Cameron Wake – December 24, 2016 (Postgame)
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Saturday, December 24, 2016
Postgame – at Buffalo
Miami Dolphins DE Cameron Wake (as transcribed by the Buffalo Bills)
Q: Cam the numbers might not look great for you defensively on that one, but it looked like a very aggressive game plan for you. How did you feel about the defensive performance?
A: Of course we wish we had a couple of plays that went differently but, the ultimate goal is to win the game. You had opportunities to go out there and make plays and we made them when it counted and we won. Of course we would love the stat sheet to be great but the only stat that matters is the W.
Q: What was the mentality you sensed from your guys coming into this one?
A: Leave it all on the field. Play for the guy on the left and the right. Do whatever it takes to win, no matter how long it takes; 60 minutes or a little longer like today. This one went a little longer, but like I said, we’ve been in battles- battle tested. We know how to win, so I don’t think it’s an accident. I enjoy it.
Q: You’ve never had a winning season, never been playoff bound, now you guys have done your part to be on the verge of being playoff bound, what is that feeling like?
A: I just enjoy winning. That’s the whole goal every week. Go in and win one game. That’s been our mindset from months and months ago so that’s no different. Each week go in there and do your job; that’s what feels good. I feel like all of the rest of that stuff will take care of itself as long as you do your job.
Q: You had a chase down on [Tyrod] Taylor coming from the opposite side late in the game, how much energy did you even have left at that point?
A: That’s the thing about this game: you never have energy left until the next play. The play before that didn’t have any energy, I’m sure the rest of the guys on the field felt the same way, but your brothers need you and you have to make a play and find it. That was this game. Every guy had strain, everyone had their fight. When you think you’re done, you look across the field and say “I need one more play from you” and you made that promise to go out there and get it done. It’s just the way this league us, if you don’t leave everything on the field you probably won’t win. It took every guy and I’m just myself. Every guy out there making plays and they counted for sure.
Q: You guys have played like 6 or 7 one score games and you’ve only lost like one of them this year. What is the key to winning a game that is so close that can go either way and that you come out on top most of the time?
A: It’s that one play. That’s the thing though, you never know when that play is going to be. You never know if it’s going to be that play where you chase down the Quarterback from the backside, you never know if it’s that 9 ball that you pass interfere on, you don’t know if it’s a batted ball- it might be the first play of the game, you just don’t know. So every play you have to play like this is the play and every guy has to be that way and when we’re doing that it’s going to be tough to beat us. My hats off to the guys on the other side of the ball. I’ve been getting up and talking about that for the whole season, playing complimentary football when it counted. The defense got on the field, off the field and got the ball to the offense and they went down and scored points. Every time I’ve mentioned that it’s been a formula for success. It would have obviously been great to go out there and win by 30 points but this is the NFL- the best players in the world and every time you step on the field you have to play. We went out there and knew it was going to be a battle and every guy fought and we won.
Q: This team hadn’t won here since 2011, and today you leave with a very important win. Do you shrug it off and say okay, we won or is it really meaningful for you?
A: It is meaningful, but so was last week, and the week before, and the week before that. It’s hard to win in this league, it takes everyone and it’s hard to win. Every week, every time we win, it’s important and very meaningful. Again, our whole goal is to be the one and I guarantee nobody was thinking about that stat. I didn’t even know it, but I don’t care. It’s about this play; win, put the ball down; win, win the game. So a lot of that stuff that other people make a big deal about, I guarantee it’s not about that, it’s about this play and the next play.
Q: Considering everything you’ve been through here, to see your team at a spot where there is something there to take and you do go take it, how do you feel about your teammates?
A: Like I said before, I enjoy winning. I’ll take a quote from somebody close to me that played here, “I hate losing more than I love winning,” so that’s always been the goal. I’m not a guy who is into looking ahead and the crystal ball and all that. Our goal is to go win one game and if we win this game we’re going to enjoy tonight, Merry Christmas and all that, and get back to work. That’s the entire goal. All the rest of that stuff is kind of irrelevant if you don’t do your job so your main focus should be on the task at hand.
