When Ryan Rigmaiden and Buck Pierce sat down to introduce the latter as head coach of the B.C. Lions on Wednesday, they were selling their vision to more than just fans and the media.
Leaning up against the side wall in a pressed blue suit, Nathan Rourke remained just out of camera shot but still seemed to dominate the frame. The Canadian quarterback, who drove in from his home in Port Moody to attend the event, didn’t have a voice in the team’s hiring process but was still at the centre of the Lions’ decision to bring in Pierce.
“I’m just excited to build the relationship,” Pierce said of his QB. “I had an opportunity to talk to Nathan yesterday and briefly this morning. I think the biggest thing is, let’s get to know each other. What do we need from each other? Obviously, he’s an elite talent and what he does on the football field makes everybody excited. Let’s grow this together. I want this to be a partnership, just like anything else.”
There is no secret as to why the Lions opted to hire one of the league’s most well-respected offensive minds to replace fired head coach Rick Campbell. After returning from the NFL in August, Rourke struggled to regain his form when handed the reins to the Lions’ offence. The 26-year-old was 136-of-209 passing (65.1 percent) for just 1,781 yards, four touchdowns, and nine interceptions in eight starts, adding 24 carries for 213 yards and five majors.
In the wake of those underwhelming results, it will be Pierce’s ability to maximize the CFL’s new highest-paid player that will determine both their legacies and the fate of the franchise as a whole.
“Nathan’s development and his relationship with the coaches moving forward is a foundation. I don’t care if it’s PeeWee or CFL or NFL, it doesn’t matter — you’re only as good as your quarterback,” B.C.’s rookie general manager, Rigmaiden, said while explaining his first coaching hire. ” The collaborative nature with Buck and Nathan, I think is absolutely key. I think all coaches do that. I think Buck is special in that area and I think he’s got a system that’s obviously proven.”
Pierce confirmed he will call the offensive plays in addition to his head coaching duties, building off a sterling resume from his time in Winnipeg. The Bombers have reached the Grey Cup in each of his past five seasons with the team — four of those with him as coordinator — while his offence is responsible for three of the last four Most Outstanding Player award winners. That includes back-to-back wins from Zach Collaros, who became the CFL’s premier passer while Pierce was guiding him.
“One thing that became clear through his interviews was, ‘It’s not just what I’m teaching, it’s what the quarterback is giving me,'” Rigmaiden said of Pierce’s philosophy. “‘Hey, what do you like to do?’ ‘What routes do you like?’ ‘What formations do you like?’ ‘What do you see on this?’ When you’re going back and forth with that collaboration, I think you’re going to get the most out of it.”
While there is no questioning the 43-year-old’s competence, his hiring by the Lions is tinged with irony. As Rourke floundered last season, team decision-makers were quick to let him off the hook due to the number of offences he’d been forced to learn as an NFL journeyman. Absorbing five different playbooks in less than a year was simply too much to cope with, so now they’ve added a sixth to ring in the holiday season.
“I’ve had a lot of practice at it,” the Victoria-born passer admitted to the media. “I’ve got confidence that this is one that you’re going to be able to pick up and play fast.”
“The offence won’t be an issue. The learning curve won’t be an issue. It’s a new face but it’s the same building and there’s a lot of familiarity here. I think a lot of guys are comfortable with that. I have no doubt that there’ll be some challenges, as there will be with anything you’re starting new, but I think that we’re more than equipped to handle it.”
Rigmaiden agreed with his franchise pivot’s point of view.
“Is Nathan learning a new offence a concern for me? It is not,” he said definitively. “Nathan’s extremely intelligent and he loves ball more than maybe anybody I’ve ever been around. I know he’ll pick up the system. I’ve got ultimate faith in Buck, obviously, to work that relationship.”
A full offseason to absorb the new system will make this transition easier but there remains some awkwardness to it. Pierce beat out the Lions’ incumbent offensive coordinator, Jordan Maksymic, for the team’s top job. Failing to promote the 37-year-old will end his tenure with the organization and likely cause him to return home to the Edmonton Elks.
Rourke has made no attempt to hide his love for Maksymic, crediting him for his breakout campaign in 2022 and citing the play-caller as a major reason for his return to the Lions last year. Now, at one of the most critical junctures of his career, the coach he trusted most has been replaced.
“It’s certainly difficult. I would have loved to have worked with (Maksymic) another year but I also trust Ryan and Neil (McEvoy) and Mr. Doman and what they’re trying to do,” Rourke acknowledged. “In that respect, I appreciate and value the confidence they put in me to lead this organization, and in return, I believe in what they’re doing and what their vision is.”
The Ohio product says his time with Maksymic has taught him to place complete trust in a coordinator, something he intends to continue with Pierce. However, trust has to be built in any relationship and the new head coach’s top priority will be establishing that with his signal caller.
One thing working in Pierce’s favour is the fact that he played the position himself at the pro level. The native of Crescent City, Cal. first signed with the Lions after a free agent camp in 2005 and went on to play nine seasons in the CFL between B.C. and Winnipeg, starting 67 games.
“Obviously, it’s been a while since I played quarterback but I have stood back there. I understand the intricacies of the position. I understand the demands of the position,” Pierce said. “My job as a coach now is to put him in positions to be successful and then help him with his job. Make his job as easy as possible, if you can do that with one of the toughest jobs out there.”
Rourke recalls watching Pierce play for the Bombers growing up and, like many fans, was left with a lasting impression of his new boss when a free blitz from Saskatchewan’s Craig Butler blew his helmet off in 2011. He believes that type of toughness can rub off on a team and was exactly what the Lions’ brass wanted while undertaking their search.
However, he is more excited to learn about the mind that was exposed by that soaring helmet and try out an offence that he has “respected and revered” throughout his time in the CFL.
“At the end of the day, they’ve proven that they can be an explosive offence, they can be a consistent offence, and that’s ultimately what I want to be,” he said. “I think that for the last couple of years, Winnipeg and Zach have set the standard for what the league is, especially in the West. We’re always chasing that. We want to win the West. We want to win the Grey Cup and I’m excited to learn and develop and get better within that offence.”
That process will begin as soon as Pierce has settled in, with Rourke hoping to start grinding the tape after the holidays. Now that the Lions finally have a clear vision, their young star doesn’t want to waste any time.
“I told him as soon as we’re ready to go, I’m ready for it and excited to get to work,” he said. “I’ll be around and local and accessible to be able to chop it up. I think that’s a huge advantage for us.”
