Cameron Wake – December 28, 2018
Download PDF version
Friday, December 28, 2018
DE Cameron Wake
(Can you tell us about your move to cornerback?) – “(laughter) I’ve been figuring I could try to make some different plays out there, line up on some of these receivers and beat them up. (laughter) I’m just having fun. It’s the last technical padded day. I’m just enjoying the last few days with the guys.”
(Is there any possibility Sunday is your final NFL game, or do you already know in your mind, I’m playing next year?) – “Anything is possible, I’m sure.”
(But do you want to play next year, or is that a decision you have not yet made?) – “I would think that I’d probably be good to go next year.”
(And ideally here? I know you talked about it last week, but is that your preference?) – “I would like to be. It’s probably a little bit out of my hands, a little bit in my hands. So stay tuned, I guess.”
(Have the Dolphins given you or your agent any indication if they would like to retain you for next year?) – “At this moment, I would assume they would.”
(Quickly back to the number switch in practice, whose idea was that?) – “Mine. (Xavien Howard is) a little young. He hasn’t figured out some of the fun things that we do on the last day of practice yet, but I’m sure he’ll come along.”
(Why 25 and not somebody else?) – “He was the closest guy at the time and also, I mean, I’ve told you guys a lot that I love all my teammates equally but obviously a pass rusher’s best friend is good DBs. Obviously we play on the same side, we try to do our best work hand in hand. It’s just a little nod to the young fellow.”
(All of the metric sites would show that you’ve had a good year in terms of number of pressures, you’ve held up against the run. If your sack numbers aren’t at a certain threshold with the high standard you’ve had, can you be happy with your year personally? I know it’s all about team stuff, but talking about you, do your sack numbers have to be at a certain point, be it double figures or whatever, for you to be pleased with your year?) – “No. Again, I’ve always been a guy … I’m not a numbers guy. I’m a production guy and sacks are just one metric to calculate what that production is. Again, nobody writes stories about setting the edge, nobody writes stories about pressures, things like that. Sacks are sexy and they usually get the most recognition; but at the end of the day there’s a lot of things that go into being a defensive end. You’ve got to be able to do a lot of different things, and so whichever way the ball swings sometimes, your sack numbers aren’t there; but you have to do your best to be an all-around total football player and that involves a lot of things you spoke about, even some other things too.”
(Staying with the sexy part, the sacks, you’re approaching the 100 threshold. What does that represent to you?) – “It’s even an honor to even be speaking about this. Think about, again, the story has been told a lot of times, but to start from where I started, to get to even where I am now, I cherish that. I put a lot on that because … It’s something I definitely am looking forward to. I don’t know the numbers. You guys can look it up. I don’t know how many undrafted guys have gotten there. I don’t know how many guys spent a year out of football. I don’t know how many CFL guys have gotten there. But I do whatever I can every day to go out there and just fight and scratch and claw to do my job, and to be one of blank many guys to say they’ve had 100 or so sacks, to be mentioned with those names, that’s something special.”
(This week, Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke basically said that you decide when you go in and out of games. There’s been a big issue about how little you play, especially on stopping the run and with the defense struggling against the run. Why don’t you ply more?) – “I think there’s a lot that goes into it. For the most part, most veteran guys, especially on defense, we have the opportunity to get in or out of the game more or less when we need to. Of course there’s situations where the call dictates that. But there’s a, I guess, a sweet spot that you’re looking for, that I’m sure all players are. Too much and you’re diminishing your returns and not enough and you’re not getting the production you want. So you’ve got to find that sweet spot. If you play 80 plays, I’m sure at some point there’s a diminishing return on that. I don’t know where that number crosses over but you’re trying to find the best number. At the same time, I’m perfectly confident in the guys that are sparing each other. I think we’ve had maybe eight guys up? Nine? I don’t know. Anyway, we’ve got a lot of guys up that rotate through and whoever’s in the game, we – not only as a front but I would assume as a staff – all have confidence in whoever’s in there to make the play. So whoever’s in there should be very confident in making the play and I’m confident in that person doing the same. We’ve just got to find that sweet spot and everybody’s doing the same thing, front to back side.
(Would continuing to be a starter be important to you next year? Are you beyond the point where that makes any difference?) – “As you know, what was it, two years ago now where I wasn’t a starter? Again, it’s all about production. It’s about helping the team win. It’s about doing what’s best, again, for myself as well. I’ve come off the bench and hopefully I’ve been productive and I’ve again started for a season and I’d like to think I’ve been productive. So there’s a lot of ways to skin a cat. I’ve been here doing it for a while and hopefully I can continue.”
(Would it be important to end your career having played with just one organization?) – “If it makes sense, for sure. I think, again, there’s a lot of different details but I think that shows a mutual respect, from the player’s side to the organization and an organization’s side to the player to say, ‘Listen, we value you and we want to keep you in house.’ At the same time, they have a trust in the organization to say, ‘This is where I want to continue to fight and make a winning program more winning than it has been.’ So it, I think, goes both ways. It needs to be that cohesiveness in thought for it to continue to happen. So far we’ve been doing it. I would expect for that to continue.
(But one playoff run in 10 years? No frustration there?) – “Oh yeah, for sure. Definitely. There’s frustration every year. Today, I’m frustrated. I mean, look around this locker room. Look at all the name plates we have and what it takes, player-wise. Again, we’re what? One game out again? That is frustrating. But again, I have confidence, player to organization, organization to player to say, ‘Listen, we’re going to continue to fight and change things that have been happening.’ Obviously I’ve been around for a lot of it.
(You’ve seen a lot of change.) – “(Laughter). I’ve seen a lot of change. I’ve seen a lot, period. But I look around this locker room. I know we have the guys. It’s just, again, putting the pieces together in the right way to make sure that we don’t have this conversation next year, hopefully.”
