During a chat in the off-season, Dariusz Bladek admitted that he’d view the 2018 CFL season as a failure if he didn’t start for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Consider his second year a success, then, because the 24-year-old is set to make his first career start at guard Saturday when the Roughriders face the Montreal Alouettes at Mosaic Stadium (7 p.m., CKRM, TSN).
“It’s everything I’ve worked for,” Bladek said Friday. “It’s a result of everything I’ve been doing with the guys day in and day out, trying to fine-tune things.
“I’m just really happy to be in this position, to be able to do what I’ve set out to do since the day I was drafted, which was to become a starter. I’ll see how it feels tomorrow.”
Bladek was selected by the Roughriders in the second round (11th overall) of the 2017 draft out of Bethune-Cookman University. He spent his rookie season as Saskatchewan’s sixth offensive lineman, getting occasional playing time during games.
When the Roughriders broke training camp this season, Bladek was behind Jarvis Harrison on the depth chart. The two men rotated during Saskatchewan’s first two regular-season games, but Harrison was the starter.
That is set to change Saturday.
“Bladek’s going to play — and he needs to play well,” Roughriders head coach-GM Chris Jones said. “We need him to step up and become a real player in this league. The talent’s there; it’s just a matter of him deciding it’s what he wants to do.”
It would seem that the 6-foot-4, 300-pound Bladek wants to do that. He’s eager to prove himself Saturday so that he’ll remain in the starting lineup.
“I don’t want to just be a one-and-done,” he said. “It’s something that I want to be consistent with and, with consistency, you rack up starts and you continue to play and keep yourself on the field.
“This is a step in the right direction and I’m looking forward step by step, start by start, to getting a bit more used to it. Until I’m a little bit more used to getting starts or I’m regularly the starter, I don’t want to jump the gun too much.”
Jones said that defensive lineman Eddie Steele will be the Roughriders’ sixth O-lineman against the Als, meaning that Harrison likely will be a healthy scratch.
A good showing by Bladek could cement his standing on the offensive line, but he doesn’t plan to rest on his laurels. He knows that he has to continue to improve if he wants to remain with the first-team offence.
“I work as hard as I can with these guys and, in general, coaches enjoy my enthusiasm and the type of grit that I bring,” Bladek said. “But I know at the end of the day it comes down to fundamentals. You have to continue to work on your fundamentals and continue to work on your technique to be the best player you can be.
“As long as I’m improving, I believe that I’ll be in that spot.”
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The Roughriders take a 1-1-0 record into Saturday’s game against a Montreal team that is 0-2-0 and has been outscored 78-20 this season.
On Friday, Jones was asked if he’s concerned that his team will overlook the Als.
“Overlook somebody?” he replied. “We just got beat 40-17 (by the Ottawa Redblacks on June 21), so I find it hard to believe that a team that got beat that bad last week would overlook anybody.”
Offensive tackle Thaddeus Coleman echoed Jones’ sentiment.
“It’s definitely not a trap game for us because, coming off a loss like we came off of, we’ve got a lot to prove ourselves as a team,” Coleman said. “We’re not at the top of the league or anything like that. We’re still trying to find ourselves and this is a statement game for us, not for anybody else.”
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Marcus Thigpen is to start at tailback for the Roughriders on Saturday, relegating Canadian Jerome Messam to a backup role with Tre Mason.
Jones said the move wasn’t a reflection on Messam’s play in the first two games, but rather that the Roughriders want to spread out the workload — especially if it saves a 33-year-old tailback some wear and tear.
“It’s something that I philosophically believe in,” Jones said of giving older players a break. “I can tell you right now that (34-year-old defensive end) Charleston Hughes will play less reps than (25-year-old backup) Tobi Antigha tomorrow night. Why? Because it’s Week 3 and I want (Hughes) there Week 18.”
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Jovon Johnson is fifth on the league’s all-time list for interception returns for touchdowns, with seven.
But he’s tied for third on the Roughriders’ list this season — with none. Duron Carter and Nick Marshall each have one pick-six through two weeks of the regular season.
“They both play to the boundary so, with quicker throws, you intercept it and it’s a touchdown,” said Johnson, the Roughriders’ field corner.
“Routes develop a lot quicker and you play with a lot more instinct to the boundary. To the field, you’ve got to play with a lot more patience and be good with your technique and with your eyes because it takes a while to develop.”
Johnson trails Byron Parker (nine) and the trio of Malcolm Frank, Jason Goss and Dick Thornton (eight apiece) on the CFL’s all-time list. Johnson is hoping to climb that list — and quickly.
“I haven’t really got as many chances to get my hands on the football as I would like,” Johnson said. “I’ve also got to be better with my eyes in situations where the ball does come my way.
“It’s going to happen — I promise you it’s going to happen. It’s just a matter of time before I get the opportunity.”
