Football can be a cruel game.
Just ask Nathan Rourke.
The former B.C. Lions quarterback has been chasing his NFL dream for over a year now, but in reality, it’s been more of a nightmare when it comes to getting a legitimate opportunity.
The latest chapter in this saga occurred on July 28 when the New York Giants released the 26-year-old native of Victoria just 12 days into training camp.
The Giants had claimed Rourke off waivers after the New England Patriots had released him on May 7. Rourke had finished the 2023 NFL season in New England after starting it with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The end result is that, despite being part of three different NFL organizations in less than a year, Rourke is still seeking an opportunity. He performed well when the Jags gave him some reps during the 2023 pre-season, going 23 for 35 passing for 348 yards and a touchdown, but it wasn’t enough to warrant a look from another team.
Rourke was in Atlanta on Wednesday to get worked out by the Falcons, but again, the depth chart is stacked against him. The Falcons just invested $180 million in Kirk Cousins and selected University of Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Yet Rourke continues to persevere, seeking a chance, and more importantly, someone who truly believes in him.
Jeff Garcia hasn’t really been following Rourke’s career but he can understand what he’s going through.
Now 54 and living in San Diego, Garcia followed a similar path.
An undersized quarterback from a smaller school who doesn’t get drafted, rips it up in the CFL and then tries his hand with the NFL.
Garcia has seen the movie before.
He played his college football at San Jose State - where he starred – but was ignored in the 1994 NFL Draft due to his lack of size (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 was down to one pre-season game just to make a CFL team when I was first starting out. Fortunately in that preseason game, I had a great quarter that really changed the mentality 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 made the team, blossoming into a star.
A five-year run in Calgary culminated with a Grey Cup championship in 1998 as the Stampeders beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 28-24 with Garcia being named the game’s MVP.
From there, it was off to the NFL.
Unlike Rourke, who is still seeking that one general manager or head coach who truly believes in him, Garcia had one of the greatest minds in football in his corner.
Bill Walsh.
The two had first crossed paths when Garcia quarterbacked San Jose State against Stanford – where Walsh coached from 1992 to 1994 after guiding the San Francisco 49ers to three Super Bowl wins in the 1980’s.
When Garcia elected to give the NFL a shot, it was Walsh who went to bat for him.
“He saw me in person compete and perform against his team. Then we built a relationship after that where he provided guidance and assistance with reaching out to other NFL teams and staying in contact,” said Garcia.
Like Rourke, it wasn’t like teams were in a bidding war to sign Garcia. He wasn’t flooded with offers as only two teams showed significant interest.
Fortunately for Garcia, one of those teams was the 49ers, where Walsh had returned as an advisor to the organization in 1996 and took over as general manager in 1999.
“His words were, ‘Don't sign with anyone yet because I may have an opportunity to bring you into San Francisco, and if it works out, then that could be the best fit for you.’ I was fortunate. I had one other option with the Miami Dolphins. Then San Francisco came to the table with a workout, and then the offer of a contract. I knew that the 49ers were a better fit for me from the standpoint of how they ran their offense…the quarterbacks that played the position as opposed to Miami, who were being guided by Dan Marino, and ran just a different style of offense. And then obviously having Bill Walsh in my corner - knowing that he was involved on the management side. He had a liking for me and he believed in me,” said Garcia, who is set to undergo hip replacement surgery in a couple of weeks.
The confidence shown by Walsh made Garcia even more motivated when he went to training camp with the 49ers.
“I wanted to prove him right, in the sense of any doubters that were out there that didn't believe that I could play the position at a high level. I wanted to show that Bill was correct 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 in wanting to show that Bill was right and to prove that I deserve the opportunity to be there and not just because somebody liked me,” noted Garcia.
As mentioned, Garcia hasn’t really been tracking Rourke’s career but if there is one piece of advice he could give to Rourke or any other player, it is to take advantage of the opportunity when it presents itself.
“You may go into 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 may be free for someone to come in and compete for and earn. You have got to show through your work ethic, through your drive, through your persistence, through your ability to learn, to grow and not to compound a mistake with more mistakes. You have to take advantage of that opportunity,” said Garcia.
When given that opportunity with the 49ers, Garcia took advantage.
“The same situation occurred (as in Calgary) with a preseason game and getting to step on the field, playing solid football, playing mistake-free football, playing opportunistic football. I was creating and making good decisions and giving our guys opportunities to make plays. You got to be able to step up and rise to the occasion. And if you don't rise to the occasion, then you're just like any other guy. The guys that step up in those moments and take advantage of those moments are the ones that separate themselves,” he added.
Now if only Rourke could get the same opportunity.
