The Dolphins Make Me Cry.com - Forums

When I look at Cameron Wake, he reminds me of a Hall Of Famer.

49er Fred Dean.

Fred Dean was so quick, it was just unbelievable. he had a powerful first step.

I'm not saying that Wake is a HOF but he has the same tools that Fred Dean had.

I read somewhere that Bill Walsh said that the key to the winning the first couple of Super Bowls was to get a pass rusher and when the Chargers would not pay Dean, SF picked him up and the rest is history.

The way that Wake gets around the corner is just freakish. He's also added a bull move and I know that Jason Taylor is working with him on some other moves. Wake CAN play the run. If you look at his highlights on YouTube, he plays the run well. He just isn't in on running plays that much.

If there is any move that really helps the Dolphins for the next three years, its the signing of Cameron Wake. Why the Giants cut him and didn't see his potential before he went to the CFL is beyond me but hey, they were stacked at the time on the d-line.

If the Dolphins want to make a bold move this offseason, jettison Joey Porter or trade him to a team that needs one more piece added to the puzzle, and elevate Cameron Wake to being an every down OLB.

Wake is a younger JT, I don't know if he's as good against the run yet as you would want in an every down player.

Damn straight.  He ended the last two games with sacks and he's consistently being held.  It's kind of like when Porter picked up a few trash sacks last year, but Wake's potential is evident.  I don't see JP being consistent enough to keep Wake on the bench much longer.

That can be worked on this offseason.  When JT first came into the league, he had problems stopping the run or dropping into pass coverage.

Certainly that is a concern, but I think dropping into pass coverage is the real challenge.  The good news is they have lots of time this offseason to work on it.

I loved Fred Dean, and while I really like what Wake has been doing (and his potential for even more growth), I can't compare the two like that. I think Wake is a good bit stronger (and heavier) than Dean was during his playing days, but still carries his weight very well. I am pretty sure that Dean was a much dirtier player than Wake is, though that might only be because I haven't heard people talk about Wake. Fred Dean would poke your eye out, chew your arm off...anything he could get away with.

Do we honestly think Wake is that much of a bigger concern in coverage than Porter is? I never considered Porter anything special in that area. I don't think there is much difference so why the concern?

I don't know about pass coverage, but I think Wake is just as good against the run.  Somebody needs to teach him a spin move from outside to in once he's gone past the QB.

Wake can be taught all of these things, I'm more concerned about him against the run for two reasons,

1.  He played in the CFL.  CFL teams don't run the ball that much like NFL teams do, mostly because they only have 3 downs.
2.  He's probably going to replace the rush linebacker (think Lawrence Taylor/Joey Porter is the relevant example in this defense) who almost never drops into coverage and whose main responsibility is rushing the passer.  Charlie Anderson will probably end up being the starter on the other side if I go by who we have on the roster right now.