchewan.
You can catch Rourke and the rest of his BC Lions squad in their 2022 regular-season debut on Saturday night at 10 pm on TSN.