THE MOJ: Former BC Lions quarterback still chasing NFL dreams

Football can be a cruel sport.

Just ask Nathan Rourke.

The former BC Lions quarterback has been chasing his NFL dream for over a year, but the reality is it’s been a nightmare when it comes to getting a real shot.

The latest chapter in this saga came on July 28, when the New York Giants cut the 26-year-old Victoria native after just 12 days in training camp.

The Giants claimed Rourke on waivers after the New England Patriots released him on May 7. Rourke had finished the 2023 NFL season in New England after starting with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The bottom line is that Rourke, despite being part of three different NFL organizations in less than a year, is still looking for an opportunity. He performed well when the Jags gave him some reps during the 2023 preseason, completing 23 of 35 passes for 348 yards and a touchdown, but it wasn’t enough to warrant a look at another team.

Rourke was in Atlanta on Wednesday to be worked out by the Falcons, but once again the depth chart is stacked against him. The Falcons just invested $180 million in Kirk Cousins, selecting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. out of the University of Washington with the eighth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Still, Rourke persists, looking for an opportunity and, more importantly, someone who will truly believe in him.

Jeff Garcia hasn’t really followed Rourke’s career, but he can understand what he’s going through.

Garcia, now 54 and living in San Diego, followed a similar path.

A small quarterback from a smaller school who doesn’t get drafted does great in the CFL and then tries his luck in the NFL.

Garcia has seen the film before.

He played his college football at San Jose State – where he excelled – but was passed over in the 1994 NFL Draft due to his lack of height (6’1″, 205). He then signed with the Calgary Stampeders, where he was on the verge of being cut in training camp by then-Stamps head coach Wally Buono.

“I only needed one preseason game to get on a CFL team when I first started. Luckily, I had a great quarter in that preseason game that really changed the mindset of what the coaches were thinking and the direction of where I was going in my career,” Garcia explained.

That one quarter earned Garcia a second chance with the Stamps and he became a regular on the team, where he grew into a star player.

A five-year run in Calgary culminated with the 1998 Grey Cup championship, when the Stampeders defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 28-24 and Garcia was named the game’s MVP.

From there it went to the NFL.

Unlike Rourke, who is still searching for that one general manager or head coach who truly believes in him, Garcia had one of the greatest minds in football at his side.

Walsh’s account.

The two first met when Garcia was quarterback for San Jose State against Stanford, where Walsh coached from 1992 to 1994 after leading the San Francisco 49ers to three Super Bowl victories in the 1980s.

When Garcia decided to try his hand at the NFL, it was Walsh who stepped up to the plate.

“He saw me compete and perform personally against his team, and then we built a relationship where he provided guidance and assistance in reaching out to other NFL teams and keeping in touch,” Garcia said.

Like Rourke, teams weren’t in a bidding war to sign Garcia. He wasn’t inundated with offers, as only two teams showed significant interest.

Fortunately for Garcia, one of those teams was the 49ers, where Walsh returned to the organization as an advisor in 1996 and took over as general manager in 1999.

“His words were, ‘Don’t sign with anybody yet, because I might have a chance to get you to San Francisco, and if it works out, that might be the best fit for you.’ I got lucky. I had another option with the Miami Dolphins. Then San Francisco came to the table with a workout, and then the offer of a contract. I knew the 49ers were a better fit for me, the way they ran their offense … the quarterbacks playing the position as opposed to Miami, which was led by Dan Marino, and just ran a different style of offense. And then of course having Bill Walsh in my corner — knowing he was involved in the management. He had a soft spot for me and he believed in me,” said Garcia, who will undergo hip surgery in a few weeks.

Walsh’s confidence made Garcia even more motivated when he went to training camp with the 49ers.

“I wanted to prove him right, in terms of all the doubters who didn’t believe I could play the position at a high level. I wanted to show that Bill was right in his observation and why he believed in me. And yeah, it worked both ways in that sense. It really created a fire in me to want to prove that Bill was right and to prove that I deserve the opportunity to be there and not just because someone liked me,” Garcia noted.

As mentioned, Garcia hasn’t really followed Rourke’s career, but if he could give one piece of advice to Rourke or other players, it’s to take every opportunity when it comes.

“You can be in a situation where they have an elite quarterback or a starting quarterback, but that backup situation, or whatever position it may be, that backup situation can be free for someone to come in and compete for and earn. You have to show through your work ethic, through your drive, through your perseverance, through your ability to learn, to grow and not compound a mistake with more mistakes. You have to take advantage of that opportunity,” Garcia said.

When Garcia got that chance with the 49ers, he jumped at the chance.

“The same situation happened (like in Calgary) with a preseason game and stepping out on the field, playing solid football, playing mistake-free football, playing opportunistic football. I created and made good decisions and gave our guys the opportunity to make plays. You’ve got to be able to step up and take advantage of the opportunity. And if you don’t take advantage of the opportunity, you’re just like anybody else. The guys that step up in those moments and take advantage of those moments are the ones that set themselves apart,” he added.

If only Rourke could get the same chance.