Undrafted out of Penn State in 2005, Wake toiled in the Canadian Football League for two seasons before the Dolphins discovered him.
View full size"Literally two years ago I'm sitting on the couch watching the games on Sunday," recalled Miami linebacker Cameron Wake, "and every game I'm watching and I'm going, 'you know what, I can do that. I'm just as big, as fast, as strong, or I played with him, or I played against him.'"MIAMI, Fla. -- The Browns' offensive line might get a Wake-up call Sunday in Miami.
As in Cameron Wake, the lightning-quick pass-rusher for the Dolphins who leads the AFC with 10.5 sacks.
"The casual fan probably doesn't know who he is, but certainly all the players in the NFL know who he is, especially guys who try to block him," said Browns left tackle Joe Thomas. "He's definitely on everybody's radar screen right now because of how well he's playing. He's probably playing better than almost anybody getting to the quarterback right now. He's very impressive."
Most folks have never heard of Wake, because he was undrafted out of Penn State in 2005 and toiled in Canadian Football League for two seasons before the Dolphins discovered him in January of 2009.
"It's a crazy story I guess," Wake said on a conference call. "Literally two years ago I'm sitting on the couch watching the games on Sunday, and every game I'm watching and I'm going, 'you know what, I can do that. I'm just as big, as fast, as strong, or I played with him, or I played against him.'"
Wake (6-3, 250 lbs.) was signed by the Giants as an undrafted rookie in 2005, but never even made it to training camp, getting cut in June. He then tried a real job, but hated it.
"I had a 9-to-5," he said. "I was mortgage broker and a personal trainer. On my breaks, I was checking stats and stuff when I should've been making calls and crunching numbers. It just wasn't in my heart. Football was in my heart and I did everything I could to get back on that field and my first opportunity was in the CFL. I did everything I could to play my heart out and had a couple of good years up there."
Wake, who ran a 4.55 at the 2005 NFL combine, spent two years with British Columbia, recording 39 sacks and earning Defensive Player of the Year awards in 2007 and 2008. After 2008, the Rams, Saints, Bills, Vikings and Dolphins expressed interest, and he landed in Miami.
"It's been a really good marriage," said Dolphins coach Tony Sparano. "This guy is growing into a pretty good football player."
Wake started off with a bang, earning 5.5 sacks as a rookie last season. This season, the only NFL player with more is Green Bay's Clay Matthews with 11.5
"He's going to be a great challenge for us on both sides," said Thomas. "He's very fast, quick off the ball. He gets up field and makes guys turn their shoulders. He's also strong and uses good leverage. He'll make you think he's going around you, turn his shoulder and try to run you over. It's kind of surprising he fell through the cracks for a few years. I don't know how you don't look at a guy like that and just give him a shot for a year."
Quarterback Jake Delhomme is gearing up for him.
"When he's in their sub-package, he gets down in his sprinter's stance like he's running the 100-meter dash and he comes popping out of there."
Eric Mangini never heard of Wake before his CFL days. "But I know him now though," he said.
So will plenty of other folks if he realizes his boyhood dream of making the Pro Bowl.
"To be named an all-star in this league, I can't even explain the kind of honor that is," he said. "Literally two years ago I was sitting out of football and doing everything I possibly could to scratch and claw and chase that dream. I really think it would mean more to me than to people who haven't had that struggle."