Nathan led BC to wins against Ottawa on 8/31 and against league leading Montreal on 9/6. Though he had 3 picks in the latter game, he also had a TD pass and a TD run. Montreal was 10-2 going into that game. Highlights of the BC win are here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-iWtDZysig

On 9/14, however, BC lost to Toronto, and Nathan was only 6-12 for 110 yards. BC switched in the second half to former starter Vernon Adams, who is now back from his injury. Adams was also ineffective, going 4-7 for 75 yards with a pick. Late in the game, BC tried Chase Brice at QB. He went 2-4 for 32 yards and a TD.

Now that Adams is back, it remains to be seen how they spit time between Rourke, Adams, and Brice.

I’m afraid that BC o line isn’t the same one he had when he was first there. They’re atrocious. I bet we could get good pressure on him.

Agreed, BC has many other problems, with the most glaring being the Offensive Line. I also wonder how beat up Rourke is from the NFL, and whether or not what he learned from the NFL is not working as well in the CFL? I wonder too if the NFL tried to wean him off of his athletic scrambling and gun-slinging arm in the interest of being a traditional pocket passer? Though the two games look similar, they are not from the shorter amount of downs to the size of the fields.

How is he beat up from his time in the NFL?

Your kidding, right?

As a QB? They do not participate in any contact in practice, they are not getting hit AT ALL! He played in ONE preseason game. To describe him as “BEAT UP after his time in the NFL”, is comical! That is not a knock on Rourke, but on you. He rushed twice, sliding once! He’s a player with years experience, not a weekend warrior who take 2 months to recover from OnE quarter of football.

That's ridiculous, Billy. He was playing against Elite athletes in the NFL. You think that he just gets up in the morning, takes an aspirin, applies some Bengay, and he is off and running. Rourke, himself, is talented, but there are questions about his durability since he was out for a partial season in the CFL (not elite athletes). You act like he had Mahomes status, which he did not. He was shown on a highlight reel last year carrying a couple of guys on his back while completing a pass. That was an impressive feat, but an example of the kind of plays that won't help your health status down the road. Armani Rogers was another Ohio Bobcat with freakish Athletic skills, who made plenty of highlight reels in the NFL, but lacked durability too. Rourke looked physically small this year to me when next to other Elite athletes in the NFL, but not so much in the CFL. He seems to have a little less pop in his step too. Don't forget that our own Joe Burrow increased his body mass and size this year. Why? To hopefully decrease injuries. The above statement actually contains a question mark. You do know what a Question Mark is don't you, Billy? The statement was generated by an observation connected to a potential line of questioning as to why Rourke kept getting cut in the NFL and why he seems to be struggling this year in the CFL to the point of getting benched, even though that can just as easily be blamed on the fact that the team that he is back playing on is not as talented as before and due to the fact that he came into their scheme late in the process. This is a communal board where fans are trying to discuss ideas and theories, but you seem angry, Billy. You might want to look at that and not necessarily dismiss a theory that does not exactly fit into your personal narrative. It's okay, Brother, it is going to be alright.

Again, in practices QB’s have no contact! He’s played in 1 preseason game in a calendar year! Roger’s was a TE who tore an achellies, that happens and is a much more physically demanding position. I have attended and participated in well over 50 NFL practices, by contract they have very very limited contact, they are NEVER tackled or sacked in practice, so he’s not carried two guys while trying to throw in a very very long time. A QB’s biggest concern in practice is his hand coming down on a lineman’s helmet or pulling a leg muscle from practice. We are not talking about a player who’s played 16 games and is worn down, he played 1 quarter in the past yea. He did not even go through half the NFL preseason.

Fair enough, Billy, but the question still stands. I respect your opinion on this issue and thanks for that, but it makes me wonder what is going on with this talented, hard working, and extremely intelligent young man. It's nothing personal, it is just a question. Besides, is it possible that the demands of having to compete against such amazing talent pushed him to physically strain himself or change his style of play? What are the reasons that he kept getting cut in the NFL and ended up being benched recently in the CFL after being given such warranted high praise when he first arrived in that particular league? It's not a personal statement, brother, unless you are trying to make it so.

My impression of Nathan in college was that he had unusual physical strength. I remember one play in the game at Cincinnati where the would-be-tackler was held at arms length for about 30 yards down the field with a stiff arm from Rourke before the defensive player could complete the tackle. The defensive player was much bigger than Rourke but he could not get him down on the turf anywhere near the original point of contact. It was actually one of the more amazing plays I've seen in a college game. So, for what it's worth, I doubt that Rourke was in any way worn out when he made his way back to the CFL. And, for my money, there are elite athletes in the CFL, but some of them just didn't fit NFL schemes for one reason or another, or they just had bad luck by landing on teams that had a surplus of talent at their position.

Fair enough question. My opinion is it has way more to do with not seeing game action and game speed for two years. And then getting no real time to get in synch with his receivers and the offense.

Excellent. Thank you, Sir. That makes a lot of sense. Thanks for educating me on that. You be well.

Speaking of NFL quarterbacks, a story that has stuck with me over the years was a about now-deceased Jack Kemp who went on to a career in politics. It was said that he had two life-sized pictures of himself playing football that hung in his office in Washington. The first was of him sitting alone on the bench, soaking wet, and covered with mud, with his head in his hands, after a loss. The second was a picture of him getting drilled by two 300-lb defensive linemen. When asked about them, he said the the first picture was to remind himself that you can't win them all, and the second was to remind himself that the bigger they are, the harder they fall...on you.

Nathan has been struggling, and now has been benched.
https://theprovince.com/sports/football/cfl/bc-lions/bc-l...

In 8 games with Nathan as a starter, BC won only 3, and Nathan hasn't had a TD pass in the last four games, during which BC is 1-3.

And on social media I still read how the NFL is missing out.

Not to make excuses but BC’s problem isn’t the QB position. That O line is atrocious.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DmkqzVofZU

BC is eliminated from the playoffs by Saskatchewan, behind the strong running of AJ Ouellette, who scored twice. One was a long run of about 20 yards, and the other was a QB sneak, with AJ lined up behind center.
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/sports/other/roughriders-advanc...

Good for AJ Ouellette, it is always fun to watch this kid play. Not bad for a former walk-on at Ohio University. It is always good to see Bobcats do well once they have left Athens. Go Bobcats!