B.C. Lions playing waiting game with Nathan Rourke injury, hoping rest leads to Saturday start
B.C. Lions fans looking for a silver lining in Nathan Rourke's injury status can point to the fact that the quarterback was willing to have a little fun talking about it on Tuesday.
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'That's why we're taking it day-to-day and evaluating on a day-to-day basis. How many times can I say day-to-day?' Rourke joked to reporters after practice at the team's Surrey headquarters.
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Tuesday marked the Lions' first on-field workouts since Thursday's 34-20 road loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Rourke left that game early in the fourth quarter with an oblique injury. He talked Tuesday about how he got hurt on the second-to-last throw for him of the game.
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The Lions (1-1) have a return match-up with the Blue Bombers (1-0) on Saturday at B.C. Place, and Rourke took part in the walk-through portion of Tuesday's practice, where the offence goes through plays step by step. After that, Rourke went to the sidelines, going through various rehab drills with team staff. He did throw, but over short distances and seemingly quite gingerly.
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'I want to play, and especially because we don't play these guys again for the rest of the regular season,' Rourke, 27, said of Saturday's match-up with the Blue Bombers, who have become arguably B.C.'s biggest rival during the past few CFL seasons. 'I don't feel like I played my best the other night, so it means a little bit more.
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'Obviously, I also think we have the guys who are capable of winning without me. It's a long season. This is a one of those things that could turn into a longer injury if it's not handled right.'
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Jeremiah Masoli, the 36-year-old veteran that B.C. signed this winter as a free agent to back up Rourke, was getting the first-team repetitions Tuesday and would start Saturday if Rourke cannot play.
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The Lions, it seems, are willing to see what rest can do for Rourke. Thursday will be a week since his injury. That would be a major checkpoint, although coach Buck Pierce sounded Tuesday like he would be willing to draw this out as long as possible to see if Rourke can go.
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'We don't need to know until game time,' Pierce said. 'We're going to give Nathan or any of our players opportunities to get feeling well, and we'll see where we are at closer to game time.
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'I'm okay with time, seeing how he feels after every day and seeing how he reacts to certain things.'
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Masoli has played 12 seasons in the league. He has made 59 career starts, including going 3-6 all-time versus Winnipeg. If he is asked to pinch hit on Saturday, he would have seen the situation at various junctures.
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