Hogan: Two paths to the same OL

One is Canadian. A guard who signed with the Argos in the first hour of free agency after playing in Saskatchewan. He’s preparing for 2021 by spending the off-season training just outside of Dallas, Texas.

The other is Canadian (sort of). A guard who signed with the Argos in the first hour of free agency after playing in Saskatchewan. He’s preparing for 2021 by spending the off-season training just outside of Dallas, Texas.

Philip Blake and Dariusz Bladek are now together with the Toronto Argonauts, separated on the roster by only Dontavius Blair, at least alphabetically.

The duo is destined to be thought of in the same breath because of their position and the similarities in which they became Argos, but there are as many differences between the interior linemen as there are parallels.

Blake, who recently turned 35, is the veteran of the two, bringing an abundance of CFL, NFL and major D-1 experience with him. He’s a Toronto native who attended Father Henry Carr Catholic Secondary School in Etobicoke before heading to Baylor, where he would be Robert Griffin III’s centre, earning First Team All-Big-12 honours in the process. Blake made stops in Denver, Arizona, Montreal and Saskatchewan before heading home.

Bladek, 26, whose name is pronounced DARE-ee-ush BLAY-dek, is an American by birth, considered a Canadian by the CFL because his mother was born in the Gaspe region of Quebec before eventually moving to the United States. He attended high school in Kissimmee, Florida before playing his NCAA ball at Bethune-Cookman, an FCS school. He was drafted 11th overall by Saskatchewan in 2017 and has spent the first three seasons of his CFL career in green and white.

Perhaps the biggest difference in background is that Blake is from the GTA. The one-time Etobicoke Eagle, where he was teammates with Argos Director of Canadian Scouting Vince Magri, is thrilled to be coming home.

“I was excited,” Blake told Argonauts.ca of his signing to play in Toronto. “To go back home and play was the main thing because I’m getting a little older. Just getting the opportunity to play for Toronto, I couldn’t give that up. Coming home was my number one priority, just to go back and play in front of my family. There wasn’t much negotiation, that’s where I wanted to play the end part of my career. It wasn’t a hard decision to make.”

Bladek is also thrilled to be coming to Toronto. Like Blake, he agreed to terms with the Argos less than a half-an-hour into free agency. He listed several reasons for coming here.

“I did my due diligence,” explained the 6’4”, 300-pound lineman in a Zoom interview from Allen, Texas. “I saw what was going on in Toronto. I wanted a fresh start. There were a lot of factors that made me choose Toronto; part coaching, part family, part situational. I really liked what Toronto came to the table with. It let me know that they just didn’t want to invest in me for what they need from me, but also what I’m looking to get.”

There’s a familiarity with some in the Argo organization. Aside from Blake, Vice President of Player Personnel John Murphy drafted Bladek in Saskatchewan, while offensive line coach Stephen McAdoo coached the pair as the offensive coordinator last year. For Bladek, he loves the way Murphy has treated him, as well as “Coach Mac’s” approach to teaching.

“He’s a straight shooter,” said Bladek of McAdoo. “There’s no sugar coating. He has a high expectation, which is fine with me because I hold myself to a high standard. A great quality of a coach is knowing how to get the most out of his players. McAdoo always knew he could tell me that I did really great, but this is what you need to keep focusing on. I always appreciated that, there was never any b.s.”

Blake agrees, and he should. McAdoo has in the past told Argonauts.ca that he considers the Baylor product one of the top three guards in the CFL. Blake says it will nice to have some familiarity with someone he has a good relationship with.

“He was always in our meeting rooms,” the 6’2”, 310-pound Blake recalled in a Zoom interview from his home in Mabank, Texas. “He’s a familiar face, I know what he expects, I know what I have to do in terms of executing the game plan.”

What should fans expect from the pair? Offensive linemen often get lost in the grand scheme of things. It’s a relatively anonymous position, but vital to a team’s success.

Argonauts.ca asked each player to turn into a scout, giving a breakdown of his fellow guard.

“You put me on the spot here,” a smiling Blake said when asked to give a scouting report on Bladek. “He gets after it. He plays with attitude; I think we both bring that.”

Bladek agrees that he and Blake share an aggressive style of play.

“He’s tough,” Bladek responded instantly when asked about his teammate’s game. “He’s quiet, but he’s got a mean streak. He’s strong, he’s smart, he has really good footwork, good hands. He’s a silent leader. He shows up, he doesn’t complain and works hard.”

There are differences. On the field Blake has more game reps while Bladek is comparatively raw, though the reason he’s in Texas is to work out with other o-linemen to help him refine his game. Blake is soft spoken, Bladek much more loquacious.

Both let their on-field performance play speak volumes.

Though there are still a lot of things that could happen between now and the scheduled 2021 season kickoff, there is a possibility that you could see Blake at left guard for the Double Blue, with Bladek on the right side. If that’s the case, be prepared for a whole lot of nastiness when the Argos offence is on the field.