Cameron Wake – December 7, 2018
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Friday, December 7, 2018
DE Cameron Wake
(There is obviously satisfaction getting to any quarterback, but there is mutual respect with you and QB Tom Brady over the years. Any extra satisfaction even a little bit?) – “If there is extra, that means last week I was sandbagging. It can’t be one without the other. There is never any extra. I always give 100 percent; this week, next week and until I stop playing.”
(I read an interesting story on the Dolphins website. It was really well done. You mentioned in the story why you wore number 91. I never really knew that. Can you share that with us?) – “I wear number 91 … Obviously a lot of you guys know my story back when I was out of work. Some people don’t know that when NFL rosters were made for camp, they pick 90 players to play on the rosters. That means all 32 teams went through their available players and they picked 90 guys so at the minimum I was at least the 91st best player they could think of on every roster. Every day I sit and put that number on, I kind of remember that I was one of the guys on the outside looking in. it’s just a little moment of where you came from and keep you grounded. I treat every day as a blessing. Now I’m no longer the 91st guy but there was a time. I cherish every moment, good bad or otherwise and appreciate the blessings.”
(You’ve crossed paths with so many 91s though your career: guys who may make it or may not make it just on the verge. I’m sure they are constantly asking you for advice and encouragement. What’s one thing you always try to pass along to those ‘fringe’ guys?) – “You have to have belief in yourself. I go back along my path where I was working out in a local gym and of course guys are asking ‘What do you do and what are you in here for?’ I’d say, ‘Well, I’m working to be in the NFL.’ And they’d laugh at themselves. People who were supposed to be my fans, friends or family even, not believing in you. (They’d) say ‘Maybe you should give this up, or move on or try something else.’ If it’s something that you really believe in your heart, you have to believe it. At the same time, belief isn’t enough. Hope is not a strategy. I tell people all the time you have to go put in the work with whatever your craft is. It doesn’t have to be just football. Whatever it is, you have to put the time, energy and effort, the blood, sweat and tears as the cliché says. So when they do call and literally call and say you’re up, and want you to come out to training camp, which was Canada for me, I was ready to seize the moment. Those two things, the belief and the sacrifice to put in the work, so when your moment does present itself, you’ll be ready.”
(Besides the weather in northern cities, what difference do you notice in December football as opposed to the earlier months in the season?) – “Of course, all games count. That doesn’t really change. But whatever you have done or didn’t do, this is the month where you have to lay in the bed you made. Let’s say it that way. They’re meaningful games. Again, all games are meaningful; but these are the times where you can kind of separate yourself and create a postseason or otherwise. Again, it’s based upon a lot of things you maybe had done in the first game of the year. Who knows? This is where those games kind of stand out to say this is going to keep propelling us to our goal or you drop the ball and things go the other way. The weather for us doesn’t really change much. It’s a little cooler. It’s nice outside today, but the games are just as important.”
(It will be mid-80s on Sunday.) – “Beautiful. South Florida. We live in paradise unlike some others.”
(The challenges of getting to Patriots QB Tom Brady in the pocket, how would you describe his movement in there over the years?) – “Obviously, (he is) a veteran of the game. He knows where to be and when to be there. As a front, you have to do the same – know where to be and when to be there as well. Obviously, he’s getting the ball out, getting it to the playmakers and trying to do his best not to take a hit and it’s our task to do the complete opposite. Every week is a different challenge. One week it might be a guy who doesn’t want to get hit so he’s taking off running or this week it can be a guy who is getting the ball out of his hands. Our job doesn’t change. We have to affect the quarterback in any way possible.”
(Have you and QB Tom Brady ever exchanged words playfully after a play, either when you get to him or maybe where he escapes from you? Over the years, do you recall anything?) – “I’m sure there’s been something. We’ve come in contact a few times, but nothing that stands out.”
(Do you own QB Tom Brady’s cookbook?) – “I didn’t know he had a cookbook.”
(What is your pregame routine like as far as taking the field and stretching? How did you come up with it and how long have you had it?) – “I’ve had it since college, I guess. It’s kind of matured as I have. I don’t know if it’s anything dramatic but I’ve had it for a while. I guess every position is different. Every guy is different. It’s what you feel like you need to be ready to go out there and get that first snap. Some guys are playful and interact with the fans and enjoy the moment. Some guys kind of go in their own little bubble and focus on the job at hand. Everybody is different, so you’ll probably get literally 50 different versions for pregame warmups. For me, I kind of go in my own little bubble and just zone out and block out everything else and do the traditional stretching, a little warmup running, check the field, music. It’s just I guess more probably normal if that’s such a thing.”
(Do you take two laps around the field or just sit on the bench for a while?) – “I go to the same place every field we go to. I think I’ve been to every stadium except one at this point. I do the same stretch routine. I check the field in the same ways. I do sit on the bench. You take a little bit of I guess the calm before the storm before you go in and kind of strap on the pads and get ready. It’s been that way literally since college and will probably be that way until I stop.”
(When you’re checking the field, it’s just how the grass holds up, the different traction…?) – “Yes. Different traction, exactly. If it rained yesterday, will this surface provide me enough resistance when I’m turning a corner or when I’m brushing out of my stance? You basically put the stress on the field and your cleats to see if they hold up. Maybe I need to go longer, shorter. I can wear turf shoes; I can wear tennis shoes. It just depends on the surface. There’s been times where studs won’t go into the ground it’s so cold. There’s been games down here in South Florida where you need some long cleats because it rained last night or this morning. All the factors play into it. You just have to make sure you’re ready.”
(What’s the spot on the bench and what are you thinking?) – “I’m sitting on the middle of our bench, usually where the DBs … if you look at it from where the DBs … It could be reminiscing. It could be hatred of the player I’m about to play. It could be looking for you lovely guys. (laughter) It could be anything. It just depends on the situation.”
(From a pass-rushing standpoint, how nice will it be to go from a guy who is really tough to get a hand on to QB Tom Brady, who is a little bit more less mobile?) – “Well, all quarterbacks are tough. Again, like I said, if a guy takes off and runs, you don’t get him. If a guy throws the ball, you don’t get him. It’s two sides of the same coin. Whether they’re taking off and running or handing the ball off or throwing it, as a pass rusher, that’s … You’re not going to get the play. At the end of the day, we have to try to do what we can to be in the right place at the right time and work together as a front. I’m talking a front like with (our) linebackers. All of us have to work together. It’s not just the pass rush one guy thing. It has to be the whole unit or else you won’t be successful.”
(What kind of growth have you seen from T Laremy Tunsil in the last three years?) – “Well, it’s always good to see when guys come in, especially when they’re top picks because across – not just this team but across the league – you see guys come in and maybe they’re big-headed or they’re entitled or whatever the situation may be. Some guys come in and they just work hard and want to fit in. He’s a guy who I’ve noticed from the start, will keep his head down, do his job and does what he’s asked. He’s a guy who helps out the team as far as … I tell you guys all the time, as o-line and d-line, we hate each other sometimes, especially early on in camp; but it’s kind of a unit where we’re trying to help each other. ‘Don’t do this because a pass rusher is going to do that.’ Or they’re telling us ‘This will give a guy trouble if you do X, Y and Z.’ So bouncing ideas off of one another. As he’s obviously grown in his game, he’s been able to provide more and more feedback to guys and helping out. It’s a joy to see that. If you look around this locker room and mention other guys who started and grow in their path, I think he’s had a tremendous year. He’s had a tremendous career and I’m glad he’s on our side.”
