Valentino Blake
American gridiron football player (born 1990)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Antwon Valentino Blake (born August 9, 1990) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback and special teamerin the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2012 and was also a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans, New York Giants and Saskatchewan Roughriders. He played college football for the UTEP Miners.
Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Blake with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2016 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 38, 41, 47 | |||||||||||||||
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| Position | Cornerback | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | August 9, 1990 Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Thurgood Marshall (Missouri City, Texas) | ||||||||||||||
| College | UTEP | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2012: undrafted | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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In September 2016, Blake changed his first name from Antwon to Valentino.[1]
College career
He played college football at the University of Texas-El Paso (UTEP) from 2008 to 2011. During his career at UTEP, Blake totaled 137 tackles, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 interception.[2] He started every game his junior and senior years also started 1 game his sophomore season before suffering an ankle injury.
Professional career
Jacksonville Jaguars
Blake signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars following the 2012 NFL draft as a rookie free agent.[3]
He was released on September 1, 2013.
Pittsburgh Steelers
On September 2, 2013, Blake was claimed on waivers by the Steelers. Blake would remain on the team over the next 3 seasons. He gathered his first interception during a Week 8, 2014 game against the Colts, picking off Andrew Luck.
In 2015, Blake became a starter. Though the Steeler pass defense was one of its worst in decades, Blake played a role. During Week 5, he picked off Philip Rivers, and ran it 70 yards for his first pick-six. He would have 2 more picks during the year, one in a Week 8 loss to the Bengals, and one against the Bengals in the Wild Card game.
Tennessee Titans
On March 17, 2016, Blake signed with the Tennessee Titans, reuniting him with former Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau.[4]
New York Giants
On March 20, 2017, Blake signed with the New York Giants.[5] On August 23, 2017, the Giants placed Blake on the Reserve/Exempt list after leaving practice.[6] He was released on September 2, 2017.[7]
On September 5, 2017, Blake announced his retirement from the NFL.
Saskatchewan Roughriders
Blake was signed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders on January 30, 2019.[8]
NFL career statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
