Nathan Rourke’s highly anticipated return to the B.C. Lions didn’t go the way most people envisioned it. In a 20-11 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, he produced only one scoring drive — a fourth-quarter field goal — and was pulled in the final minutes with the game out of reach.
On paper, his stats were terrible, completing just eight of 25 passes for 126 yards with two interceptions. Those who watched the game likely felt he was inaccurate with the football and the 26-year-old insisted on publicly apologizing for his performance after the game. After carefully breaking down each of his snaps in that game, my conclusions may serve to comfort B.C. Lions fans.
Rourke has superhero status in this country and because he was returning to his former team, coaches, and system, we may have collectively ignored how much he had going against him in this game. He spent the past year and a half absorbing four different NFL playbooks before returning to Vancouver. Then, following a cross-continental flight, he had three practices to reacclimate himself to the Canadian game and offensive coordinator Jordan Maksymic’s system, while trying to learn his new teammates’ names on top of their tendencies and attributes.
Add to that the fact that he was going up against what is unquestionably one of the league’s best defences with a secondary that has haunted just about every quarterback as of late. The Bombers even shut out 3DownNation’s first-half MOP Vernon Adams Jr. and this same Lions team just two weeks ago. That Rourke played at all is frankly stunning when you think about it.
Out of Rourke’s 17 incompletions, several were the result of circumstances beyond his control. Three of his passes were dropped, which isn’t unusual when teams change quarterbacks. Three were the result of sensational defensive plays, and one flew off-target when Rourke was hit as he threw — a pass that would almost certainly have been completed to a wide-open Justin McInnis deep downfield.
At least four of his incompletions, which presented as inaccurate passes at first glance, appeared instead to stem from miscommunications with his receivers — an understandable issue given his hasty return to the starting lineup. Receivers come in all shapes and sizes, and not only do they run and change direction at different speeds, their route-running tactics differ, as does their ball-placement preference. The complexity of passing concepts at the professional level makes it even more difficult. Many routes have a variety of options, almost like a Choose Your Own Adventure book where both quarterback and receiver have to be on the same page, both metaphorically and… more metaphorically.
In the above example of a generic passing play, the X, W, and R receivers have options based on the alignment of specific defenders and the coverage. Additionally, the running back might be forced to stay in to pass protect or could swing out to the right depending on the pressure being sent. The skill position players must not only read the defence correctly in order to make the right decision, the quarterback must also see it the exact same way.
If you watched the Lions and Blue Bombers on Sunday night, you’ll likely recall a pass thrown in the first quarter that was either way off-target for Justin McInnis or far too short for Alexander Hollins. Rourke most likely expected either McInnis to break outside instead of hooking inside, or Hollins to break back towards him. The Canadian QB has proven himself to be a great student of the game and I’d be surprised if he doesn’t have mistakes like this cleaned up by the next time he takes the field.
Rourke could easily have had two touchdown passes on his stat line. He had a near touchdown pass to Justin McInnis early in the game, but McInnis came down in the end zone with half his foot touching the sideline stripe. And in the fourth quarter, on a pass that was initially ruled a touchdown before being correctly overturned by the command centre, Keon Hatcher made a sensational leaping attempt but lost control of the ball as he hit the ground. It’s hard to blame Hatcher for the drop given the high level of difficulty, but that’s the type of highlight-reel play we’ve seen him make many times before.
Rourke’s two interceptions were his fault. His first came early in the second quarter in Winnipeg territory with the Bombers leading 7-0. He stood comfortably in the pocket for a long four-count before firing the ball to Alexander Hollins on a bang route 15 yards downfield. On a bang route, the receiver breaks inside at the top of his stem and then breaks back to the outside. Hollins wouldn’t get full marks for effort and execution on this pattern, but Rourke stared him down the entire way and allowed halfback Deatrick Nichols to anticipate the throw, undercutting Hollins for the pick.
Blue Bombers’ DB Deatrick Nichols intercepts Canadian QB Nathan Rourke. #Winnipeg #ForTheW @DeatrickNichols #Bombers #CFL pic.twitter.com/cduFnd9Zp2
— 3DownNation (@3DownNation) August 18, 2024
His second interception came later that quarter. Instead of staring down his receiver, he didn’t look at him at all, which is fantastic if you know where all 12 defenders are. I’ve seen many young American quarterbacks make this mistake and I have to think Rourke’s time in the States playing 11-man football impacted him here. He kept his eyes to his left and probably saw halfback Evan Holm in his periphery. Perhaps believing him to be the outermost defender to the right, Rourke turned and immediately fired the ball to Hollins on a deep comeback route. Unfortunately for the Lions, Tyrell Ford, the most dangerous Winnipeg defensive back, was just sitting there waiting to step in front of Hollins for the interception.
Canadian DB Tyrell Ford records his 4th interception this season. #Winnipeg #ForTheW #Bombers #CFL pic.twitter.com/HlMJRtlY8k
— 3DownNation (@3DownNation) August 19, 2024
Winnipeg clearly felt comfortable either rushing only three defenders with a spy on Rourke or rushing all four. They didn’t feel compelled to send any pressure whatsoever, leaving eight defenders to drop back in coverage most of the night. The weakness of a defence like this with such a light box is defending the run and B.C. definitely took advantage of that with William Stanback rushing for 100 yards on 15 carries.
However, in the CFL, even the best rushing attack must have an efficient passing game to complement it. With only three downs, it’s incredibly difficult to sustain drives through running the football alone. All it takes is one run of three yards or less before you’re in a situation where you have to throw a pass and the defence knows it.
Despite his struggles, there were positive signs for Rourke and the Lions. He threw the ball with confidence and good velocity, and his mobility allowed him to extend plays and pick up crucial yards on the ground. His offensive line, a point of concern heading into the game, held up relatively well, allowing two sacks and three hits. With the way the Lions were running the ball, if Rourke’s completion percentage rises from 32 percent to even 50 percent — and I’m certain it will be a lot higher — this offence will once again become something to fear.
A loss is a loss and the Lions have strung together four in a row, but this one felt like a necessary step in Nathan Rourke’s return to form more than anything else. It was clearly too soon to expect him to look at all sharp but with Vernon Adams injured, neither Chase Brice nor the recently released Jake Dolegala would have given B.C. a better chance to win. As Rourke continues to get more reps with his receivers and reacquaints himself with the CFL game, the Lions should not only find themselves in a position to win but potentially string a number of wins together.
The B.C. Lions (5-5) travel to the nation’s capital to take on the Ottawa Redblacks (6-2-1) on Saturday night at 7:00 pm ET.
