Film Room: How Cam Wake helped the Dolphins shock the Patriots
Tom Brady sulked in the end zone. He’d taken another hit.
This time, Miami Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake rushed unblocked and drilled his ribs, planting him in the grass. Brady’s legs were flat on the field and his hands rested in between them. His back slightly hunched. His body seemingly despaired.
Brady shook his head in frustration and looked to his offensive line, but only one blocker looked back to check on him. The others stood with their backs turned and looked around confused. Dumbfounded. Eventually, a referee came over, extended his left arm and, with his help, Brady slowly arose.
Brady was slow to get up multiple times in Week 1. He’d been sped up and beat up by Wake all day. Whenever Brady dropped back, he hurried to climb the pocket, reset his feet and get rid of the ball.
The pressure forced Brady to use his biggest weakness, his feet. He slid forward, left and right in the pocket. And when he couldn’t escape, Wake drilled him time after time. The 32-year-old pass rusher racked up two sacks, two hurries and two quarterback hits, according to Pro Football Focus. It seemed like a dozen, like he was there every drop-back.
Wake was relentless like always. He has the best motor in the NFL. He played 64 snaps against the Patriots, rushing inside, outside, around and through the right tackle. To compound it, he mixed his rush like an elite pass rusher always does, coming at the tackle with different moves.
Late in the second quarter, he patiently came off the line of scrimmage and analyzed the right tackle’s technique. The tackle had his hands at his hips and stood tall, his feet wide. Chest exposed. A rookie mistake by a veteran. Wake squared his shoulders parallel to the line with a long left stride and raised his pads, too. Then he abruptly shocked the tackle’s chest with heavy hands and grabbed his jersey, pulling on it as he lowered his pads.
Wake jumped outside off of his right foot and dragged the tackle with him before plunging toward the grass. His body leaned inside like the Colts’ Robert Mathis often does. The tackle’s was bent over. Wake turned the corner and drilled Brady in the abdomen as he threw the ball.
The early pressure from Wake wasn’t a surprise. Since 2009, he’s totaled 41 hits and hurries in 14 games against the Patriots, according to Pro Football Focus. He’s also added nine sacks because he’s frequently the first to move and the last to finish. His explosiveness makes it difficult to keep up with him around the corner, especially when he’s sinking his shoulder or when he’s converting speed to power.
With less than 10 minutes to go in the fourth quarter, the Patriots came out in a split backfield. One of the tailbacks was lined up to the formation’s right, where Wake was.
At the snap, the tackle bent his waist as he mirrored Wake’s steps. Outside. Inside. Outside. Inside. The near tailback barely chipped Wake, letting him continue forward with powerful steps through the tackle. He extended his right arm forward like he was grabbing the tackle by his throat and hand-fought the tackle’s right hand with his left. With his pads becoming lower and his arms becoming stronger, Wake knocked the tackle off-balance. Another second and Brady would’ve been flattened again.
What makes it hard to block the former CFLer is not his speed or power or moves, but his suddenness. He converts speed to power abruptly and when you least expect it. He’s able to fold angles like Rams defensive end Robert Quinn and instantly sacks the quarterback. They can run from him for only so long. Eventually, Wake swoops in and strikes, wrapping his long and thick body around them, suffocating and stripping them of all they have.
Three minutes left in the fourth quarter and Wake has had enough. He wants the quarterback, the ball, the game. It’s fourth-and-10, and he’s ready to strike.
He explodes forward and sticks his shoulder inside to freeze the tackle. To bait him. After that long left stride again, he accelerates as he slaps the tackle’s hands down. The tackle gets a last-second push wide of the pocket, but Wake plants off his left foot, bends his knees and coils his frame.
Brady doesn’t see him. He’s looking downfield for someone – anyone – to get open. Wake dives forward and strikes the ball out of Brady’s hand as he brings him down for his second sack en route to a Dolphins victory.