Bombers hit new low in loss to Argos

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/07/2024 (459 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Nathan Rourke was released by the New York Giants on Sunday, creating quite the stir in CFL circles, with many wondering about a potential return to the three-down game.

As a refresher, Rourke has been toiling away in the NFL since his breakout season with the B.C. Lions in 2022. Then just 22 years old, Rourke turned the entire CFL into believers, throwing for 3,349 passing yards and 25 touchdowns — compared to 10 interceptions — while adding 304 yards and seven TDs on the ground.

He was awarded the most outstanding Canadian, despite being limited to just 10 games with an injury. That earned him a shot in the greatest football league in the world, but it’s been slow moving for Rourke south of the border.

He first signed with Jacksonville, where he was activated for three games but never took a snap. He dressed for the final three games of 2023 with the New England Patriots, but was later waved after the Pats drafted a pair of QBs, including University of North Carolina’s Drake May with the third overall selection.

That led to what seemed like an intriguing opportunity with the Giants, but they’re also set at QB, making Sunday’s release not all that surprising.

What will be interesting is what Rourke does next. At 26, he’ll likely continue to pursue the NFL for the remainder of the season and has already seen some interest. He worked out with the Atlanta Falcons on Wednesday, and you have to think he’ll get a few more looks.

If and when Rourke returns to the CFL, he’s going to have plenty of suitors. By plenty, I mean every team in the CFL, no matter the QB situation. Rourke is that good, and while B.C. is home and no doubt his preferred landing spot, there will be other clubs doing whatever they can to obtain his services.

How much will he cost? Some pundits are predicting as much as a $1-million per season. We’ve seen others come close, including Michael Reilly signing a four-year, $2.9-million deal with the Lions back in 2019.

It likely won’t be for some time, but Rourke would create a bidding war unlike we’ve seen in the CFL in decades. Whichever team does end up with him, will be the envy of the league.

Now, let’s dive into the other top stories across the three-down loop in the latest edition of CFL Rundown.

1) With Cody Fajardo out of the lineup, the Alouettes showed they have a reliable backup for their star QB. Only it’s not Caleb Evans, but Davis Alexander, who took over in the second half against the Saskatchewan Roughriders to lead the Montreal Alouettes to an incredible comeback in what was Alexander’s first taste of CFL action this year. The 25-year-old has been with the Alouettes since the 2022 campaign, but had attempted just 21 passes — completing 14 — before taking over for Evans. By night’s end, he was 15-of-18 passing for 178 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including a 31-yard strike to Reggie White Jr. with 1:20 remaining in the third quarter that gave the Alouettes their first lead and kept them up for good. Fajardo has been removed from the six-game injured list and is back practising, meaning he could be ready to return from this hamstring injury by the weekend. While that’s good news for Montreal, so is knowing a lot more about Alexander and what he’s capable of.

 

2) The Winnipeg Blue Bombers hit a new low this week when they fumbled their way to a 16-14 overtime loss to the Toronto Argonauts. Three of their five giveaways were fumbles and all were lost while in scoring position. To add insult to injury, the culprits were Nic Demski, Brady Oliveira and Drew Wolitarsky — all veteran leaders on the club. The other two turnovers were even worse, including an interception returned for a touchdown in the fourth quarter and a failed third-down gamble on Toronto’s 22-yard line, in a tied game with less than a minute remaining. The Bombers were playing themselves as much as the Argos, who could only muster 205 yards of offence between QBs Cameron Dukes and Nick Arbuckle. As I wrote in my post-game column, it’s time to start wondering if Winnipeg is good enough to dig themselves out of the hole in which they have buried themselves. With back-to-back games against the Lions on deck, things could get even worse before they get better.

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3) When it rains, it pours. The Blue and Gold are living proof after adding two more players — receiver Drew Wolitarsky and right guard Patrick Neufeld – to the six-game injured list. That’s a CFL-high 13 players on the six-game. This reminds me a lot of the Calgary Stampeders last season, as their injury list felt a mile long. They managed to make the playoffs at 6-12. I wonder how bad you can be this year and still have shot at competing for the Grey Cup?

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4) It’s been close to a week since Rasheed Bailey’s surprise release from the Argos and he’s still not landed anywhere. It seemed like a natural fit to return to Winnipeg, but the Bombers don’t seem all that interested at the moment. It could be a cap-savings manoeuvre to sign him after this week, as the Bombers head into a bye following the Lions game Thursday. So, we’ll see what happens over the next little while. The Bombers sure could use someone like Bailey, especially his blocking along the line of scrimmage. If not Winnipeg, I can’t see Bailey being available for much longer.

 

5) I wrote last week I was impressed with the play of the Ottawa Redblacks and Stampeders of late, but the true rising star would reveal itself when they played each other in Week 8. Well, we got our answer and it’s the Dru-Brown led Redblacks. Brown played another mistake-free game, completing 81 per cent of his passes for 325 yards and a touchdown. It also didn’t matter that Ottawa lost its running back for a majority of the final three quarters after Ryquell Armstead got tossed minutes into the second frame after being issued a second misconduct penalty. A three-game win streak has Ottawa at 5-2 and second spot in the East Division. You got to love what Winnipeg native Bobby Dyce is doing in the nation’s capital after years of playoff-less football. Let’s just hope he can keep it up.

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6) As for the Stampeders, you just never know what you’re going to get week to week. With Saskatchewan and B.C. the clear front-runners in the West, it seems almost inevitable that Calgary and Winnipeg will be duking it out for third place, assuming there isn’t an East Crossover.

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7) It was the Bo Levi Mitchell of old against the Elks, with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats pivot throwing for five TDs in a lopsided win over the Edmonton Elks. I was surprised to hear it was, after all those good years in Calgary, Mitchell’s first game throwing five scores. Nevertheless, that’s two wins in two games for the Ticats, after losing their first five games, three of which were by a single score. Hamilton is trending in the right direction, but it will be hard-pressed to keep that momentum, with a home-and-home against the Alouettes on deck.

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8) Although Mitchell had a career game, it was the QB on the other side that stole the show by the final whistle. Tre Ford finally got his shot this season and made the most of it. Entering the game down 41-8 and with fewer than 10 minutes remaining, Ford threw three touchdowns before the night was over, making the final score a heck a lot more respectable. I get the argument it was in “garbage” time, but Ford was blitzed on several occasions, forcing the Canadian to improvise with his athleticism in order to move the ball down field. He gets the start again this week. Finally, something worth watching on the CFL’s only winless team.

 

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jeffkhamilton