Nathan Rourke’s B.C. Lions return both an answer and a problem

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A big crowd is expected at B.C. Place on Sunday, with the upper bowl opening up for the Sunday afternoon game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

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The actual honest-to-goodness crowd at Lions practice on Wednesday had a few dozen people in the grandstands watching the first appearance of Nathan Rourke in the orange and black for two years, then lining up for autographs after the session was over. The bump in numbers also extended to the biggest media presence of the season, with the cameras and pundits all coming out to chronicle the quarterback’s return from the NFL.

What they saw differed little from his last appearance on the Surrey practice field. He was fast — with his feet and decision-making — and accurate. There were some predictable moments getting used to the waggle and backfield motion again, but “it feels like 2022 again,” said offensive co-ordinator Jordan Maksymic.

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Rourke signed a three-year deal on Tuesday, with the final salary numbers still to be confirmed, but looked every bit a player who felt at home after nearly two years away from the team and league.

“It’s good to be back. Lot of familiar things. Lot of familiar faces out here, too,” he said .

Rourke’s return to the CFL was a surprise, even to some members of the Lions’ football operations department, with a whirlwind 24 hours resulting in him returning to the team where he began his pro career. After being waived by the New York Giants, then claimed and released by the Atlanta Falcons, the Canadian QB had his fill of the politics and struggles to break through onto an active roster.

“I wanted to be in a situation where I felt like I could move up. And there’s so few opportunities in the league,” he said. “I think in ’23 … we can look back on that and see a success. I moved up (to New England), I was able to go to the team into a position where I was the second guy, and that was an improvement from the beginning of the year (in Jacksonville).

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“But as soon as ’24, I was in tough situations with the coaching changes and kind of moving around, and never really got settled, and was at that point realizing that I was missing some reps and missing some opportunities.

“It was just the way things unfolded in Atlanta, for sure. I thought like it was a bit of a tough situation there, trying to go in and do my best to learn that system as quickly as possible,” he said, after seeing one quarter of pre-season action where he went 3-for-13 for 37 yards, and rushing twice for 24.

“Obviously, then going into that game, but not playing the way that I wanted to … I felt like going to another team would be a hard ask, and maybe not the best use of my time.

“At that point, just the suddenness of that felt like it was maybe best to start exploring other options.”

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His return to B.C. started a domino effect. The Lions waived Jake Dolegala and practice squad QB Brennan Armstrong on Wednesday. Vernon Adams Jr., who is still recovering from his knee injury and unlikely to play this weekend, left the practice facility early during practice to head to a B.C. Children’s Hospital event. Chase Brice will be Rourke’s backup against the Bombers.

The Lions have been through similar situations before. Casey Printers and Dave Dickenson. Travis Lulay and Jonathan Jennings. Those QB rooms might have had some friction, but there have been no signs of that this time.

“I walked into the office at eight in the morning and pulled out the binder and we just got right to it,” Maksymic said of the morning QB meeting.

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“I don’t see (a problem) coming. If people feel conflicted emotions or disappointment or something for a guy like VA, I totally get that,” said head coach Rick Campbell. “I know, from Nathan and VA, and for me, we’re looking out for the B.C. Lions, and we want to do what’s best for the B.C. Lions football team. To have those two guys, both of them on the same team, is an amazing thing.”

“I’ve got just the most amount of respect for VA. He’s such  a pro, ever since I’ve known him,” said Rourke. “When he came in for me at the end of ’22, he was a pro. Everything he’s done up until this point, he’s been a pro about it. He’s a guy that type of leader and type of person that I aspire to be in the locker room.

“I think the timing (of my arrival) is good in terms of him not being 100 per cent. We need him for this playoff run that we’re hopefully about to go on. We’re gonna need everyone healthy, and he’s no exception.

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“… I think he’s done a fantastic job, and I respect the hell out of him for it. Jordan (Maksymic) said the best rooms are always ones that are cooperative and everyone supports each other and that’s just a part about being a professional

“What’s important is treating someone the way you want to be treated. VA has done that — and beyond — and no doubt he’ll continue to do that. I’d do the same for him.

“I can’t say it enough, how much respect I’ve got for him and the way he’s going about his business.”

The business on the field won’t change much. The playbook is the same, the verbiage, the system, though there will be tweaks to suit Rourke’s game. The Lions went with a run-heavy gameplay against Winnipeg to ease Dolegala into his first start, and Adams playsheet featured a lot of slow-developing vertical play. But Rourke’s strength is the ability to make quick reads and deliver the ball accurately.

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“Nate’s a quick blinker,” said Maksymic. “He processes things very, very quick. He’s one step ahead of the defence. He understands our offence and how the concepts are going to match up against the defence, so he can process, he can make a decision, and then he can get the ball off his hand quickly.”

Rourke says he’s coming back to the CFL as a better passer with more refined mechanics, as the four-down game and its smaller field mean the passing windows are much tighter. He said there wasn’t a throw during practice Wednesday he didn’t feel comfortable with, in or out of the pocket.

The Bombers are familiar with Rourke, and plan on welcoming him back with a healthy dose of pressure, blitzes and getting in his face early and often.

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“Part of my role is to control the middle of the field,” Bombers linebacker Adam Bighill told the Winnipeg Sun.

“So if he’s going to get loose, I’m definitely going to have eyes on him, as will many people in our defence. We’re not going to prepare completely differently. A Vernon offence and a Rourke offence are very similar… this ensures they could potentially have a quarterback that fits their system very, very well.

“I just wish he got more of a chance in the NFL,” he added. “He’s a good player. I don’t think he got the right opportunity that he deserves. But I know a lot of people in the Canadian Football League and fans are excited that he’s back in the CFL. And if he’s happy, I’m excited for him as well.

Rourke said his experience to the south was a learning one, a time that exposed him to new perspectives and new methods, and was punctuated by bouts of frustration. But it wasn’t a decision he sees as a mistake.

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“I’ve been talking to my wife that  I’ve been frustrated last six months — or even a year and a half — and I have to keep reminding myself that it’s not the game’s fault, it’s the situation. I still love the game very much, and it’s a lot more fun when you participate in it.

“The only choice that I made was going to Jacksonville; everything else was out of my control — and even that choice, I don’t regret that.

“I felt like I made the best decision for myself at the time. Obviously, looking back, it was not what I thought it was going to be in terms of an opportunity or competition, but that’s the nature of the league, that’s the nature of this profession. But it’s come full circle now.”

jadams@postmedia.com

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