WEDNESDAY COMMENTARY: IT’S HIS LIFE
Photo: Jaguars Wire
(Listen daily for the RP Commentary on Cat Country 98 & LTD Radio)
The top topic on the football landscape in Canada this week is Oakville, Ontario’s Nathan Rourke being claimed by the NFL’s New England Patriots after being waived by Jacksonville.
Nathan’s going to be on New England’s active roster for their final three games, and they are a division-worst 3-11.
Already eliminated from the playoffs.
Some of my U.S. football friends wonder ‘why the hype?’ for Rourke, a 3rd-string pivot who’s never taken a snap in the NFL regular season.
I tell them it’s hard to explain; it’s just what we do.
In fact it’s similar to Connor Bedard – for us in the news business – because the mere mention of “Nathan Rourke” attracts an ocean of clicks and viewers and that’s the name of our game.
On the other hand, a football scout buddy of mine in Mississippi has been blowing Rourke’s horn since Nathan’s days at Ohio and, frankly, has been beside himself that no NFL team was willing to give him a legitimate shot to start.
This scout’s a lot older than me but I had to calm him down, advising that the road to hell is paved with players, coaches – shoot – even scouts, broadcasters, executives and groundskeepers, who didn’t get “the call” or weren’t in the right place at the right time.
Until now, for Rourke.
It’s garbage time for the Patriots who seem to have moved on from 1st round pick Mac Jones and are currently flailing with his back-up Bailey Zappe. It really looks like he’ll see the field, for the first time ever.
There are a lot of Canadian football fans who think Rourke should just pack it up and come back to the CFL where he can rule the roost. He’d have his pick of teams to play for, and make a cushy six-figure wage annually.
But it’s not like it used to be. That was the case for guys like Ricky Ray and Dave Dickenson 20 years ago.
Now, the money in the NFL is absurd and the lifestyle is beyond luxurious.
And besides all this, it’s his life.
He can do with it what he wants.
That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary
(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET & 5 pm ET on Game+TV, WQEE Radio, Podcast & YouTube Live)
Nathan Rourke _ “It’s my life, It’s now or never, I ain’t going to live forever”. (Bon Jovi).
The real question, and agreed, it’s his life and decision, is “does he want to play?”
If so, back to the CFL, rule, then the NFL will come and get him. Same with his brother.
Again your message is spoken or typed from someone who never once competed for anything in your life that probably didn’t have a seniority list with no threshold for hiring clause – entitlement. Most likely you didn’t even compete for your old lady and settled.
Warriors compete. – and then once the days of youth are over people like Nathan Rourke look back and reflect on the window of opportunity they had and don’t have regrets.
“Does he want to play?” – like that’s a guarantee in the CFL? He could snap his leg on one play and then what?
I would really like to see this Obama character in real life…