B.C. Lions: Don't call Nathan Rourke the saviour — at least not yet

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“Well, I know where the bathroom is.”

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That was the joking response from B.C. Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke on what it feels like to be back at the team’s practice facility, 48 hours after being signed to the team from his NFL sojourn.

The weathered building might not have the hydration-measuring urinals that he had in Jacksonville, but it’s provided a measure of comfort as he accelerates through his fifth playbook in a year. The previous four, he said, have been, um, flushed already.

“Seriously, though, when you’re going to a new building and you have to figure out where you’re going, what the meeting schedule is like, how the day is going to sort out, that’s something you have to think about when you really just want to be learning the offence, learning about your teammates and learning people’s names,” he said. “The good thing is that there’s a lot of familiar faces, and it’s not a complete information overload. So that makes learning this a little bit easier.”

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The Lions (5-4, 2nd West) have lost three straight games, and the manner of the defeats combined with the victory-scant records of their opponents had the fan base on edge heading into Sunday’s home game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (4 p.m. PT, TSN, AM980). That is, until Kid Canada made his triumphant return, practically flying in with a red and white cape to salvage the season.

That’s the impression. But the reality is, he’s coming into a fresh system — again — with new personnel, and no actual meaningful game action since his last time out in the CFL, a 28-20 loss to these same Bombers in the 2022 West Final. Ironically, he’s serving the same role Vernon Adams Jr. did when he came to the Lions that year.

NEXT GAME

Sunday

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B.C. Lions vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers

4 p.m., B.C. Place, TV: TSN, Radio: AM980

“I’m doing my best. Just doing my best,” Rourke said Thursday. “Any time that you’re coming in midseason and you haven’t been with the team for pre-season or for training camp, it’s difficult. … There’ll be some hiccups along the way. You can’t be away from a team, and they instantly expect things are going to come back right away.

“The expectations for myself are always going to be high. A team like this, with the talent that we have, our expectations are always going to be high. But I think it’s important to kind of get it out there, just for everyone to temper their expectations.

“I’m not expecting to set any records this week. This group is certainly capable of that. But at the end of the day … the situation is a bit unique, and we’re going against a really good team, and we’re focusing on winning, and then that’s really it.

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“And hopefully, people are able to give me the benefit of the doubt when it comes to this situation.”

Rourke’s return is a boost, no doubt, but he alone can’t paper over the problems that have plagued the Lions in their three-game skid. In Winnipeg, they couldn’t move the ball against the Bombers’ defensive scheme, putting up historically bad numbers in the 25-0 loss. Against Edmonton, missed tackles, untimely penalties, a rash of injuries and the inability to get off the field left them on the losing side once again.

“I think it’s willingness, No. 1,” Lions coach Rick Campbell said of the poor tackling against the Elks.

“You can always practice angles, putting yourself in the right spot and all that, but at the end of the day, when it comes to live game action with pads on, you have to pull the trigger and go make tackles.”

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The personnel juggling the Lions have had at linebacker and receiver have also played their role the past three games. Keon Hatcher didn’t make his first appearance this season until the Winnipeg game in his recovery from an Achilles tear, playing with two different quarterbacks. Rourke will be his third in three games. Jevon Cottoy, a matchup nightmare/quarterback safety valve, also missed time to injury, and says it will take time to jell again as an offence. But there’s no denying the excitement.

“It’s just electric, you know. (Rourke) brings a different pace, urgency and confidence to the offence and to the team as a whole,” he said. “I feel like Winnipeg is going to see that, feel that … he’s ready to showcase what he’s got.

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“Nathan’s gonna be Nathan man. Nathan and VA together … they’re both, I say, NFL calibre quarterbacks. Nathan brings a different kind of pace, but he’s the same old Nathan man. Just phenomenal.

“But it definitely takes some time to hit that groove. Winnipeg is a great test this upcoming Sunday. We’ve had so many battles with them in the past couple years, with or without Nathan.”

jadams@postmedia.com

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