OverDrive - Rourke on his season with the Lions, performance with the team and the Canadian roots

Episode Date: August 21, 2025

BC Lions Quarterback Nathan Rourke joined OverDrive to discuss his season with the Lions, excelling in the role with the team, the connection with Keon Hatcher and the ideology with his wide receivers, the matchup against the Argonauts, the transition from the NFL, the team's season and more.

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apply. Pleased I have with us now from the BC Lions. Nathan Rourke, the quarterback, Nathan, welcome. How are you? I'm doing well. Thanks for having me. Our pleasure to have you. I mean, this year for you, I guess calm, I'm happy.

I mean, settled as opposed to last year when you sort of jumped in as the season was in progress. So what are your thoughts on that contrast? Yeah, I mean, I'm feeling good. Obviously, you know, there's always something to improve on. You know, we're at 500 right now. And, you know, we still see that we still feel. like there's a lot for this team to grow.

So we're expecting to continue to build on what we did last week and the week before that, and hopefully continue to make steps to to where we want to go eventually at the end of the year. Nathan, you came back from that oblique injury

and you've been lights out ever since. Keon Hatcher's been a guy who's, you've been targeting an awful lot, he's leading the CFL in receiving yards. What's it been like developing the chemistry with Keon this season? Yeah, I mean, he's a tremendous player.

You know, a great teammate, a very hard worker, has very high standards for himself. So all this kind of stuff for the people that know him, the kind of production he's had, this isn't a surprise at all. Everything that he's been doing is well-deserved. It's just really a product of all the work he puts in during the week. So, you know, we've been together.

We've been working together since 2021. We came into the CFL at the same time. and it's just been a pleasure to be able to work with him and to see his growth as a player and a person. Nathan, what are the kind of details you're talking about there that you and a wide receiver have to develop over the course of, you know, that's four years we're nearly talking about. I know you're gone for a bit of it, though.

Yeah, I mean, you just learn their body language, right? How they see certain things, right? You talk it out, you know, you're able to, you know, figure out how you see, you know, different looks and how you see different routes, the timing of things. I think that's the biggest thing is, you know, we've got, you know, five of our starting receivers. They all run routes just a little bit different, right? So learning their strides and learning, you know, when they're going to be coming out of a break

and talking to them about hot and play to adjusts and all that kind of stuff, you know, that kind of thing. And I just trust the act. I trust the way he sees the game, he's very high football IQ. And so, you know, we're on the same page more often than not. And I trust where he's going to be. So obviously last week as well, you know, with, you know, his talk about, you know, targets, you know, he was 11-4-11, and so you trust his hands while they're going to come down, or even if the ball's not exactly where it needs to be.

So that's comforting the quarterback. So, Nathan, you're at 5-and-5. The second half of the season is already launched. How would you describe the 5-and-5, and where do you see this thing going in the second half? Yeah, I mean, I think there's been a lot of highs, a lot of lows, right? You know, I think we've shown at time, you know, that we can be a very, very, very, a good football team. We just haven't, you know, put it together necessarily at times during games.

You know, some, you know, at some tough times, you know, with some injuries early in the year, you know, that reflected poorly on the win loss. But ultimately, you know, we got to figure out ways offensively to, you know, to minimize the amount of penalties and turnovers, things that we can control, right? And, you know, I think we've shown throughout the year the majority of the time, you know, we stop, you know, we're stopping us rather than the defense. So if we can, you know, minimize the mistakes and minimize the self-sabotage, I think it will be in a good place. Hey, Nathan, for Canadian fans, it's been a lot of fun talking about Canadian quarterbacks

having success at the pro level. You and your brother, obviously, have been a big conversation over the past few years. And now we've been talking about this young man who's come out of Wilford-Lore University, the MVP of the Canadian University ranks last year in Taylor Elgrzma, who's down challenging for a top three spot with the Green Bay Packers. I was wondering, like, have you crossed past with Taylor over the years? And what do you make of the way he's turned heads at Packers' Camp? Yeah, I haven't had the chance to meet him in person.

But, you know, obviously, rooting for all, like, Indians, you know, in the NFL or in the CFL. I think you recognize that there's not a ton of us, especially at the quarterback position. And so certainly, you know, rooting for him and hoping that, you know, that he continues to have success. I'm glad that he's been given a chance. I know that he went down initially as a UDFA signing with Green Bay. And sometimes, you know, those are just bodies. And he made the most of his opportunity and was able to get an invite to camp, which was incredible. And so hats off to the organization to give him for giving them a chance.

And hats off to him for taking advantage of it. So we continue to keep an eye on him in the preseason and hopefully it goes his way. And, yeah, like I said, I'm rooting for him. I'm a big fan of him and the rest of the Canadians down there. Nathan, there are any challenges when you're coming to play a team in the Argos had a struggling season so far and just maybe the prep, a risk of looking past them or maybe not as sharp as you should be

or your team should be heading into the game Saturday? Yeah, I think you always run the risk there but I think ultimately when you watch the film on these guys they don't really show as their record does. You know, we know that they're playing hard

and have some very good players, very experienced players on that defense. You know, obviously winning the Grey Cup last year, right? There's a lot of players who have won. And so they've, been in a lot of tight games, a lot of plays that could have impacted the record a lot more. So we're trying not to put a lot of stake into that because we know that they're a

better team than that. And in this league, in the CFL, anybody can beat anybody on any given day. And so it's important for us to be able to make sure that we're coming out with the right attitude and making sure that we play our best football because that's what's going to take against a team like Toronto. I want to go back to your NFL experience. I mean, obviously things always move forward, but when you look back in that experience, what did you learn and maybe about yourself and also about football? What was that like? Yeah, I think you ultimately, you know, you learn a lot about football, right?

You learn a lot about that NFL perspective, right? A lot more of, you know, maybe the protections or, you know, I guess just different languages that people are talking about the game has always always been interesting. And I think watching, being in different buildings and watching how other starting quarterbacks in the league, you know, the Trevor, Lawrence's, you know, the Daniel Jones, the Kirk Cousins of the world, how they're able to, you know, how they lead, what their process is like. Just picking up things like that has been very impactful to me.

And I think there's things that you can look at that, whether you agree with them or not, you're able to apply them in a way or not apply them. You know, you're able to build your only type of leadership, one type of process, of preparation throughout the week there's little things you can take from from anybody so I'm appreciative to that process and the fact that you know I was able to go through it and learn a lot

and but I'm so glad to be here back and be to you and CFO which is an opportunity I'm very grateful to be back in and that league that I truly love I mean when you look at you know the success you've had and your brother and now we get Elgersma down there

making a run I mean what does that say about the state of Canadian quarterbacking, Nathan? Are we seeing something that is the beginning of a trend where Canada can produce players at a position that hasn't traditionally produced them? Or what do you make of it?

Yeah, I'm optimistic, as I think anyone should be. You know, I think what, you know, I think like my brother and I, we were Canadians who went down, you know, and went and played in the NCAA. And I think that's certainly one aspect of it, to be able to have

recruiters in the state, go up north of the border and be able to bring in, you know, players, especially quarterbacks, you know, I think for a long time that's happened for other positions maybe because you can't necessarily teach athleticism or size or anything like that. So for them to go and get quarterbacks, I think is certainly a good sign. But I think we're taking a step further with someone like Taylor who's played youth sports, you know, who played, he didn't play down the American game. and for them to see that, you know, that type of player can translate to the NFL game

if just given the chance, you know, I think is a great testament to not only, you know, use sports in general, but to the players that, you know, they're producing. So I think it's a great sign for Canadian football and hopefully, you know, players like him and players like my brother are able to, you know, continue to pave that way with their performance on the field and hopefully that would just take care of itself and for the next player coming up then you know that that won't be given a second thought Nathan you're a guy that loves to throw the ball obviously get it deep in there as is bull Levi Mitchell and I mean speak to what you see from him I know he's not on your team but a very talented player in this team or in this league

for a long time and having a really good year there in Hamilton yeah yeah a lot of respect for bow I think he's a he's a great great guy kind of been able to take some time to talk to take his brain a little bit in the years past. So I got a lot of respect for him, a lot of respect for his game. Obviously, in the CFL with all the games, I guess all the few teams that you do have in the CFL, you're able to kind of watch everybody and see what they're doing. And he's having an incredible year. He's got a great arsenal of weapons there in Hamilton, and he's doing a great job,

spreading the ball around. And I think, you know, I think it's just a real treat to be able to watch. a lot of that I think there's a lot of great talent in the CFL and you know I just feel like just like I said with you know with the NFL there's things that you can pick up from each person and I think Bo's got great poise he's got great feet he's I love his his style of play plays with a controlled type of aggression where he's he's aggressive but he's not sloppy and and I think he you know has shown that he's still playing at a very very high level which is amazing he's been doing it for such a long time so you admire his long

givvy as well so i want to take you back to uh when you were sort of uh forming your game i mean obviously there was a void of of of canadian quarterbacks even in the cfl when you were a kid so so what sort of inspired you yeah i've always been a football fan i was i was a fan of the nfl growing up i was a big green bay packers fan and um you know i just uh i never really you know was told you know exactly like i never i never told no You know, I was always, you know, people were always very supportive, you know, coaches, family of my dreams and my aspirations to play professionally. And, you know, I had to work ethic to build it to back it up, right? So, you know, I've always been something I've wanted to do.

And, you know, I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to do it for a living now. And what's it been like playing for a coach in Buck Pierce, Nathan, who got a hell of a resume as a quarter. back in his past and certainly is one each year of great Cups. Yeah, Buck's been great to work with. Just very, very impressed with just

his process and, you know, it's been great working with them. I think that we've got a lot of trust in each other. And I think he's just been great for the program. I think that the organization is lucky to have someone like him. I think he's just

the players really gravitate him toward them because of his joy for the game. He comes to work every day with a smile and he's got a lot of passion for the game and really it's just been fun to learn from someone like that with that type of mentality. So

I just take it take it day by day knowing that I'm going to be learning something new and just been appreciative of the ride so far. That's been a good ride so far. Nathan, thanks very much. Really appreciate your time. Yeah, of course. Thanks, Chris. Nathan Moore, quarterback for the BC lines who are in Toronto on Saturday,

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