Halford & Brough in the Morning - Nathan Rourke Talks Controversial CFL Rule Changes

Episode Date: September 30, 2025

In hour two, Mike & Jason chat with Sportsnet Blue Jays reporter Shi Davidi (1:24) ahead of the start to their playoffs this weekend, plus they talk CFL rule changes and preview Saturday's Leos matchup versus the Stamps, as BC Lions star quarterback Nathan Rourke (24:44) joins the show. This podcast is produced by Andy Cole and Greg Balloch. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

And a ground ball fair, Guerrero to Lauer, and they've done it. The two-hour Lodjays are American-le- East Division champions for the first time in 10 years. 702 on a Tuesday. Halford Brubb, Sportsnet, 650. Halford and Brub at the morning is brought to you by Sands and Associates. Score a debt freedom hat trick. No more interest, much lower payments, and financial peace of mind. Visit them online at sands dash trustee.com.

We're now an hour two of the program. Shai DiBidi, Sportsnet Baseball writer is going to join us in just a moment here. Kick off hour two. Hour two of this program. is brats by Jason Hamanuk at Jason DaMortgage. If you love giving the banks more of your money, then don't let Jason shop around to find the perfect mortgage for you. Visit them online at jason.com.

We are coming to you live from the Kintech studio, Kintech footwear and orthotics. We're going to gather with you in step. To the Power West Industries hotline, we go. Shai Daviti from SportsNet joins us here now live on the Halford & Brough show on Sportsnet 650. Morning, Shai, how are you? I'm all right. How are you guys doing? We're good. We are excited for today. quadruple header to kick off the wildcard round of the MLB playoffs.

We're also very excited for the weekend. Saturday will be the first game of the ALDS, and that'll be when the Jays get back into action. So as we look ahead, and we're going to look ahead here, there's a lot of questions about, you know, what the Jays are going to do roster-wise, who's going to be on that opening day roster when they go into Saturday's game? I know you and Ben Nicholson-Smith broke this down on Sportsnet.com.

In looking at the potential roster projections, Did you guys answer any questions about this Blue Jays team going into this very important postseason? I think we tried to. I think there's a lot of debate and a lot of stuff that will play out this week. And to me, the majority of the questions, the most interesting ones are on the pitching side.

And it really, in my eyes at least, comes down to how are they going to set up their rotation and are they going to play it straight and just go traditional starts games one through four with presumably Kevin Gosman starting game one also starting game five or will they get creative and between the five day break now and the days off between one two two three and four five there's room for creativity here if you want to if the Blues decide to take that route. So I think that's where a lot of the crux of the decision-making will come.

And if they're going to go sort of heavier, then they've definitely got to carry 13 pitchers and that makes some decisions for you with your staff. But if they decide to go a little bit more traditional, then they've got a couple tougher calls to make, and they've got the potential to go 14 with their position players, go 14-12 split instead of 13-12. 13. If you had to guess right now, and I know it's early days and everything, but what is going

to be the plan for Max Scherzer? I think he's part of this staff in some way, shape, or form in a start, and maybe it's paired with somebody in a piggyback type of scenario or something along those lines, but you know, you don't sign Max Scher without the intent of putting the ball in his hands in October. And an interesting dynamic. is whether the Blue Jays face the Yankees or the Red Sox, both of them have had a recent look at him and grinded him out a little bit, didn't have his necessarily best start

against either one of those clubs. Is that something that factors into the decision-making here? Perhaps. I also think the playoffs are a different animal and there's so many other dynamics at play there. I mean, who better than Max Seusser to handle it is somebody who's really done it all on this stage? So I feel like he's a part of that plan.

Maybe you want him at the beginning of game three at Yankee Stadium because he definitely will not blink there. But I think there's a number of different ways that they can go here. Maybe you're trying to protect Trey Savage a little bit, so you're making him part of your game two plan in some way, shape, or form, or maybe he's straight bullpen. But, you know, you really like what he's done as a starter at this point.

I just feel like all those decisions are interconnected to some degree. And that's why it's so hard to kind of just pick one thing out right now. What's the outlook for Bo Bichet? I mean, if we're being realistic, you know, he's suffered a knee injury. He hasn't started running. He's only doing light hitting, hasn't faced velocity yet. I mean, there's no way he's in a DS game one Saturday. It's just not realistic.

and to check all these boxes all of a sudden and jump in and oh here's either garret crochet or max freed from you go go get some knocks so uh that as tough as that is to sort of wrap your mind around because you know both bichette really deserves this moment he's had a tremendous season uh tremendous career to this point with the blue jays uh he he deserves the chance where you know things are going right on the team that that's rolling a little bit in a way that previous postseason teams of this era haven't been, but

you know, right now it looks like you know, it looks like he's not going to be ready for the DS and that's really disappointing on a number of different levels. With Anthony Santander, who you pointed out in the column,

did hit cleanup on Sunday and what was a pretty important and pivotal game. How much can realistically be expected from him given how much time he's missed for injury. And then I think a lot of people maybe side-eyeing it saying like this could be the guy that could give some semblance of a replacement for Bichette. Yeah. I mean, I don't think those two things are sort of mutually exclusive, right? He hasn't been the best version of himself even when he was healthy in the early part of the season. And now he has to do it after fighting

through the shoulder issues. And I would guess that those haven't totally gone away. there's just a lot going on there and the reality is he's a guy who can give you that one or two swings that make a difference and he's a threat because you make a mistake and it's ending up in the seats and the blue just don't have a ton of that

in their lineup minus bow that can be a real difference maker it's a threat behind Vladimir Guerrero Jr because he's got a chance to make people pay if the bluej just set them up and the forehole, you know, it's a really intriguing X factor, but you have to be somewhat realistic,

but, you know, home runs play in the postseason, it's tough to string together hits. The Blue Jays have been an offense that's relied on stringing together hits. They've done some damage too, but they're going to need a little bit of that pop, and, you know, can Santander do it on a few swings and just do the damage and bring the big hit? I think there's certainly the potential for that,

and to some degree you trust the track record and the experience. The Bichette injury, how much of that was related to the Blue Jays bats going cold down the stretch? And it's an interesting question, right? And, you know, I was talking to a scout who's been advancing the Jays for a postseason club, and he kind of said that they just look like of a different lineup without him in the middle of it and you know the role Bichette played it's a yes it's cleanup but it's not just cleaning up

for one two three it's also to some degree setting the table for five six seven in the batting order it's a really important spot in the lineup and he's having an incredible season I mean he finished at a belief second in the majors and hits and he missed three weeks you know like that's serious stuff you just don't get a lot of guys like that

and the batting average with runners in scoring position and how productive he was in those spots you know it's really irreplaceable so yes they missed him but they've been productive and not reliant on one guy all year so I don't know that you can single handling say yeah that's the sole reason

but I mean you take a player of Bichette's caliber out of any line up in baseball, it's going to be less productive. And, you know, perhaps it harmed or made it harder for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. more than anybody else. But, you know, the Blue Jays still have enough other players who can find a way. And just when it counted, they did. It's going to be pretty fascinating to see if they're, I don't know if you would call it

like a next man up mentality that they had, but or like anyone can be a hero of the Blue Jays. had going this season if that carries on into the postseason. Do you have any thoughts on that? That approach really works, right? Because the, like a regular season is a ton of attrition and the postseason is concentrated attrition, right? Where every pitch means so much and there's so much leverage and all that. And if you're, if you constantly have the opposition under heat, which is what the

Blue Jays lineup is really excelled out this year. then that that dynamic really works in October because any little mistake gets capitalized on and it's hard to constantly pitch under that type of duress. So I do think it can. The one thing that you do, the one thing that you kind of point to or you can look at is say, you know, home runs do matter in the postseason.

And that formula, power both on the mound and at the plate is a key factor to postseason success. It's not everything. There are other ways to do about it, but the bludges are going to need to get some big blows at certain points. But their methodology and that pressure, the constant tough at bats, the fouling off pitches, the contact, you know, that can often lead to the mistake that ends up over the wall.

So I do believe that it can translate. and probably translate in an effective way. But again, you know, playoffs are weird. There's some small sample size randomness at play. Excuse me. But there are that offensive style can work. But again, they're going to need the occasional big blow as well. We're speaking to a Sportsnet MLB columnist,

Shai, DeViti here on the Halford and Brough show on Sportsnet 650. Shai, one more before we let you go. So if you had to guess, if the Blue Jays had their choice right now, who would they prefer to see in the ALDS, the Red Sox or the Yankees? I don't know that there is a specific choice there, right? They were eight and five against both teams, had good success against both teams.

You know, Garrett Crochet, scary, Max Reed, and Aaron Judge are scary. And, you know, both teams offer, you know, they match up reasonably well against both teams. teams, and the success level is relatively similar against both teams. So I don't know that there's a choice one way or the other. I will say this, just from, you know, a rivalry standpoint and the way things played out, you know, the fact that they tied atop the American League East and the Jays took the tiebreaker

or had the tiebreaker to get them in the division, there'd be some, it feels like it would be fitting if there was another Yankees Blue Jays series, which would be a lot of fun. But I think a Blue Jays Red Sox series would be just as compelling. You know, I think they could avoid Garrett Crochet. They wouldn't mind that. But, you know, having to deal with Aaron Judge for five games, potentially, you know, you don't like that either. Well, whatever the case, it's going to be a ton of fun. And I can't wait to get it started.

All we've got to get through is this wild card round. Hey, Shai, thanks a lot for doing this day. We really appreciate it. Enjoy this wild card round. It should be a lot of fun. And then enjoy Saturday's game as well. Yeah, I appreciate it, guys. Same to you, and it should be a great month of baseball.

Yeah, looking forward to it. Shadaviti, Sportsnet, Blue Jays, and MLB analyst here now on the Halford and Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. While Shai was on the call, we had some breaking news. Sportsnet 650 breaking news. The Minnesota Wild and Karel Kaprizov have made history. Just seconds ago, it has been. been announced, courtesy sports net's Elliot Friedman.

The Caprize Office signed an eight-year extension with the Minnesota Wild for $128 million. For you athletes out there, that is an above 16 million A-AV, the highest ever A-AV

and highest deal in NHL history. Mike Russo, who covers the Wild for the athletic, reports that the deal will be eight years north of the 16 million he turned down massive signing bonuses and he does mention that the contract

is not yet registered with the NHL so they got to register that thing it's very important to register the contract but the NHL's like no you can't do that but remember well when Caprizov turned that down and everyone's like well what else do you want they're going to make you the highest paid

player in the NHL like do you not want to be with the wild do you want to go somewhere else and it turns out he was just like I just want a little bit more massive signing bonuses was the answer apparently no he's just like a little bit north of 16 million so that last kicker though

the contract is not yet registered with the NHL I wonder what Russo said with the massive signing bonuses I wonder if there's maybe something they're going to have to go over how much money like I don't I don't I won't claim to know all the ins and outs of like the rules

and regulations around signing bonuses But it's very obvious that this isn't just going to be divvied up and he's going to get X amount of dollars every year. God, he had so much leverage over the wild too. It's like, what are you going to do? Let me go. Yeah. And they're like, no.

So from the salary capitals. He's not leaving a penny on the table, though. No, he's not. Like, I think I'll be curious to see what McDavid, let's put it this way, asks for. Yeah. because he could have earned a lot more money than he's already made and I think the same could go for Sidney Crosby

so it's like can we match it up with my number at all the cap of it you know like it's always that silly stuff agent smoking nine cigars at once oh god no don't do this yeah and Caprizov I think it's pretty clear he's like I am going to get everything I can possibly get out of the Minnesota while so here's the thing given what we've seen in Florida recently, I do wonder if this kind of deal maxing out every last penny,

the max percentage of the cap that you can take up, I think this is, I don't know how it's going to go, but it's going to be instructive to see if you can actually build a contending team with a guy making this much money. Because right now, I would suggest that there's a lot of executives in the National Hockey League who may, they won't say it out loud but quietly they'll say

in order for us to be competitive we need our star players to take a haircut or a hometown discount or not max out their contract this one in Minnesota went the total opposite direction Caprizov wanted everything you can possibly get and the wild were like yep we'll give it to you now remember the owner Craig Leopold

he's never been shy about splashing cash I remember when they landed Souter and Porese, I think I've told the story on the air before. We were working at NBC at the time, and they signed those deals not on July 1, the start of free agency, but July 4th, which obviously when we were working for a U.S.-based company, no one's working on July 4th. So when that deal came through, I remember a guy at the desk at NBC when we sent the story in, he's like, I didn't even know hockey teams had this much money to pay players.

Like, this is crazy the amount of money that Pizze and Souter got. And then there was a lockout. Right. So how much more... They kind of broke the league? How much more is you going to get paid than the max based on the bonuses, do you think? Like, is it going to be, like, insane?

I have no idea. It's going to be literally, like, double the amount that they could pay him contractually as far as the cap goes? Like, what is it going to be? No, no, no. Like, is there, what I'm asking is there a limit to the bonuses? Can it just be, like, an unlimited amount of bonuses they can give him in terms of, like, how much he's going to get paid?

It's all signing bonus. No, no, no. So it's all, the bonuses are, the bonuses are comprised within the cap hit. Oh, okay. So that's part of the. cap it. Okay. His NHL salary is $1.00's like, dude, we just come across a loophole

in the Sibier? Can it just be all bonuses? We're giving you 16 million a year, but we're also giving you 16 million bonuses. Please stay here. So adorable sometimes. Like, you just been following this along for years and no idea about the bonuses. I always forget about how the bonuses work. That's a ton of money.

I like Caprizov as a player, too, but that's a ton of money. I think it's too much money. But I also think they're in a situation there in Minnesota. Leopold didn't, he's like, when they signed Souter and Perise, he's like, you know, we're having trouble selling tickets. I think their sellout streak had come to an end. And remember, they had that big, long sellout streak because people were excited about Minnesota having hockey team. And they're like, okay, well, you know, we've got a stoke fan interest. And for a lot of franchises, and I don't know where the Canucks stand with this,

but I would imagine that the Quinn Hughes conversation is similar to this. Like there's the decisions that you make that are intended to win a Stanley Cup, and there are also decisions that you make that are intended to make sure that your season ticket base doesn't crater, right? And that's why there's going to be so much focus on the Quinn Hughes. It's both like competitiveness thing, but also it's like interest in the team. What are you laughing at? The Minnesota Wilde just announced it.

It's $17 million. Yeah. It's $136 million. 17 AAV. So a lot of people are texting in, well, PD's contract doesn't look so bad now. That's why a lot of people, you know, including the media here, when the Canucks got that done, there was a round of applause for the Canucks that. that they got him at that number

because there was this expectation that the salary cap was going to go up and go up quite a lot and maybe by years three or four of the deal it was going to look like a steal. Now one problem was that Pedersen didn't play very well but there's still a chance for that contract

to look good if Pedersen can get back to the form he was once at. Other people texting and dry sidles looks like a steel now. Yeah. at a mere cap hit of 14 million, which brings me back to players like McDavid and Quinn Hughes. Are they going to go for every penny available on the table? That's a great question. Because McDavid could theoretically go to Edmonton and say,

I want the maximum allowable under the CBA, which I think is 20% for one player. and they'd be like, okay. And he's worth it. He's worth it. But I think McDavid wants to win a cup more than he wants to get paid. McDavid's already rich. He's very wealthy. He'll be fine.

What will Quinn Hughes do? What will Quinn Hughes ask for from whichever next team he's negotiating his next contract with? And there is a bit of an unfair proposition in all of this. Like it shouldn't be incumbent on the player. to have to take less money than what he deserves. They agreed to the CBA. I know, I know. They agreed to the CBA.

And this was predictable from as soon as it was that CBA was signed. It's not right that Caprizov is probably going to be judged in a, like, through a lens where he's considered greedy. But he will be, right? Let's just be straight up for us. So for example, Matt not on the island, Texan. Carrillo Caprizo's contract now puts him in the same territory. as well-known Chicago Bulls shooting guard Kevin Hunter. NHL deals are such a joke.

See, that's the thing. Caprizov should be able to make as much money as possible. There should be a cap mechanism where if you, like, I know with the luxury tax and the threshold and the sheets and everything else, what are they called the aprons in the NBA? If only there is a way for him to get some sort of sponsorship deal with a fraudulent company and then they could just fund. extra salary through that fraudulent company.

It'd be a front. It'd be a front. We don't eventually. That's a good idea. They should do that. Yeah, yeah. We don't have the time right now to play the clip of Kauai Leonard at Media Day yesterday. I'll play it for what we learned.

Just an amazing clip. It's incredible. I watched it 10 times yesterday and was laughing so hard when he was try to not answer these questions. I aspire to be that dismissive one. We got to go to break. We got a lot more to get. get into on the program. Coming up on the other side, BC Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke is going to join the program.

We will talk about this weekend's game and what happened last weekend, but we'll also talk about his comments made about the CFL rule changes in his conversation with the CFL Commissioner Stuart Johnson. That's all coming up next on the Halford and Breff Show on Sportsnet 650. Hey, it's Big Nazar. Have your say and join me on the People's Show with big takes and even bigger bets. Weekdays 3 to 4 on Sportsnet. or wherever you get your podcast. Halford Brubb, Sportsnet, 650.

Halford Brub in the morning is brought to by Sands and Associates. Only a license insolvency trustee can cut your debt by up to 80% with no upfront fees. To learn more, visit sands-trustee.com. We are in our two of the program with the midway point of the show. BC Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke is going to join us in just a moment here. Hour two of this program is brought to by Jason hominike at Jason. Dot Mortgage. If you love paying too much for your mortgage, then don't let Jason shop.

hop around to find the perfect mortgage for you. Visit them online at jason.mortgage. To the Power West Industries hotline, we go. Our next guest is the starting quarterback for your BC lines, Nathan Rourke, here now, live on the Halford & Breath Show on SportsNet 650. Morning, Nathan. How are you? I'm doing well, guys. Thanks for having me. Thanks for coming on and taking the time.

We appreciate it. So it's been a bit of a week for you. There was that football game over the weekend. And there was also a lot of attention paid to the comments that you made. in the aftermath of the CFL announcing its new rule changes I just want to ask you straight out it's been about a week

since the rule changes were made and you said what you said do you regret saying what you said or do you stand by what you said about the new CFL rule changes No I stand by them I stand by them I think that I speak for a lot of people you know who haven't necessarily

have the platform or you know the opportunity to say something and so you know when I hear from, you know, coaches and players from around the league, you know, that kind of, you know, validates my position. So I'm glad I said something. And, you know, who knows if it's going to actually mean anything at the end of the day, but I'm hoping that the, you know, the fans' voices and the players and the coaches and the front office people in this, in this league, or maybe

it'd be enough to at least get the conversation going. How much of the frustration came from not being consulted about the changes? I mean, a good amount about it. You know, I think, you know, well, when you never in any position you want to be in a position where someone is telling you, you know, telling you that they know, what you do better than you do, right?

You don't want to, it wouldn't matter what field you're working in. I think that's always difficult, right? So I just, you know, I think there was a good opportunity to be able to be collaborative and show, you know, that type of leadership from the league. And I think it was an opportunity that was missed Nathan, we had the commissioner on the show last week

and he said he was going to reach out to you. Did that conversation happen? Yeah, yeah, it did. Can I ask how it went? Yeah, I mean, I'm very grateful to the, you know, to sue for doing that. He certainly didn't have to reach out or anything like that. I just, I think I came away from that conversation, feeling like we were even more further apart than I initially thought.

So, you know, who knows what's going to happen in terms of further conversations and whatnot, not just with me. I'm not looking to get into the inner circle or anything like that and try to get privilege information. I just want to be able to set a standard of collaboration and make sure that, you know, our voices, people who play the football game and who've been around the game are heard. Okay. we'll close the book on that for now

because Nathan your team has been winning some games and honestly a month ago I was sitting there going there is no chance this team is hosting a playoff game and now all of a sudden look at the league you're out how many teams are tied for second place in the West

you've got a huge game against the stamps there must be a lot of excitement about what's been going on recently yeah I think I think the most part exciting for us is that, you know, something that we've, you know, in the building we've known for a while, you know, that we're capable of, you know, it's coming to fruition, which is good. You know, we still got a lot, a long way to go. You know, we still got things to clean up.

But we're excited right now of where we're at, obviously, like you said, the West is very, very tight. And so, you know, we certainly had our growing things early on. And, you know, you've got some things still to work out. But if anyone's game, and that's, again, part of the beauty of the CFL is, There's so much parity in this league. Every game is exciting, and we're here for it. We're going to give you the platform here to shout out the guys on the other side of the football.

How impressed are you with what your defense has done the last few weeks, especially against the Argos last week? Yeah, they've been phenomenal. They've been phenomenal. You know, the energy, I think, in practice, to me, has been the biggest thing. We've had very competitive practices. They're flying around. They're playing really fast.

And, you know, I think it's a huge testament to their resiliency and their, their work ethic as a group to be able to rebound from a, you know, a team that we played them the first time. They put up 50 points in Toronto. And this time they were holding, and they held them under 25. So that's just a great game. And they ended up winning it for us.

I mean, let's be real, you know, offensively, we didn't play up to our standard. But defense, special teams kept us in it and was able to make a big play there at the end to follow us to throwing out the clock. So, you know, I think, you know, when we're playing complementary football, where I are best, and we've done the last couple of weeks. Matthew Betts is a guy that got a little bit of criticism early on in the season. That criticism has disappeared when you watch him now.

How glad are you that you don't have to play against him? Yeah, I mean, super glad. He's been playing extremely well, and, you know, he's a guy that, you know, he's just full effort, right? He's given his all-ever single play, and, you know, he's just so quick and fast. And, you know, I don't play against him, you know, on game day, but I do practice against him quite a bit. So I do feel like, you know, him just being out there gets our guys better, helps me, you know, me get better as well.

And ultimately, that's what we're all about. So happy he's having a great year. And I don't know if that continues for the rest of the year. Do you still keep in touch with Vernon Adams? Yeah, we've been texting here and there throughout the season, you know, after wins and, you know, big time performances. and stuff like that, just wishing them well. And, you know, I've got nothing but good things to say about VA

and appreciative of the time that we spend together. So no reason to not stay in touch. We're speaking to BC Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke here on the Halford & Brough Show on SportsNet 650. Brough and I have talked a lot about this watching like Seahawks teams of year past when they were able to really run the ball and run it effectively and close out games with that real physical element. And you guys did that on the final drive.

against Toronto. A lot of people wrote about it like going forward on third and ones and you get in the plunges and Zander Horvath who's a big big dude. What does it feel like when you're in the huddle and you know that you're going to be able to like grind a team down and salt away a win because you can

out physical them on offense? Yeah, I mean it's certainly a good feeling. You know, I think it's been interesting this year just the you know, the different ways that we've had found ways to win. And I don't think we've necessarily had, you know, the out physical edge all the time, especially some of our losses.

So for us to be able to, you know, as an offense, finish the game on the field and finish in that way, I think was great and felt really good for us. And hopefully just a huge confidence booster for the entire team as we move forward to some really important West games here. How is your relationship with Buck Pierce evolved as the season has progressed? I think just like the more time we're spending with each other, we're just able to, kind of learn a little bit more about, you know, what, you know, what they like and how they, how, how Buck, how he sees things and, and the rhythm for maybe his play calling and stuff like that. Like, we've just being able to go through it and, you know, make some mistakes as the season

goes, goes along and, and just kind of feel each other out. I think, I think we're feeling like we're on the same page and we're, you know, peaking at the right time. And I just, I just enjoy learning from them and just being around them every day. I've been watching this Cowboys documentary on Netflix, and there was a funny part when Troy Aikman and Jimmy Johnson bonded over aquariums. Like they had, like, Jimmy Johnson love. He was like such a tyrant, but like I guess he had some aquariums that, you're like,

I find this peaceful watching the fish. And he was like, I also like watching the predator fish eat the weaker fish. And then so he said to Troy Ackman, he was like, you should get an aquarium. So anyway, they bonded over that. The relationship between a quarterback and a head coach, it is a unique thing, is it not? I mean, or maybe it's not. Maybe that was just, I don't know, Troy Ekman and Jimmy Johnson.

Well, I mean, when you're describing that, the challenge is a little bit like a psychopathic tendency. Yeah, yeah, Jimmy Jod, there were a few psychos on that Cowboys team, but boy, did they win some Super Bowls. Yeah, no kidding. Yeah, I think, you know, obviously. Yeah, it is important for sure. But, you know, I think what the advantage that, you know, we have is, is Buck played the position.

He, you know, he played, he described some of the stories of playing for some, in a different time, frankly. And just, you know, him understanding what it takes to be a player in this league, quarterback in this league. And, you know, he's done a fantastic job of, you know, opening it up for communication and making it a collaborative process, you know, through the game plan. You got a great staff as well. And I just feel like he's, you know, that everyone's opinion is valued. And I think it just allows for an environment where people are able to come in and give input and, you know, work things out together. And, you know, I think that just, you know, it makes you want to come to work every day and give your all to them and, you know, get it figured out. So I think that's just been great.

Get a little bit worried if Buck gets a, gets an aquarium or invites you all. over there because it's going to get weird then. Yeah. Hey, before we let you go, let's set up this game. Saturday, 4 o'clock kickoff at home, B.C. place. Calgary back in town, we talked about the VA side of things and everything. But from your perspective, preview this in terms of what you guys want to clean up on offense and try and limit the turnovers that you guys had against the Argos.

Yeah, I mean, that's a big one for sure. You know, we want to be able to make sure we're not giving them any free possessions. It's the first time we play these guys. we did a really good job of that and that's going to be key again. You know, they're a scout defense. They're world coach. They play around real fast and so we're going to

have to be decisive and what we're doing and get the ball out of our hands and, you know, limit the amount of turnovers that we have as an offense, but also just limit the penalties that we have. We just had too many against Toronto and so again, that's been something that we've been doing with all year

and we take care of those two things I think we'll be all right. Nathan, this was great. Thanks for taking the time to do this and answering all the questions. Have a good game on Saturday. Go get a win. Thank you. Appreciate it, guys. Yeah, I appreciate you too. Thank you. That's Nathan, Rourke, BC Lions quarterback here on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet, 6.50. That's a huge game for the Lions, and they've won three in a row. They've got a chance

if they finish the season strong to host a playoff game, and we wouldn't have thought that a month ago. So get out there. Four o'clock start at BC Place against Vernon Adams and the Stampeders. If there's a regular season game to go to this year, that's the one. Just building momentum until 2026 when you get to play in Kelowna. Everything points to Kelowna. Everything points to Kelowna. That's it.

The Apple Bowl is rocking. So sometimes on the Halifred and Brough show on SportsNet 650, we have been seen as guys that talk up too much of the national football league game and not enough of the Canadian Football League game. So I thought, you know what? Let's give Nathan Rourke some love. Have him on the show. He answered the tough questions.

He did. Got in the trenches. He even conceded, like, we're actually further apart than I thought. That was, that was an interesting remark. I think there's more rule changes to come. Anyway, I want to just point out that we are not all about praising the national football league, because last night was some of the worst football that has ever been aired in prime time. It was.

And we're not, I mean, the Tyree kill injury was awful. I'm not talking about the Tyree kill injury, but thank you for pointing it out because, yes, it was gross. And for those that missed it, Tyree Kill suffered a awful, awful knee injury during the Jets Dolphins game in which he dislocated his knee and then reports from this morning said, in addition to a

dislocated knee, he also tore basically every ligament in his knee, including his ACL. That could be a career threatening injury. The quality of play yesterday was atrocious, awful. And don't take it from me. Take it from the people that

were working the games. I want to start. I think with the Cincinnati Bengals who put up a grand total of three points three points you got to credit the Broncos defense they have a very very good defense but it helped I thought the Broncos

when the Bengals' offensive line didn't block didn't even try it seemed like at times do they like Jake Browning the Bengals did not cross midfield field after kicking a field goal on their opening drive. Do you understand how bad that is from a viewing perspective?

So the guy's calling the game yesterday, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. Troy Aikman coming up a lot on the show today. You could hear their growing discontent with the game as the broadcast went on because they knew that they were calling a dud of a game. And they knew that it's like, this sucks. tuning in and this game is terrible and there was a million flags and this was supposed to be the

good game of the night because people are like Jets and Dolphins is going to be terrible. Troy Aikman actually said that the product isn't very good right now but he saved his most and him and Buck saved their most scathing critiques for the Bengals granted the Bengals were without Joe Burrow and yeah it's tough to try

and manufacture offense when Jake Browning's a quarterback but they made mistakes all over the place. Here this is during the broadcast. This is Joe Buck and Troy Eggman just lamb basting the Cincinnati Bengals for their lack of effort on Monday Night Football. Here's what it sounded like. I mean, they've got more penalties than first downs tonight. There were pre-snap penalties. There were defensive penalties that just were crushing. They were, I mean, you name it, holding calls, whatever. And if

you got Jake Browning a quarterback, you cannot play a game like this around him with all the mistakes and expect to compete and they just frankly after their first possession didn't compete no and how they're going to clean this up and have a better out against Detroit who's rolling good luck with that but this is yeah this has been an embarrassing effort by the Cincinnati Bengals do you know how bad it is when one guy says that there was no effort beyond the first possession, then the other guy follows it up with, yeah, that was an embarrassing effort. Those were hot mics, right? That was a hot mic, right?

That was scathing, right? Okay, so there's that part of Monday Night Football. That was the second game, and you're like, that's tough. What was the first game like? Well, the first game involved in New York Jets. New York Jets are now 0 and 4. They've got a first year head coach in Aaron Glenn. They're trying to pull out of this abyss that they've been in forever.

And they've tried a lot of different things. They've tried coaches. I don't know if you'll remember, but they tried. a future Hall of Fame quarterback and Aaron Rogers and they just can't get it right. It's just an organization that seems like it's just stuck, not in mediocrity, but in being awful. So last made the playoffs in 2010. Like it is a bad franchise.

The Buffalo Sabres of the NFL. They're the Buffalo Sabers of the NFL. Exactly. Where you just use the rot is so deep and the dysfunction goes so far that you can't ever see to get away out of it. They fell to 0-14 yesterday. This is Connor Hughes from SNY Network in New York. This is just the stand-up that the reporter working for the team did in the aftermath,

talking about how, like many teams in the NFL, the Jets are trying to find their identity. And maybe they did, and it crystallized last night. Here's Connor Hughes from SNY on the Jets on Monday Night Football. Identity. That's such a buzzword in the NFL. Teams want to find one, cultivate one, carry one throughout the season. Four games into 2025, the Jets have theirs.

They are ill-prepared. They are undisciplined. And because of those two characteristics, you can say that this team is poorly coached. I had a player talk to me in the locker room after this game against the Dolphins, and he kept shaking his head and repeating over and over again. They are not better than us. But the Dolphins beat the Jets on Monday night football

because the Jets committed 12 penalties were called for 14, but two were declined. They had three turnovers, including one when Braylon Allen fumbled going into the end zone, and another one where the jets fumbled on the opening kickoff of the second half with a chance to drive down the fields and tie. Mental errors like fair catching a punt inside the five-yard line. As Breeze Hall said after the game, we watch as teams shoot themselves in the foot, then we come back and shoot ourselves in the head. So it was not a great.

That is a hell of a quote. That is a hell of a quote. I saw people, I wonder if Breece Hall is going to get fine for that. I don't think so, but it's close. The fair catch was hilarious. So bad. On the three-yard line or whatever it was. So bad.

The still picture that. I saw in social media. He's like, someone said, this was Faircott. Oh, someone, like, some, I was watching a video and some guy in the background was like, the Jets is stupidest team in football, like, so stupid. Anyway, I'm glad you brought up the Sabres because the Jets thing is, when you talk about a long suffering fan base, like, I don't even count us in Vancouver in that conversation because at least, at least there have been some bright spots over the last little while.

two years ago was an awesome year. I don't think I can say it any other way than that. Watching that team win 50 plus games and 100 plus points and winning a playoff round and having watch parties and everything, it reminds you how much fun this can be, which I think is why we're just like, let's get this regular season going.

Like, I want the Canucks to start playing hockey again. I don't know what it must feel like to be a fan of the Sabres, where anytime something good happens to you, The immediate thought is, how is this going to go bad? Because that's what 14 years has been for them. And that's what 14 years has been for the Jets. Yeah.

The Jets got, remember when they drafted Zach Wilson? That's a high, high, high draft pick. High draft capital. What you tank for is to get a guy like that. And the earlier iteration of him was Sam Donald taken. Yeah, it was the second and third overall picks. And then, you know, the other thing is that how many Sabers players have gone to different teams and

thrived or even won championships. Jets fans are watching, you know, look, Sam Darnold's not going to win the MVP or anything, but... It would kill for Sam Darnold right now, at quarterback. But it wouldn't work because of the Jets. Yeah, I know, but that's what I'm saying. Like, a guy that could play the position that competently. Because Fields...

Fields, no. He's all over the map. Yeah. It just, it is really interesting to look around the sports landscape and see some of these other organizations that are just stuck in the rot. now I don't want to tie everything back to the Canucks and that's kind of why I'm saying like you know

I don't think that the organization currently is in that spot but it is fair game to constantly ask about Quinn Hughes because of the 50 years of Canucks hockey 50 plus years he is one of one right never had a defenseman like him and I think he is the best player to have ever played for the Canucks

and there's some high bar guys Burry, the Sadiens, everyone. But that's why the stakes are so high. And that's why Rutherford, in a very interesting way, like he's not shooting from the hip or off the cuff or being candid for candid's sake. He seems very cognizant of, and I'll give him credit because he's not that familiar with the market. He hasn't spent his entire career here.

He knows exactly what it is. He knows exactly how much this particular moment in time means to the entire city, the entire market, and the entire organization. Guys like Hughes don't just up and leave without it having some major residual effects, right? I think some people have a different reaction to Jim Rutherford talking about Quinn Hughes because everyone deals with anxiety or worries a different way. Some people are like, okay, let's talk about it. Let's get it out in the open and we'll talk about it.

Other people are like, what if I just like cram this feeling down and just denials? deny that it's even there. Like when daddy hit the empire with a bottle. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Well, I just, just don't even, if you talk about it, it gives it energy and it gives it momentum.

And sometimes people believe that you can talk something into existence. And maybe that's partially true. So maybe with Jim Rutherford and everyone talking about Quinn Hughes, possibly going somewhere else, he's like, somewhere else, eh? Or at the very least, he starts thinking about it a little bit more or a little bit differently. So I understand why people get frustrated with it, but I'm kind of more of a rather for like, let's talk about this. Let's let's get it out there and not pretend that there isn't a massive fork in the road coming up for the Canucks. and that fork is

one, let's say the left goes, you know, Quinn Hughes stays and the other one is he doesn't and just fundamentally changes everything about the future of the Vancouver Canucks. Well, I make no mistake, part of this is strategic.

Like Rutherford, he loves getting out in front of a story. And that's what the entire Gary Mason interview prior to trading J.T. Miller was all about. It's a very old school approach. It's like you don't let the narrative control you. You control the narrative.

So there's a strategic element to this, but maybe I'm just trying to set the stage for the season to be or read the tea leaves a little bit, but this is a conversation that is going to happen a lot. And I think in a good way, because it puts expectations and pressures on a team, that they need. Like this team needs to perform.

Last year was not just a disappointment on the ice and not just a disappointment in terms of the standings but a disappointment in terms of letting down a bunch of fans who were emotionally invested in a team that couldn't get along and couldn't get their together, right?

Like, you know what? You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah, yeah. And that's a problem, right? Okay, hold that thought and maybe we'll talk about it with Landon. Landon's going to join us in about 15 minutes. So I'm going to do what we learned on the other side. I'm going to play some Kauai Leonard audio,

which I thought was some of the funniest things, some of the funniest quotes I've heard in a long, long time. So we'll play that on the other side of the Halford & Brough show on SportsNet 6.50. Before we go to break, I do need to tell you that the new hockey season is here, and you know what that means. Time to level up with sports excellence. Find the perfect fit for success on the ice with CCM. Score exclusive gear like the CCM JetSpeed Extra SESK,

skates, sticks, and protective equipment. Pick here's up and so much more of Big League Sports Excellence, your one-stop shop in Vancouver for everything CCM. 2151, Burrard and Kitsilana or shop online at sportsexcellance.com. Sports excellence here to grow your game.