Former Vancouver Canucks President and General Manager Brian Burke had a very strong opinion when it came to players trying to play through injuries.
He didn’t care if the player could start a game. He wanted to know if he could finish it.
And that’s where the B.C. Lions are at right now with quarterback Nathan Rourke, who suffered an oblique injury in Winnipeg on June 12 and didn’t play in the rematch at BC Place on June 21.
Rourke returned to practice on Tuesday as the Lions began preparing for their game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders this Saturday in Regina but his availability is dependent on how his injury reacts to an increased workload throughout the week.
“I’m feeling good. I’m happy where I’m at and we’ll see what the rest of the week feels like,” Rourke said after splitting reps in practice with Jeremiah Masoli and Chase Brice.
“It’s all about how it responds. It’s very similar to last week where it sits right now. We will monitor him every day and see how he is feeling the next day and see what he can do from there,” said Lions head coach Buck Pierce.
For Pierce, the decision on whether or not Rourke starts is a difficult one. Rourke gives the Lions the best chance to win and the Lions desperately need a win.
The football club goes into Mosaic Stadium with a 1-2 record to face an undefeated Roughriders team that has won its first three games. A loss to the Riders puts the Lions three games back of Saskatchewan and the CFL schedule hasn’t even hit the quarter pole.
And did we mention the Lions are on the road the following week in Montreal?
As much as pro football is about the next game on the schedule, Pierce and the organization have to look at the big picture. Oblique injuries are serious business.
Former Los Angeles Dodgers trainer Stan Conte, who now heads Conte Injury Analytics, did a study a few years ago on oblique injuries sustained by Major League players and among the results of that study were that hitters averaged 27 days to recover while pitchers took 35.
Come Saturday when the Lions are in Regina, Rourke will have had 16 days of recovery.
Rushing Rourke could cause another strain or tear and that could result in a major setback with Rourke’s recovery possibly back to square one. Making sure that Rourke is 100% when he returns should be the priority – and it’s something that even Rourke hinted at.
“I’m most concerned about not thinking about it (the injury) when I go out there. The Riders give you enough to think about, so I don’t want to be thinking about myself out there. You have to make a decision based off of what’s best for the team. Me going out there and trying to Brett Favre-it sometimes isn’t what’s best for the team. We have a very capable quarterback in Jeremiah and I want to make sure I’m the best option for the team if I’m going to put myself through that,” stated Rourke, referring to the former NFL quarterback who was known for playing through injuries during his record 297 consecutive regular-season starts.
As for who could play against Saskatchewan if Rourke can’t go, both Masoli and Brice will get a chance to show what they can do this week.
“They are all getting reps. Once again, we will continue to look at it and we will make decisions at the end of the week,” said Pierce.
EXTRA POINTS:
* Offensive tackle Dejon Allen suffered an arm injury against Winnipeg and was being re-evaluated on Tuesday according to Pierce. His status is up in the air for the game in Regina. It’s been a tough start for the Lions prized off-season acquisition when it comes to health as Allen missed some time in training camp due to back issues. Allen won the CFL’s Most Outstanding Lineman Award in 2024 only to lose the Argos nomination last year to eventual winner Ryan Hunter. Allen was acquired from Toronto via trade on Jan. 6 in exchange for linebacker Ryder Varga and a second-round pick.
* Offensive tackle Jarell Broxton and linebacker Ben Hladik were both named to the CFL Honour Roll by Pro Football Focus for their performances in the game against Winnipeg. PFF graded Broxton’s performance at 75.8 PFF Grade. Broxton, a 32-year-old product of Baylor University, has not allowed a QB pressure in the last two games. Meanwhile Hladik — a former UBC Thunderbird — graded out at 77.0 against the Bombers as he racked up five tackles.
* Winning the turnover battle has always been a key in football and the early season trend in the CFL strongly supports that. Through the first three weeks of the season, the team that has won the turnover battle in a game is a staggering 8-1.
* After the Roughrider game (Saturday 4 p.m. TSN; CKNW 730; Shere-E-Punjab Radio AM 600) the Lions travel to Montreal to play the Alouettes on July 5 and then to Edmonton on July 13 to face the Elks. Their next home game will be against the Riders on July 19.
Veteran B.C. sports personality Bob “the Moj” Marjanovich writes about the B.C. sporting scene for Efteen. This column is brought to you in part by:
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