Roughriders’ offensive line gets boost as Blake back

Broken leg kept him out for 12 weeks, but he’s expected to suit up against Lions

A bad break turned out to be a good thing for Philip Blake.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ offensive lineman was sidelined for 12 weeks after suffering a broken left fibula and torn ankle ligaments in the first quarter of a 38-25 win over the visiting B. C. Lions on July 20.

It was during his stint on the injured list that Blake travelled to his off-season home in Mabank, Tex., to attend the birth of his third child, Ezera.

“Being able to go home and spend time with my newborn was good,” Blake said after Wednesday’s practice at the University of Regina. “My wife said it was a blessing in disguise because I got to see my last child being born.”

Blake and his wife, Mariah, have two other children — Elijah, 5, and Melina, 1.

In a season without an injury, Blake would have been too busy with football to find time to spend three weeks with his wife and their new baby.

“It was good to have the time off, to be with my wife and to help her out,” said Blake, who has completed his rehab and is expected to be on the active roster when the Riders play the Lions on Friday at BC Place.

Blake primarily has played left guard for the Riders, but is expected to be at right guard Friday.

“My first year in the CFL I played right guard,” the 33-year-old Toronto native said. “It’s just getting used to those angles and playing with the guy beside me.”

Whether he starts the game at right guard remains to be determined.

“He will probably be one of the six (offensive linemen),” Riders head coach Craig Dickenson said. “If he doesn’t start, we may have to rotate him in.”

Blake’s activation means Dariusz Bladek or Dakoda Shepley could be bumped from the roster.

“We’re very fortunate to have the depth that we do up front, especially on the offensive line,” Dickenson said.

“The reality is you’re going to have to sit a good player to get a good player on.”

Dickenson isn’t concerned about altering the offensive line’s chemistry with Blake returning to the roster for the first time since Week 6. He graded out as the Riders’ top offensive lineman prior to his broken leg.

“(Blake) is a good team guy and he is really one of our leaders,” Dickenson said. “Adding Philip Blake to the mix actually strengthens our chemistry.”

Blake, a graduate of Baylor University, was selected in the third round of the 2011 CFL draft (23rd overall) by the Montreal Alouettes.

He returned to Baylor for his senior season and was picked in the fourth round (108th overall) of the 2012 NFL draft by the Denver Broncos.

He was released by Denver in 2013 after never dressing for a game. Blake signed with the Arizona Cardinals, but was released in August of 2014.

After spending a year out of football, he signed with Montreal.

With the Alouettes, the six-foottwo, 311-pound Blake played tackle, guard and centre and dressed for 57 games over four seasons.

Blake and receiver Patrick Lavoie were traded to the Riders on Oct. 10, 2018, for receiver Joshua Stanford and a second-round selection in the 2020 CFL draft.

The Riders, meanwhile, aren’t taking the Lions lightly — even though B.C. was eliminated from the playoffs after a 19-6 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos on Saturday. Saskatchewan is still in the hunt for a home playoff game.

B.C. lost quarterback Mike Reilly ( broken left wrist) for the remainder of the season in that game, meaning Danny O’brien will get his first start in six CFL seasons.

“(O’brien) has been around and he’s a pretty seasoned guy,” Dickenson said. “Nothing seems to fluster him too much so he’ll be ready to go.”

NOTES: Defensive tackle Zack Evans (flu) was absent from Wednesday’s practice. He is expected to be on the roster for Friday’s game … Micah Johnson, another defensive tackle, still hasn’t practised since injuring an ankle in Friday’s 3028 loss to the Calgary Stampeders. The Riders, however, haven’t ruled Johnson out of Friday’s game.

Being able to go home and spend time with my newborn was good. My wife said it was a blessing in disguise because I got to see my last child being born