Wake eager to share wisdom with Harris
Veterans showed him the ropes 10 years ago, so he’s happy to teach.
No one from the Dol
DAVIE — phins had to ask Cameron Wake to take on a teaching role when they drafted defensive end Charles Harris last year. Not threatened by
the team spending a first-round pick on someone at his position, Wake was eager to be a mentor if
that’s what Harris wanted.
It’s hard to come up with a better role model for Harris than Wake, who is going into his 10th season and seems as dangerous as ever at age 36. It helps that he’s willing to take that on and do everything he can to help.
“I probably enjoy that (almost) as much as playing football,” Wake said. “There’s so much that you gain playing this game and being in the locker room and
just going through life as an NFL player that no teacher can teach you, no pamphlet, no seminar.
Most coaches don’t understand
and don’t know.
“You’d have to have been in the mix. A lot of the lessons I learned early on in my career were from guys who played 10-plus years in the league and said, ‘Listen, this is how you get to the quarterback. This is what to look for on Sunday. This is what to look for off the field. Don’t do this. This is how you’re going to get that second contract.’
“To me, I want to see everybody
rest of the team had just 19.5. Only five teams had fewer than Miami’s 30 last season, and that’s part of why oppos- win. I want you to make the ing quarterbacks lit up the most money, get the most Dolphins on a weekly basis. sacks.” “There were a lot of missed
Harris came in as the No. opportunities sometimes,” 22 overall pick last year and Wake said this week. “I’m played behind Wake and not a sack counter. I think Andre Branch. He finished you guys know that about his rookie season with two me. I honestly couldn’t even sacks, two pass breakups tell you where we ranked. I and 19 tackles. know as a defense and as a
Wake had another douteam, we didn’t get to where ble-digit year in sacks (his we should’ve.” third straight healthy season The Dolphins were count- doing so) with 10.5, but the ing mainly on the starting duo of Wake and Branch, which combined for 17 sacks the year before, as well as a significant contribution from Harris.
“If you look at the guys we had and our expectations, we weren’t there,” Wake said. “I just want to get everybody on the same page as far as winning the game on Sunday and us reaching our potential.
“Obviously potential to be at the top of the sack numbers should be there, but I think that comes with all of the other pieces of the puz- zle, whether it’s stopping them as fresh as possible. the run, third-down numWake, meanwhile, hasn’t bers, some things offenses decided what he’ll do when are going to do or not do. he retires, which could still All of that ties into what you be a long way off, but he’s get to do.” mentioned his love of coach-
This year, Harris is cur- ing a few times. As Harris rently slated to be a reserve continues his progression, again, but he could get a big- Wake will be there for him. ger opportunity. The Dol“Whatever you need, phins appear to be going whether on the field, off the with Wake and Robert Quinn field, anything, I am comas their starting defensive pletely open,” Wake said. ends, followed by Branch “I want to share that wisand Harris, but defensive dom because it’s not like I line coach Kris Kocurek said can go to other ( jobs) and the plan is to balance their tell them, ‘This is how you snap counts in order to keep do this pass rush,’ or, ‘This is how to work as an NFL player.’ I can only speak to a certain group who has the ability and who will be able to implement the things that I’m saying.
“It’s kind of that use it or lose it (mentality). I’m not going to take it with me and give it to anyone else. I’ve got to give it to the Charles Harrises of the world to hopefully apply the same way the Jason Taylors of the world (did) for me.”