Rourke NFL workouts: chooses Jacksonville

[DanoT]

By all accounts, Jacksonville has a top notch QB coaching staff, as illustrated by Trevor Lawrence's rise to prominence. So while Rourke is not likely to replace Lawrence, it would seem Rourke's focus is once again on getting top notch coaching.

Apparently there is an above average number of above average QBs coming out of the NCAA this year. My guess (and Rourke's perhaps) is that Jacksonville will not be one of the teams drafting a QB.

This is a bit of an odd time in the NFL and CFL where there is NOT an abundance of skilled, experienced QBs, either starters or backups, so you never know what oppourtunities will be available to Rourke in a few years.

[Honour Dewalt]

We aren't the ones not getting it. Rourke had no dream of playing in the CFL. No money would keep him from trying to follow his dream, which was the NFL. I think even of we paid him 1M he would not have stayed.

[Toppy Vann]

“The CFL was an unexpected detour in my football journey” says it all.
Nathan might have wanted to word that a little differently but clearly he had not once thought about “the dream” of playing in the CFL for the team in the province he was born in.
It was more like a two-year scholarship worth about $150,000 to help get him to where he dreamed of going. It also probably explained his incredible work ethic as he was never “content” to be here.

I don't think it was a poor choice of words here.

It was definitely to Nathan Rourke a "detour" from his lifelong dream.
He played - I think - his high school ball in the USA and of course his college career.

I don't think it reflects badly on the CFL at all.

I don't think Neil McEvoy is right either where he says pre-signing in the NFL that his success will reflect well on the CFL.

The games in the NFL can be complete crap like tonight where the Dallas PAT kicker missed 4 in a row. Not a great game.

NFL that is just now going to change OT to where the team that wins the coin toss usually wins the game. The most bush rule in all of sports.

[Toppy Vann]

Now we know who to blame! It's Bo's fault.

Good article on 3 Down Nation with quotes from Nathan Rourke.

Bo tells Nathan that more experience and wins etc in the CFL for Rourke won't make him more marketable in the NFL.

“He (Bo) told me that exact story. I think that if the goal is to be playing the NFL, which it is for me, I think with what my age is and being young and being younger than some of the quarterbacks that are coming out, there’s still a lot of room to develop and grow. And the sooner that we get to the NFL, the sooner that process of becoming a starter can happen.”

https://3downnation.com/2023/01/17/cana ... -nfl-jump/

[Sir Purrcival]

There is no doubt that the NFL was the goal and there is nothing wrong with that. Unfortunately, it also represents a certain truth regarding the CFL. And that is that as a league, it will never be able to keep it's most talented players if the NFL appears to be a possibility. And that I'm afraid tends to keep this league in a perpetual state of mediocrity. If even a handful of the leagues best players bolt south of the border every off season, as a fan it become hard to be invested. Why because at the end of the year, you are always wondering if you are going to see the kinds of performances that these players provide. It has been more than a decade since the Lions were a really good team. Finally, you get the pieces to come together and after all the so-so years, you are looking forward to seeing what a team can do next season but then... the off season happens. We lose our QB of the future, we lose one of the all time great receivers in the league and now we are wondering if Vernon Adams will be able to pilot this vessel to anything other than another so-so season. One can't help but feel discouraged and think that as soon as you start to get good, it all comes tumbling down again. Now that is not to blame any player for wanting to cash in on all the hard work. That should be the reward for years of training, practices and pain but it also means that the CFL is never likely to be anything more than it is right now. Which is to say, a fallback for players who for one reason or another don't have what is needed to be in the NFL. Unless this league can ever provide at least tolerable salaries to players, it is always going to be a minor league affiliate to the NFL.

[Toppy Vann]

I mostly go to 3 Down Nation for updates on the CFL as Dave Naylor and Farhan are too often videos more than writing so I do that more in-season or on big issues.

Not sure I fully agree with Brendan McGuire on how this boosts the CFL image but hey, at least someone is talking about the league.

Opinion: Nathan Rourke’s departure for NFL a boost for Canadian Football League
By Brendan McGuire -January 19, 2023

https://3downnation.com/2023/01/19/opin ... ll-league/

A successful NFL career for Nathan Rourke could help that cause in a big way at a time the CFL is facing stiff competition for new players from the XFL and USFL.

I'm sure he'll have success in the NFL but not sure the above is what is best for the CFL.

My sense is that the CFL can only appeal to certain types of players who are willing to give the CFL a shot and who stay as they learn to love life in Canada beyond just football.

Telling more of those stories might be better to attract top foreign talent along with telling stories of great Canadian talent we have now than Nathan Rourke becoming the next Tom Brady which he might be able to pull off given how he approaches the game and his skill level.


On the fan base which needs to attract more fans. I think too few teams focus on fan/friend building enough.

It’s an aging but loyal core following the CFL has that in many ways has made the league great. Where else on earth could you find a fan base that refuses to be treated like second-class citizens next to the grand-daddy of North American sport? The CFL, or any league, should be so lucky to have such a fan base that loves what it has so passionately.

[Sir Purrcival]

No, I can't say I agree with the idea that a Nathan Rourke success story in the NFL is a boost to the CFL. If anything, it is likely to be a detriment. Why? Simply put, the NFL has always had a certain amount of disdain for the CFL. It may not be derision per se but there has always been an underlying attitude that if you are a CFL player, it is because you aren't good enough for the NFL. Those successfully transitioning from the CFL to the NFL have been more cases of "oops, a good one may have slipped through the cracks", rather than this is a solid league with a lot of good players. If the NFL as a whole ever became convinced that the CFL was a warehouse of great players, it's predations on the league would end it entirely. Fortunately for us, some of their preconceptions work to let us keep some of those not thought to be suited for the NFL. Doug Flutie became a CFL great because the brain trust that is the NFL thought he was too small to play. Warren Moon was a CFL great because of racial prejudice. Cameron Wake, Mervyn Fernandez, and a litany of others became great CFL'rs because the NFL for a variety of reasons didn't think they were suitable for their league that particular moment in time. But in all those cases, they went back and did just fine. If the NFL brain trust had been a bit better at figuring things out, it is unlikely that any of them would ever have played in the CFL. So put me in the column that says, the less the NFL thinks about the CFL, the better off we are likely to be. Otherwise, we could see a lot more departures year on year and an even tougher job fielding high talent teams.

[johnchow604]

I think most football players given a chance prefer playing in the NFL over the CFL. Pay is higher and if you stick you get a lifetime NFL pension. Even in the CFL draft, top players who might try for and succeed in the NFL fall in the draft. Has there been an exceptional/outstanding canadian player fresh out of school that chose the CFL over the NFL (even though the NFL is interested?). Sigh, I wonder if the Lions knew Rourke would leave after 1 year of starting, whether they would have still picked him in the draft?

[Toppy Vann]

I think most football players given a chance prefer playing in the NFL over the CFL. Pay is higher and if you stick you get a lifetime NFL pension. Even in the CFL draft, top players who might try for and succeed in the NFL fall in the draft. Has there been an exceptional/outstanding canadian player fresh out of school that chose the CFL over the NFL (even though the NFL is interested?). Sigh, I wonder if the Lions knew Rourke would leave after 1 year of starting, whether they would have still picked him in the draft?

I agree with you and Sir Purcival on all counts.

It also seems that the case that increasingly Canadian college/univ players' first choice is NFL versus 'I love the CFL but if the NFL calls I'll listen' sort of mindset.

One of both of the Philpotts after good years in the CFL showing there's more upside coming were trying out down south.

Maybe just experience and see how they shape out but my sense it's also how their thinking is groomed over the years.

This is why the Canadian content in the CFL can never be compromised.
In fact, it could be argued that as talent develops in Canadian universities the ratio could reduce the foreign numbers and still be a top product.
It likely won't happen however if you look at all options, this one should not be passed over.

The global initiative is not going to parallel what the English Premier League does with foreign players and sales of jerseys across the globe.
Kicking is a good example. Yet the overall kicking game in my view has degraded in the CFL with global talent.


Possibility thinking is not something that most football teams engage other than how to get better under existing rules which is fine.

What I'd like to see is the CFL and all football organizations and colleges/universities engage with this question that requires disbelief that it can't happen.

The question is:

What would need to happen to be able to increase the number of top-quality Canadian players in the CFL from Canadian Universities, Colleges and Junior Leagues?

[Hambone]

The question is:

What would need to happen to be able to increase the number of top-quality Canadian players in the CFL from Canadian Universities, Colleges and Junior Leagues?

Good question Toppy but it raises another question:
What would need to happen to be able to entice the number of top-quality Canadian players to go to those same entities instead of going to NCAA and NAIA schools?

I read in just the past 10 days that there are 200 Canadian kids participating in the US college football system and they sure all can't be from SFU. With coaching at the Canadian grassroot level getting better and better all the time that number will likely grow in the coming years.

While we do occasionally lose USports products to the NFL the majority are Canadian kids out of the NCAA system. Like Rourke and John Metchie many of these Canadian kids are leaving Canada for the US high school system one to three years before they would graduate in Canada.

[Hambone]

I don't buy that NFL disdain for the CFL theory Sir P. Maybe there is amongst fans of the NFL and that goes for both sides of the 49th. As for disdain on behalf of the NFL itself if that were true why would the NFL have bailed the CFL out in the late 90s? Why would the NFL be working out as many CFL players as they do every year at this time? Why are they scouting CFL games so much?

Fall between the cracks? I'm not sure about that either. It's not like there are an infinite number of roster spots for those kids coming out of college. Making the call on final cuts is an exercise in splitting the thinnest of hairs. Teams can't keep every player that impresses them in camp. When a guy does cut by no means do NFL teams shut the door on him. or erase him from their database. Unless he's a dud they and other teams will keep their eye on him wherever he goes. Sometimes there are aspects lacking in their skillset that time in the CFL gives them chance to develop.

Apparently Rourke fixed some things in his throwing mechanics that were concerns to NFL scouts. Cam Wake was a linebacker at Penn State aka Linebacker U. The Giants brought him into camp and worked him as a LB. He doesn't make it and winds up in BC where Wally saw rush end. Wake showed the NFL what a menace he was at RE vs LB and away his NFL stock went. Jerrell Freeman spent 2008 TC with Tennessee but failed to make final cuts. Next spring he signed with Saskatchewan and played 3 years there. He then signed with Indy where he immediately became a starter for all of his 4 years there before finishing up in Chicago. He gave the CFL full credit for much of his NFL success citing the pass coverage skills he learned with the Riders as making a huge difference in his return to the NFL.

[TheLionKing]

Would be interesting to see if Jacksonville draft a quarterback

[Hambone]

Would be interesting to see if Jacksonville draft a quarterback

I'd be very surprised unless it was a 7th round flyer. More likely to pick up a journeyman back up in free agency to compete with Rourke and add a UDFA.

[Toppy Vann]

The question is:

What would need to happen to be able to increase the number of top-quality Canadian players in the CFL from Canadian Universities, Colleges and Junior Leagues?

Good question Toppy but it raises another question:
What would need to happen to be able to entice the number of top-quality Canadian players to go to those same entities instead of going to NCAA and NAIA schools?

I read in just the past 10 days that there are 200 Canadian kids participating in the US college football system and they sure all can't be from SFU. With coaching at the Canadian grassroot level getting better and better all the time that number will likely grow in the coming years.

While we do occasionally lose USports products to the NFL the majority are Canadian kids out of the NCAA system. Like Rourke and John Metchie many of these Canadian kids are leaving Canada for the US high school system one to three years before they would graduate in Canada.

You're spot on. A logical part of the discussion would be if these players should be developed here in Canada and what needs to happen to make that happen.

Opponents advised Nathan Rourke that CFL is ‘a harder place to play quarterback’ than NFL

By 3Down Staff -January 21, 2023
https://3downnation.com/2023/01/21/oppo ... -than-nfl/

Though most CFL signal-callers believe that calling shots north of the border is the taller task, NFL clubs seem to disagree. While it was well-documented that Rourke was not going to be given a starting job despite his gaudy numbers, most franchises weren’t even comfortable with the thought of a kid from Canada as their backup.

[Hambone]

You're spot on. A logical part of the discussion would be if these players should be developed here in Canada and what needs to happen to make that happen.

It's tough to overcome the attraction of full ride NCAA scholarships for a whole host of sports both men's and women's. The more the history builds up with the likes of some recent Canadians going high in the NFL draft and showing success on the NFL field the more attractive the NCAA route becomes. Getting a full ride isn't just good for the athlete it's also a huge financial win for he and his family. NCAA schools have actively been scouting Canadian high schools for many years to the point kids in HS programs know full well that an NCAA ride could be in their future if they have the talent and grades. There's probably pictures on the walls of most lower mainland high schools showing the faces of alumni who went on to pro careers via the NCAA.

It's the same in the hockey. Lots of kids opt for the BCHL route because of the scholarship potential. Many eastern Canadian and American kids come up to play in the BCHL because of its reputation for providing NCAA scholarships. The son of a very close buddy did attend a Portland Winterhawks rookie camp 3 years ago and was later added to Tri-Cities Americans prospects list. He opted for Alberni of the BCHL and will be heading to Merrimack in Boston next season to join the son of PG buddy who started there this season.

Though most CFL signal-callers believe that calling shots north of the border is the taller task, NFL clubs seem to disagree. While it was well-documented that Rourke was not going to be given a starting job despite his gaudy numbers, most franchises weren’t even comfortable with the thought of a kid from Canada as their backup.

Unfortunately GMs and HCs value their multi-million dollar jobs that their billionaire owners can end at any time. They can sell the growing pains of turning things over to a highly touted first round draft pick. The owner will be willing to allow them a reasonable amount of slack while the kid develops as long as the kid shows steady progress. However that same GM and HC would be putting their necks on the chopping block to wind up with a fresh-out-of-the-CFL QB behind center. An owner might accept a 3-14 record as cost of developing a top of the draft rookie QB. He's not going to accept 3-14 if it's with a newly minted ex-CFL QB.