It may be the last shot for Canadian quarterback Nathan Rourke, but he found his way back into the NFL by signing with the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday.

Rourke was most recently with the New York Giants before being released last week. He also had NFL stops with the Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots. Atlanta was an ideal landing spot for Rourke as the Falcons had put a waiver claim on Rourke before he went to the Giants.

His most memorable NFL moment came against the Dallas Cowboys in preseason. Rourke finished with 153 yards passing and one touchdown that came when he was in the process of being sacked.

Before the NFL, the BC Lions selected Rourke in the second round of the 2020 CFL Draft. Rourke threw for 4,103 yards and 40 total touchdowns. He won the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian award after leading the Lions to the playoffs in 2022.

This is an opportunity for Rourke to battle for the third-string quarterback job, as Kirk Cousins and rookie Michael Penix Jr. are expected to be the top two. Rourke will have to battle with Taylor Heinicke for the last spot.

CFL followers have been vocal about ensuring Rourke gets a real shot at making an NFL roster. This is his shot to prove that Canadian quarterbacks can be successful. At least for Rourke that if the NFL doesn’t pan out, the CFL will come calling and everyone will be on the line for him.

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The Atlanta Braves provided a few updates on the pitching staff ahead of this weekend’s series against the Miami Marlins.

Fortunately, Max Fried is eligible to be activated from the injured list today. He landed on the IL on July 21 with a forearm injury. Now, he is in consideration to start Sunday’s game.

The club also announced that Grant Holmes will get the ball on Saturday. 28-year-old Holmes made his first career MLB start on Monday against the Milwaukee Brewers and looks to carry that momentum into this series.

And finally, Reynaldo Lopez is still considered day-to-day after exiting his last start with forearm soreness. Hopefully, he is on the mend and will rejoin the pitching staff shortly.

More Braves News:

Austin Riley, Matt Olson, and Orlando Arcia each homered in Thursday’s 4-2 win over the Fish. The series continues tonight at 7:20 ET with Spencer Schwellenbach on the bump.

Austin Riley earned the Braves’ Heart and Hustle Award for the second consecutive year. The accolade is annually awarded to an active player who demonstrates a passion for the game while embodying baseball’s values, spirits, and traditions.

Drake Baldwin had a successful Wednesday with another homer for Triple-A Gwinnett. More in the minor league recap.

Most of the band got back together after the acquisitions of Jorge Soler and Luke Jackson. Let’s see if this move yields the same results it did in 2021.

In the latest Braves Dispatch, Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution discusses his final thoughts after the trade deadline and what the remainder of 2024 looks like for the Braves.

MLB News:

Major League Baseball has released the 2024 Postseason Schedule with a new system to prevent long layoffs.

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout will miss the remainder of the season due to a meniscus tear.

Chicago Cubs right-hander Adbert Alzolay will undergo forearm surgery and miss the rest of the season. The club has not provided a clear timeline of his return.

The Baltimore Orioles designated outfielder Cristian Pache for assignment. He was just traded to the O’s in the swap that took Austin Hays to the Philadelphia Phillies.

ATLANTA – The U.S. Attorney in Atlanta has announced that two men, convicted of engaging in an armed robbery spree in 2018, will each spend more than a decade behind bars.

The two men involved held up employees at gunpoint at seven different businesses over 2 days. U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia Ryan Buchanan described the 2018 crime spree by these two men as ‘terrifying and violent. 

Buchanan says on October 29, 2018, Kujo Duako tried to rob a CVS store in South Fulton but was unsuccessful when the employee ran into the back and triggered a fire alarm.  

He then robbed a Dollar General in South Fulton immediately after. 

The next day, Duako and Sammetrius Brooks robbed five businesses together in four cities.  

“Five separate businesses the following day, so this was a rash of violence,” Buchanan said. 

That spree included an IHOP and Family Dollar in South Fulton, a Sprint cell provider store in Riverdale, a MetroPCS cell provider store in College Park and the United Community Bank branch in Fairburn.   

“People work there, and they go there every day simply to make a living for themselves and for their families. And to have your workday upended by a robber with a pistol is an unfortunate and potentially tragic situation,” Buchanan said.  

That’s why Buchanan was proud to announce Thursday that almost six years later, both of these men pleaded guilty to the multitude of federal charges they faced.  

A judge sentenced Duako to 16 years and Brooks to 11 years.  

Buchanan said it could have been a lot more if they had not pleaded guilty. 

That’s now on top of the ten years they were already serving for convictions in Fulton County.  

“To those who would rob people with guns, we hope you understand that the collaboration of federal and local law enforcement agencies is alive and well and it is swift,” Buchanan said.