King Heffy Posted May 6 Share Posted May 6 1 hour ago, runningback33 said: https://www.tsn.ca/talent/nfl/nathan-rourke-facing-uncertain-nfl-future-1.2116053 When Nathan Rourke decided to give up the security of stardom in the Canadian Football League for a trip into the NFL wilderness in late 2022, it was with the understanding that this might require a lot of patience. Has it ever. And with news Monday that the New England Patriots are releasing him before organized team activities (OTAs) have even begun, his future south of the border just got a whole lot murkier. The Canadian pivot’s release hardly comes as a shock. He was one of five quarterbacks on the Patriots roster, in a group led by recent No. 3 overall draft pick Drake Maye of North Carolina. New England also has veteran Jacoby Brissett, a free agent signing with 48 NFL starts on his resume and a guaranteed $6.5 million in salary for this season, plus two other recent draft picks – 2022 fourth rounder Bailey Zappe, who has appeared in 14 games for the team, and 2024 sixth rounder Joe Milton out of the University of Tennessee. It was hard to imagine a situation where there were more obstacles in Rourke’s way than with the Patriots, so getting out of New England might actually be a good thing. Rourke became a Patriot late last season when New England claimed him from Jacksonville because it needed a quarterback to fill out its roster until season’s end. Given the choice of remaining on the Jaguars practice roster or collecting an NFL paycheque, Rourke took the latter, leaving the team he signed with in January of 2023. The highlight of Rourke’s time with the Jaguars was his performance in the preseason. With only three quarterbacks on the roster at camp, Rourke saw plenty of playing time behind former No. 1 overall draft pick Trevor Lawrence and backup C.J. Beathard. Rourke outplayed Beathard, engineering touchdowns on five of the nine drives he completed. But the backup job was never really a competition, and Rourke was released and cleared waivers before joining Jacksonville’s practice squad. As for what comes next, getting released nine days after the draft, where teams had the chance to load up on available quarterback talent with picks and college free agency, doesn’t do Rourke any favours. His first stop will be the waiver wire, where 31 other teams will be able to claim him this week. Rourke cleared waivers at cut down time last September, but there is far more room for teams to add players at this time of year, making a claim a realistic possibility. But should he not be claimed or signed in time for training camp, it would leave him with a dilemma. All indications are that Rourke remains as focused on the NFL as ever and would take whatever opportunity comes his way. But if he’s not going to be in an NFL training camp this summer, that’s a different story. Rourke turns 26 later this month and hasn’t thrown a live pass since the preseason last August. It’s hard to think he’d be willing to sit out another 12 months, waiting for the NFL to call, without turning his attention north. CFL camps open this week, which means teams have built their quarterback depth charts and most of the room under the salary cap has been allocated. It wouldn’t be easy for a team to add him to its roster, but it wouldn’t be impossible either. Under the current CBA, teams are allowed to pay players for marketing, which is an uncapped resource that is also exempt from the salary cap. While the amounts have to be justifiable, based on the player’s status and appeal, no player would have more value for marketing purposes than Rourke, given his nationality and standing as winner of the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian award in 2022. So it’s safe to think that all nine CFL teams are having a Nathan Rourke conversation this week, just to consider the possibilities should he come north. The reality for Rourke is that undrafted quarterbacks without NFL playing time on their resumes need a near perfect storm to hit, and the factors involved are mostly well beyond their control. In Jacksonville, that path was easy to see – Lawrence getting hurt and Beathard being lousy. In New England it was about as clear as trying to see through a windshield in a mud storm. And now? Who knows? From the outset, there were always three possibilities when Rourke made his way to the NFL – that he would succeed, that he would fail, or that he would never get the chance to do either. Right now it appears the latter of those may be his destiny. Can definitely see Detroit taking a flyer; they've signed Betts and drafted a guy from UBC this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runningback33 Posted May 7 Share Posted May 7 Looks like Nathan Rourke will continue his NFL Journey with the NY Giants https://www.tsn.ca/nfl/new-york-giants-claim-victoria-bc-native-nathan-rourke-off-waivers-from-new-england-patriots-1.2116492 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runningback33 Posted May 12 Share Posted May 12 The NFL announced this week that the full 2024 schedule will be released at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, May 15. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runningback33 Posted May 13 Share Posted May 13 (edited) NFL Regular Season Kicks Off with Ravens/Chiefs Thursday September 5th 2024 Full Schedule Releases 5pm pacific on Wednesday Edited May 13 by runningback33 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RupertKBD Posted Tuesday at 10:44 PM Share Posted Tuesday at 10:44 PM I didn't really need another reason to dislike the Chiefs, but Harrison Butker has given me one anyway: https://www.sportsnet.ca/nfl/article/chiefs-kicker-harrison-butker-rails-against-pride-month-u-s-president-biden-during-commencement-address/ Quote Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker railed against Pride month along with President Biden’s leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and his stance on abortion during a commencement address at Benedictine College last weekend. The three-time Super Bowl champion delivered the roughly 20-minute address Saturday at the Catholic private liberal arts school in Atchison, Kansas, which is located about 100 kilometres north of Kansas City. Butker, who has made his conservative Catholic beliefs well known, began his address by attacking what he called “dangerous gender ideologies” in an apparent reference to Pride month, which has been celebrated in June since the Stonewall riots in 1969. He also criticized an article by The Associated Press highlighting a shift toward conservativism in some parts of the Catholic Church. The 28-year-old Butker then took aim at Biden's policies, including his response to COVID-19, which has killed nearly 1.2 million people in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “While COVID might have played a large role throughout your formative years, it is not unique,” he said. “The bad policies and poor leadership have negatively impacted major life issues. Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for the degenerate cultural values and media all stem from pervasiveness of disorder.” Butker later addressed the women in the audience, arguing that their “most important title” should be that of “homemaker.” “I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolic lies told to you," Butker said. “Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world. I can tell you that my beautiful wife Isabelle would be the first to say her life truly started when she started living her vocation as a wife and as a mother.” It's a good thing for Butker that he lives in a state where his archaic opinions are accepted..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the destroyer of worlds Posted Thursday at 06:38 PM Share Posted Thursday at 06:38 PM On 5/14/2024 at 3:44 PM, RupertKBD said: I didn't really need another reason to dislike the Chiefs, but Harrison Butker has given me one anyway: https://www.sportsnet.ca/nfl/article/chiefs-kicker-harrison-butker-rails-against-pride-month-u-s-president-biden-during-commencement-address/ It's a good thing for Butker that he lives in a state where his archaic opinions are accepted..... Turns out this douches mom has masters in medical physics working for years in the department of radiation oncology at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. https://pagesix.com/2024/05/15/entertainment/mom-of-chiefs-player-who-told-women-to-be-homemakers-is-physicist/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RupertKBD Posted Thursday at 06:45 PM Share Posted Thursday at 06:45 PM 4 minutes ago, the destroyer of worlds said: Turns out this douches mom has masters in medical physics working for years in the department of radiation oncology at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. https://pagesix.com/2024/05/15/entertainment/mom-of-chiefs-player-who-told-women-to-be-homemakers-is-physicist/ So....apparently the apple fell from the tree, hit a rock, rolled down and embankment and came to a stop in a pile of garbage.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Heffy Posted Thursday at 11:43 PM Share Posted Thursday at 11:43 PM On 5/14/2024 at 3:44 PM, RupertKBD said: I didn't really need another reason to dislike the Chiefs, but Harrison Butker has given me one anyway: https://www.sportsnet.ca/nfl/article/chiefs-kicker-harrison-butker-rails-against-pride-month-u-s-president-biden-during-commencement-address/ It's a good thing for Butker that he lives in a state where his archaic opinions are accepted..... I hope his wife starts truly living and divorces this piece of shit while taking most of his money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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