Inside the CFL: Nathan Rourke has all the gifts

By GRAHAM KELLY on August 18, 2022.

Halfway through the fourth quarter last Saturday, the B.C. Lions were trailing the hometown Stampeders 33-24. They had the ball on the Calgary 53, a perfect time for a quarterback sneak. Instead, Nathan Rourke fired a 33-yard strike to Bryan Burnham who continued to the end zone. After Sean Whyte’s convert the Lions were two points behind. It was a tremendously gutsy call by offensive coordinator Jordan Maksymic (from St. Albert) and head coach Rick Campbell (raised in Edmonton) perfectly executed by Rourke (born in Victoria, B.C.). He was protected by his superb offensive line coached by Kelly Bates from Humboldt, Saskatchewan.

On the ensuing kickoff Calgary restored a nine-point advantage when Peyton Logan ran 69 yards to the enemy end zone. Not to worry. Rourke marched his cohorts down the field but the drive stalled at Calgary’s 49. On third and nine, eschewing conventional wisdom to punt the Stamps in deep, Rourke again threw to Burnham for 33 yards, another gutsy call. Three plays later they were again trailing by two.

With the clock running down, Calgary scrimmaged at their 43. Bo Levi Mitchell to Reggie Begelton for two yards, then to Kamar Jorden for 15. Then another two-yarder to Jorden, an incomplete pass and a punt that hemmed the Lions in at the five. Aided by an undeserved roughing the passer call on Cameron Judge, Rourke moved his team into field goal range for the victory.

On both gutsy completions, defensive coverage on Burnham was like a blanket. Campbell could make those calls because he had a quarterback and receiver who were able to execute perfectly.

On the other side, Calgary’s Dave Dickenson didn’t have that luxury and had to be conservative. He has no receiving corps. Begelton, one of the highest paid receivers in the league is currently ranked 19th overall. Jorden is 25th. Their leading pass-catcher Malik Henry is hurt. To take up the slack, Dickenson turned toÂ Canadians Jake Philpot and Rick Sindani. Both were injured in the second quarter after performing well. The fans were calling for Mitchell’s head but he has no reliable targets to throw to.

Rourke, on the other hand, has the best group in the league with Burnham, (eight for 165 yards and a touchdown), Dominique Rhymes (seven for 101 yards) Jevon Cottoy (five for 69) Keon Hatcher (six for 61) and Lucky Whitehead (7 for 57). Whitehead is the highest paid Lion receiver but Burnham is by far the best.

The underperforming Begelton and Jorden each had four receptions for 27 yards.

Russ Jackson told me an outstanding quarterback must have above-average peripheral vision, as if he has eyes in the back of his head. This, along with a sixth sense, tells him when defenders are coming at him from the side or behind. Nathan Rourke possesses those gifts which allow him to be calm in the pocket and wait, if need be, to the last minute to release the ball.Â He has a great sense of the space he occupies in the pocket. He doesn’t decide which play to call but after the ball is snapped he is flawless in his execution. I did not see him throw an errant pass. All I saw was tremendous arm strength and accuracy.

The only other CFL quarterbacks I’ve seen who wereÂ so completely in control of their gifts and the game were Doug Flutie and Matt Dunigan.

Rourke makes about $80,000, $670,00 less than the Lions were paying Mike Reilly. The 24-year-old Canadian will be a free agent at season’s end.Â If B.C. truly wants to restore the franchise to the days of its former glory (the mid-80s when they averaged over 40,000 fans a game), owner Amar Doman had better be prepared to shell out a million dollars to keep Rourke in the Lions’ den.

Calgary’s three losses have been to the Bombers and Lions. They were in all of them until the end. They’ve fought tooth and nail despite having 10 starters in the sick bay. The games have been great entertainment.

Meanwhile, Saskatchewan ended their two-game losing streak with a 34-23 win over the Elks. Next up for the 5-4-Riders? Home-and-home series against B.C. and Winnipeg, followed by a rematch with Edmonton and another game in Winnipeg. Ouch!