Cameron Wake – December 11, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, December 11, 2016
Postgame – Arizona
Miami Dolphins DE Cameron Wake (transcribed by Ted Leshinski)
(With the way that the game ended, how much of a challenge did you guys feel from a defensive standpoint to hold and force that punt?) – “Well, that was a big series for us, obviously. We wanted to get off the field and get the offense the ball back. We knew what the situation was. We knew how much time was left and what the opportunity was. It was a big series. We had to get on the field and get off the field. We spoke about it while the offense was on the field, before we went on there, that ‘Hey, we have to go back out there and get the ball back to them quick so we can get this game wrapped up.’”
(You guys struggled defensively last week in Baltimore. What were you able to come back and do this week that allowed you to play the type of defense you played out there today?) – “Well, the whole goal this week was to focus on yourself. It wasn’t necessarily about what they were going to do. It was about making sure you had your job lined up, keyed in, and you nailed the plays that you knew that you had to nail. All week that was the focus. We had some plays last week – that was a long time ago – where things that we don’t typically do, guys playing out of character. So (we wanted to) get back to playing assignment football, do your job, trust your brother or teammate to do his and I think when that happens, we have a good outcome. Again, today was another one of those days when it took everybody. Everybody had to do their job. As I said, it turned out good for us.”
(Did you go into this game feeling it was a big game after going into December and having a tough one last week, coming back and feeling like you needed to come away with a win here?) – “For me, big games are every week. The next game is the biggest game. For us, obviously, being 1-0 after this week … We came off of an uncharacteristic performance last week and we wanted to get back to playing our style of defense and playing our style of team ball on both sides. It was a situation, like I said, where it came down to the offense doing their job, the defense doing their job playing complementary football and doing it when it counted. And obviously, special teams sealing the deal. Again, across the board – offense, defense and special teams – everybody had to be on par and do exactly what they needed to do to get this W.”
(As a defensive player, when you see your quarterback go down – we don’t know exactly what the injury is but it doesn’t look good so far – how does that affect you? How do you feel about that?) – “It’s unfortunate to say injuries are part of the game. It’s sad to think that there are very few other people that play sports that have to say that. But when he did go down – and I don’t know what the diagnosis is, I’m sure they’re on their way to get that figured out now – whether it’s him, quarterback, or any other player, you want to make sure that the next guys up step up, the rest of the team as a whole. (Ryan Tannehill) is a big part of this team, obviously. (He’s) a big part of the wins that we’ve had, the success we’ve had. Not just the next guy up, but every man on the team has to step up and try their best to fill that void. Matt Moore obviously came in and he did his job. Again, (Moore is) a guy who I have tremendous confidence in from obviously playing with him for such a long time. (He) came in and did his job and allowed us to put us in a position to win the game.”
(If QB Ryan Tannehill can’t go next week will you guys defensively feel the need to elevate your level of play to help backup QB Matt Moore?) – “I hope we don’t have to elevate. If you’re elevating next week, then what was the issue with this week or last week or the week before that? So I think we have to go out there and continue to play assignment football. Play aggressive style the way we’ve been playing, things that have gotten us success in the past. But to take it another notch up, that notch should have already been done way back when training camp ended.”
(You’re on the few players who has played with Matt Moore when he was a starting quarterback. Describe his game. What do you remember from 2011?) – “Great football player. And not just playing with him as a starting quarterback. I’ve had the opportunity to chase him around even last week with practice reps and other drills that we do. I know he’s a great leader. He has a tremendous mind for the game. (He) throws the ball well. He manages the game. He does all the things you would expect a quarterback (to do). Obviously he’s a starter, so he has all the tools that he needs to be a productive player. No surprise that he went in there and did what he did, like I said, put us in position to win the game.”
(The weather conditions made for offensively a sloppy game. How do you guys like it on defense?) – “Ah, 85 (degrees) and sunny would have been nice. But, hey, that’s football. It is what it is. You can’t really predict that part of the game. It could be 85 and sunny. Next week it might be 20 and snowing. That’s just the nature of the business. But you have to go out there and put those conditions out of your mind and focus on your job. So whatever it is on offense, I’ve never been on that side, but I know we still play attack-style defense, whether it’s raining or snowing, or the sun is shining, 100 degrees. That’s just background noise for us. We’ve just got to do our job.”
(When the conditions are poor, you have awareness that the ball could be slipping out. There were fumbles left and right. Does that change how you play a little bit, with just awareness that the ball could be popping out?) – “Again, that’s something that we do, hopefully we do, whether it’s raining or not; but obviously today the ball popped out a few more times than probably normal. You definitely have to make sure that if it’s out, you want to get it, so the good guys will win. I like to think that guys are playing situational football. If it’s going to be out on the ground, let’s get it.”
(You guys were able to pretty much contain them for three quarters. What happened there in the fourth quarter where they were able to put some more points on the board?) – “I’m definitely looking forward to looking at the tape. I know we had a couple of penalties that kept the drives alive. I think that (those are) some of the little things that we have to clean up going forward. Every week we’re focusing on getting better. But the reality is, at the end of the day, you want to do whatever it takes to win. That was a drive that I’m sure some guys wish they could have changed some things; but when it mattered, guys went out there and did their job, three and out, and gave the offense the ball. They went down and they scored and we win.”
(Not to harp on it too much, but it seemed like that turnaround for them happened right after QB Ryan Tannehill’s injury. Did the team as a whole, did they need to refocus? Was it a shock that Tannehill was out?) – “Not to harp on it too much, I don’t know. That wasn’t the issue. Again, whether it was a shoelace, a knee, hamstring, guys go down all the time. We rotate guys and I think for the most part, like I spoke about earlier, Matt Moore is a guy who everybody on the team has played against, played with, whether it’s practice or otherwise. So, I don’t think that’s something that guys were focusing on too much.”
