Cameron Wake – October 16, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 16, 2016
Postgame – vs. Pittsburgh
Miami Dolphins DE Cameron Wake (transcribed by Ted Leshinski)
(Cam, defensively you guys made a lot of plays and put a lot of pressure on Ben Roethlisberger and caused a lot of problems for him, knocked him out of the game. How did you feel going into this one?) – “It started way back probably Tuesday evening, Wednesday. It started with good a plan from the coaching staff and the guys buying in. Everybody saying, ‘Listen, I’m going to do my part,’ not over complicating, not thinking about all the stuff going on but just beat your man. And if everybody does that individually, we should have a good day. It started from the top and coach put a good plan together and guys executed.”
(You got the start. You got more opportunities. Does that give you a better chance to get a feel of the game and to play a game to the level you want to play at?) – “Well, everything seems to be a little bit more fun when you win. I’ve been a guy who believes in the process, believes in the coaching staff. They told me that I’d probably get a little more action this week, with the situation of the game and the plan, and I just made sure I was prepared for it. Things kind of worked out to the benefit of everybody and it was fun being out there.”
(How do you build on this game and help it to benefit you going forward through the rest of the season?) – “Well, the process doesn’t change. Regardless of what happens on Sunday – whether you’re out there licking your wounds or celebrating – Sunday night, Monday afternoon-ish, that’s kind of where you’ve got to put everything behind you and move forward. So, of course the guys and everybody are feeling good about themselves and I told them to celebrate tonight, but tomorrow afternoon it’s time to move on to the next one. I know the guys will enjoy it. We got another one coming up soon so we’ll have to be ready.”
(It was a strange week. You start the week off with a couple of guys being released, changes being made. Did any of that affect the way you guys played going into this game?) – “I like to think that football is a game for men. Part of this game is you lose guys – whether it’s a shoelace, hamstring or business. We made some changes on the roster but again, that’s not new. That’s happened over and over again through the history of football and you have to know, ‘Hey, next man up.’ If that’s the situation, you’ve got to be ready. You’ve got to be ready to go and you’ve got to move on with the guys you have in the locker room. I think the guys we’ve got here know what’s expected of them and, of course, the guys went out and they played hard today on both sides of the ball.”
(Cam, what can you say about how your DB’s did back there? It seemed like they got into Antonio Brown’s head a little) – “Well, a pass rusher’s best friend is always the guys in the back end, so doing whatever they can do to help, the quarterback makes bad decisions or maybe throws the ball errantly; and up front we’re doing the same things, trying to help them out and today they played to the level that’s expected. It’s not surprising to me. It’s not something out of the ordinary. I think that’s the way we expect them to play, day-in and day-out. We’ve being saying it for weeks – (we have to) play complimentary football, whether its offense, defense, front end, back end, all around. That’s the only way you’re going to win. You can’t just have the DB’s playing great and the front line stinking up the place; or the offense playing great and the DB’s dropping the ball. It has to be all facets – front to back, side to side, playing together and that’s the way you win games.”
(Cam, off the ball on the snap it seemed like you were really fast, even more than usual. Did you feel like you timed it better?) – “I looked faster than usual? What do you think? I guess I ate my Wheaties this morning, I don’t know. (laughter) I just felt good going out there and getting after it. I’d have to go back and watch the tape to see if I agree or not. But again, just getting out there and getting into a rhythm. My number was called and just going out there and doing my best to help the team, that part was fun. Of course the win helps everything feel a little better, and I look forward to the next one.”
(We saw one of the Steelers defensive players late in the game throwing up on the field. Did you feel like they were gassed?) – “Was it hot? (Laughter) It felt like a beautiful summer day out there in South Florida. That’s kind of what we’re used to. I didn’t notice anybody throwing up. To me, it’s just another day in South Florida. We practice in this every day. We play in it every day. What’s the temperature in Pittsburgh? I have no idea. It’s probably autumn already up there. That’s just part of football. Later in the year, we’re going to be in places where it’s freezing cold and you’ve got to deal with the elements. But, again, I think that’s why it’s the greatest game in the world because there are so many other factors you’ve got to factor in. You’ve got to beat not just your opponent but the heat, or pain, or whatever it is. That is just the nature of this business. You’d have to ask them if they were gassed.”
(Cam, what part about the way the defense preformed today can fit into sort of the ideal identity of the group moving forward?) – “It’s just complimentary football. I spoke about it earlier; it’s about the front end and back end playing together. You can’t, like I said earlier, you can’t have DB’s playing their butts off and the front end dropping the ball. It doesn’t work that way. You’ve got to play together. For weeks we’ve been saying, ‘Hey listen, once we get this thing a full game, 60 minutes, front end, back end, offense, defense, playing together, playing complimentary, I think everybody will be happy with the outcome.’ Today, that’s something we did well and, again, it’s fun for now but we’ve got to make sure we move forward and continue to build off that and take it into the next one.”
(Do you believe in the idea of statement victories or signature victories, and if so, would this qualify?) – “A win’s a win. It’s hard to win in this league. I don’t care who it is. I don’t believe in a win like a statement – to who? To you? Oh well, it’s a win. It’s a game where every game, every time you got to go out there, you’ve got to fight, you’ve got to scratch, you’ve got to claw. So to me, every game’s a statement.”
(At the beginning of the season you seemed comfortable with the plan they had for kind of limiting you a little bit to get going. Do you feel physically ready now for your regular work load?) – “Regular is a relative term, I guess. I’m ready for whatever situation calls for my services. If it’s the way it was before, if it’s the way it was today. I know that the situation of the game or the plan for the week can change. That’s just the nature of this game. When my number is called, I’m going to go in there and do everything I can to help the team. I’ve been comfortable with that since the day I stepped on the field.”
