WEDNESDAY COMMENTARY – THE CHOSEN ONE
(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary on Cat Country 98 & Rock 98.5 FM)
IT ONLY TOOK ONE WEEK, AND THE CANADIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE ALREADY HAS A GREAT, FEEL-GOOD STORY.
IF YOU HAVEN’T HEARD, IT’S BC LIONS QUARTERBACK NATHAN ROURKE WHO APPEARS TO BE THE CFL’S NEXT BIG THING.
AND THAT’S WHAT I’D LIKE TO EXAMINE HERE TODAY.
FOR THE TIME BEING, OAKVILLE, ON AND VICTORIA, BC ARE FIGHTING OVER BEING ROURKE’S HOMETOWN. APPARENTLY HE WAS BORN IN VICTORIA BUT GREW UP IN THE TORONTO AREA.
THEY MAY NEVER REACH A CONCLUSION ON THAT.
BUT NO MATTER. US LONGTIME CFL OBSERVERS AND BACKERS ARE WONDERING WHAT THE EMERGENCE OF ROURKE ON THE NATIONAL SCENE MEANS FOR THE CFL?
FOR A LEAGUE WHICH IS LOSING THE PUBLICITY BATTLE AGAINST THE NFL IN THIS COUNTRY (ONE WHICH THEY USED TO WIN), WILL A CANADIAN STAR QUARTERBACK LIKE ROURKE BE EXACTLY WHAT THE CFL NEEDS TO REALLY TURN CANADIANS BACK ONTO THE LEAGUE?
IT JUST SEEMS LIKE IT IS.
SO ROURKE THREW THREE TOUCHDOWNS AND RUSHED FOR TWO MORE IN BC’S WEEK 1, 59-15 WIN OVER EDMONTON SATURDAY NIGHT AT BC PLACE BEFORE THE LARGEST CROWD AT A LIONS GAME IN ALMOST A DECADE.
THE LEAGUE ITSELF SEEMS TO HAVE GOTTEN BEHIND THE NARRATIVE, NAMING ROURKE THE CFL’S TOP PERFORMER FOR WEEK 1.
THE HEADLINES ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE REFERRING TO “CANADIAN” QUARTERBACK NATHAN ROURKE.
THAT USED TO BE A SWEAR WORD.
AIR CANADA, BRANDON BRIDGE, NEVER QUITE GOT THIS KIND OF FANFARE BUT HE ALSO NEVER HAD A FIVE TOUCHDOWN GAME.
TO HIS CREDIT, BRANDON’S LEGACY IS GETTING CANADIAN STARTING QUARTERBACKS TO COUNT TOWARDS THE RATIO. NO SMALL FEAT.
BUT IN THE DAWN OF A NEW LIGHT, IN A NEW ERA OF CANADIAN SPORTS, I’M STARTING TO THINK IT COULD MAKE ROURKE THE CHOSEN ONE.
THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY
(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET and 10 pm PT on Game+ TV across Canada and the USA. Call your cable provider for details. You can also watch on YouTube Live or listen 24/7 at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive)
(Photo: CFL)
Its more than a feel good story, it’s a necessity to counter the ‘Kill The Canadian Ratio’ sentiment that persists within the Canadian Football League. Entertainment value & performance are the only criteria that can change the self defeating inferiority complex that continues to hang over the Canadian element of our game. One game does not make a career but you can bet your entertainment dollars I’m going to be watching the BC Lions play football this year. It’s no accident the new Lions ownership have tied their franchise to the best young QB in the league and the idea… Read more »
And he destroyed the ARGOS in his second game. OVER 400 yards passing , 4 TD passes and no interceptions yet. Completion score over 100 percent plus.
he is the real deal , so far.