Latest news with #BCLions
CTV News
4 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
B.C. Lions confident QB Nathan Rourke can return to top form
B.C. Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke, left, listens to head coach Buck Pierce during the CFL football team's training camp in Kamloops, B.C., on Monday, May 12, 2025. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press) KAMLOOPS — There's no question heading into the CFL season who'll be the B.C. Lions starting quarterback. Nathan Rourke is back. 'He's got that confidence, he's got that offence,' said wide receiver Keon Hatcher. 'It's his team. Everyone's rallied around him.' That buy-in is essential for Rourke and the Lions as they prepare for the 2025 campaign. The 27-year-old Canadian QB wasn't on the roster to start last season as he worked to find a permanent home in the NFL. Instead, the Lions tapped Vernon Adams Jr., who got the team off to a solid 5-3 record before going down with a knee injury at the beginning of August. Weeks later, Rourke re-signed with B.C., returning to the team where he earned the title of the league's most outstanding Canadian in 2022 following a standout campaign. The homegrown quarterback struggled back in the CFL, going 3-5 while throwing four touchdowns and nine interceptions. B.C. finished the regular season with a 9-9 record and was ousted from the West semifinal by the Saskatchewan Roughriders. After the season wrapped, the club dealt Adams to the Calgary Stampeders. The Lions are all-in on Rourke this season — and head coach Buck Pierce believes he's ready. 'He's played quarterback. He understands his job, he understands his role, he understands what he needs to do,' Pierce said. 'It's not all about him, though, either. It's everybody pulling in the same direction. So, I think it's nice that way, because he's obviously excited to be here from day one and have a full training camp. And that's how every player wants it, right? It's no different than any other year.' Several of Rourke's teammates have expressed confidence in his ability to return to the form he showed in 2022, especially now that the quarterback has had a full training camp with his teammates in Kamloops, B.C. After all, he wears No. 12 — the same number as Tom Brady and several other legends. 'A lot of quarterbacks that wear that number, they're high up on the quarterback list. So that's Nathan Rourke — great leader, great man, great friend," Hatcher said. 'He comes to work every day with his hard hat on. 'And I'm so excited to see what he gets to do this year, stepping back into that role, being fully confident in what he's doing out here. And I don't expect nothing less from 2022 to this season when he's had a full year out there.' For Rourke, one difference in preparing for the coming campaign has been the luxury of time. Instead of rushing to get up to speed like last year, he's been able to learn things in 'bite-sized chunks.' He was also able to spend the off-season connecting with his teammates, as many stayed in Metro Vancouver to train. 'I think what I've tried to do this off-season is create that comfortable feeling by getting to know the guys off the field, making sure we're deepening those relationships,' Rourke said. Training with the Lions' No. 1 was a learning experience for Kieran Poissant. Through countless sessions together, the 24-year-old Canadian receiver developed a thorough understanding of the playbook, figuring out exactly how many steps he needs to take on a given play and the best placement for his hands. There were less tangible lessons, too. '(Rourke's) one of the best pros in the country,' said Poissant, who played his first CFL games last year. 'And as a young guy, when you get an opportunity to work with one of the best pros and just learn how to be a pro, reps aside, it's an amazing opportunity,' Working alongside Rourke this season is veteran QB Jeremiah Masoli, who B.C. signed to a one-year deal in free agency. The 36-year-old American is heading into his 12th CFL season, and Rourke believes he has a lot to share. 'He's been great. He's got a lot of experience being a very good player in this league. It's been a privilege to work with him. He's great in the locker room,' Rourke said. 'I continue to rely on his expertise and his experience and his knowledge and continue to grow from him. So I'm excited that he's here.' The admiration goes both ways. 'I've been very impressed with Nate,' Masoli said. 'His work ethic speaks for itself, but just him as a person, the kind of leader that he is. When he walks out here, man, you can feel it. You can feel his presence. 'And I'm super excited to see how he does this season, especially on this offence. I think it's kind of tailored to fit his game, and he can really take advantage of it.' This report by Gemma Karstens-Smith of The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2025.
National Post
4 days ago
- General
- National Post
B.C. Lions confident QB Nathan Rourke can return to top form
Article content KAMLOOPS — There's no question heading into the CFL season who'll be the B.C. Lions starting quarterback. Article content Article content Nathan Rourke is back. Article content 'He's got that confidence, he's got that offence,' said wide receiver Keon Hatcher. 'It's his team. Everyone's rallied around him.' Article content That buy-in is essential for Rourke and the Lions as they prepare for the 2025 campaign. Article content The 27-year-old Canadian QB wasn't on the roster to start last season as he worked to find a permanent home in the NFL. Article content Article content Instead, the Lions tapped Vernon Adams Jr., who got the team off to a solid 5-3 record before going down with a knee injury at the beginning of August. Article content Article content Weeks later, Rourke re-signed with B.C., returning to the team where he earned the title of the league's most outstanding Canadian in 2022 following a standout campaign. Article content The homegrown quarterback struggled back in the CFL, going 3-5 while throwing four touchdowns and nine interceptions. Article content B.C. finished the regular season with a 9-9 record and was ousted from the West semifinal by the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Article content After the season wrapped, the club dealt Adams to the Calgary Stampeders. Article content The Lions are all-in on Rourke this season — and head coach Buck Pierce believes he's ready. Article content 'He's played quarterback. He understands his job, he understands his role, he understands what he needs to do,' Pierce said. Article content 'It's not all about him, though… It's everybody pulling in the same direction. So, I think it's nice that way, because he's obviously excited to be here from Day 1 and have a full training camp. And that's how every player wants it, right? It's no different than any other year.' Article content Several of Rourke's teammates have expressed confidence in his ability to return to the form he showed in 2022, especially now that the quarterback has had a full training camp with his teammates in Kamloops. Article content Article content After all, he wears No. 12 — the same number as Tom Brady and several other legends. Article content 'A lot of quarterbacks that wear that number, they're high up on the quarterback list. So that's Nathan Rourke — great leader, great man, great friend,' Hatcher said. 'He comes to work every day with his hard hat on. Article content 'And I'm so excited to see what he gets to do this year, stepping back into that role, being fully confident in what he's doing out here. And I don't expect anything less from 2022 to this season when he's had a full year out there.'
National Post
6 days ago
- Business
- National Post
B.C. Lions: Nathan Rourke is playing loose, having fun and it's rubbing off on teammates, says GM
Article content Nathan Rourke is a happy camper it seems. Article content Article content 'You're seeing him playing looser. I think he's having fun out there,' B.C. Lions general manager Ryan Rigmaiden said Wednesday of his starting quarterback and his efforts at training camp in Kamloops. Article content 'Taking that next step in leadership with the off-season program is something that we've all been impressed with, but obviously on the field is where it really counts. I think the guys are seeing him play loose and having fun, and I think that gives them more confidence. And when the offence is confident and loose, they're usually playing fast.' Article content These new-look Lions, with former assistant GM Rigmaiden now having the final call on personnel and Buck Pierce as head coach, are closing in on their official debut. The squad visits the Edmonton Elks for their second of two pre-season games on Friday, and then it's the season opener on June 7 at B.C. Place, with the Elks providing the opposition following a pre-game concert by rapper Snoop Dogg. Check out the Lions' website for more information on proceedings. Article content Rigmaiden says that Rourke has had his best stint of camp this week in Kamloops. The Lions are banking on a revitalized Rourke, benefiting from a full off-season of preparation after coming in midway through last season from the NFL. Article content B.C. had a pedestrian 2024, finishing 9-9 in the regular season and losing in the Western Conference semifinals in a year they were hosting the Grey Cup. Rourke, 27, only showed glimpses last year of the player who had been dominant under centre for the Lions in 2022. Article content Rourke and the other starters will get anywhere from a quarter to a half of playing time on Friday, according to Rigmaiden. Rourke took just four snaps in B.C.'s first pre-season game, which was a 26-16 loss to the Calgary Stampeders in Langford. Article content 'I want to see execution. I want to see us limit the mental mistakes that we had on the Island,' Rigmaiden said. 'The buy-in is already there for the guys. I think the physical play can always be better. I want to see them just play and not think. Article content 'For Nathan, I'm just looking for consistency. He's only had limited time in this offence, but you want to see him get the ball out on time. The other guys are going to have to back him up. Nathan's going to know where to go with the ball.' Article content "These things have been around since the opening of the 1988 Olympics. We're in break, I throw it in the hallway!" 🪑 @The_Real_Moj talks #BCLions camp and pet peeves on certain @CFL press boxes on 1st and Now 😂 FULL EPISODE 📺 | @worldvisioncan — BC LIONS (@BCLions) May 28, 2025 Article content There are only three or four starting up jobs to be decided, Rigmaiden says. At the same time, he points out that these exhibition games can have a major bearing for some players, and cites defensive back T.J. Lee, who was a rookie on the bubble going into the 2014 final pre-season game versus the Calgary Stampeders. He had two interceptions that game, B.C. decided then to keep him, and he played 10 seasons with the club. Article content Article content 'Some of these guys, the lights are too bright for them,' Rigmaiden said of the newcomers. 'They may have a terrific week of practice, but they go in on game day and they're screwing up mentally or they're dropping passes or whatever it may be. And then there are some guys with a little steeper of a learning curve, and they get into a game and everything just clicks. When that happens, you have to hang onto those guys.' Article content Since taking on the top job, Rigmaiden has talked frequently about the Lions needing to be a more physical team and one that can find a way to run the ball better at crunch time. To aid in that, Rigmaiden acquired 2023 CFL Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Dejon Allen, 31, from the Toronto Argonauts in a January trade, with linebacker Ryder Varga, 26, and a second-round pick in the 2026 CFL Draft going the other way.
CTV News
7 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Vernon Adams Jr. and Dominique Rhymes reunite as Calgary Stampeders
Calgary Stampeders quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. throws a pass against the Edmonton Elks in Calgary on May 24, 2025. Adams and Dominique Rhymes (15) have reunited as Calgary Stampeders after a season and a half as B.C. Lions teammates. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. and receiver Dominique Rhymes want their shared history to be an advantage, for each other and their new team, as both men settle into becoming Calgary Stampeders. The Stampeders acquired Adams in a trade with the B.C. Lions in November. Calgary and Adams, 32, quickly agreed to a restructured contract for this season and 2026. Rhymes compiled more than 1,000 receiving yards for the Ottawa Redblacks last year, but he and Adams were Lions teammates for a season and a half after B.C. acquired the quarterback from the Montreal Alouettes on Aug. 31, 2022. 'When I got traded to B.C., he was probably the only person on that team who made me feel like I was part of the team,' Adams said Tuesday at Stampeders' training camp. 'I get traded there, I get thrown into the starting spot right away. I don't know the offence, I'm struggling a little bit. The position at quarterback is different. Everyone, they love you when you're winning and then, everyone blames you when you're losing. 'He was the only one after a bad game, after anything, he would always be there by my side. I'll never forget that from him. For that, I owe him everything.' The Lions swung the deal with the Als because starting quarterback Nathan Rourke was injured. Rourke's return to B.C. last season after his NFL stint essentially put Adams on the market, and Calgary was a motivated buyer. Adams threw the ball to Rhymes more than 100 times and for more than 1,000 yards over the combined 2022 and 2023 seasons after the quarterback's arrival in Vancouver. Rhymes sat out eight regular-season games in 2023 because of knee and foot injuries. 'We've been good brothers ever since then and, yeah, playing together in '23 really helps when we came here to Calgary,' Rhymes said. The 31-year-old receiver says Adams joining the Stamps was a compelling reason for him to sign with Calgary in February. 'I've had success with him in the past and history repeats itself,' Rhymes said. 'We challenge each other. If I'm not doing it right or catching the ball right, he'll let me know. If he's not throwing the ball, I'm going to let him know. 'We want to be great for our team. We have that relationship where we're not afraid to critique each other, because we know we want the best out of each other.' Adams asked Calgary's head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson in the off-season if the team could find a big receiver, and the Stampeders managed to reunite him with the six-foot-four, 215-pound Rhymes. 'We did want to surround Vernon with at least one guy he's familiar with, with size,' Dickenson said. 'There were some options out there and I didn't know if Dom was going to be available, but he was and happy to have him.' Adams and Rhymes put in advance work before training camp getting to know their other receivers by congregating in Houston with Reggie Begelton, Jalen Philpot, Daylen Baldwin and Tevin Jones. 'We're there for the week and speed training, receiver training, quarterback training,' Adams said. 'Just getting that timing down.' While Dickenson has several decisions to make before Saturday's roster cut-down day, there's less mystery at receiver because Philpot, Begelton and Rhymes are established veterans. Calgary opens the regular season June 7 at home against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and former Stampeder quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell. The Stampeders completed their pre-season early with Saturday's 31-4 win over the Edmonton Elks, so Dickenson says players still need to prove themselves in camp. 'We're using this still as heavy evaluation. I don't know if you noticed, but it was a very physical practice,' the coach and GM said. 'We put our pads on, we went after each other, and it was high-tempo. That's when you usually separate things.' Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press
CTV News
26-05-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Free game-day transit returns for Elks ticket holders
Edmonton Elks tickets will again double as a transit pass on game days this year. Pre-purchased, game-day tickets can be used as fare for park-and-ride, bus and LRT service two hours before and after a game, the city confirmed on Monday. As well, starting Friday, buses directly to Commonwealth Stadium will run from Eaux Claires, Lewis Farms, NAIT Lots A/B and D, and Naki Transit Centre. The Elks will play the B.C. Lions for a pre-season match on Friday. They will travel for their first regular season game against the Lions on June 1, then host Montreal on June 19.
