Cameron Wake - A big leap forward - by Mike Beamish

[WestCoastJoe]

A big leap forward

Up for two awards in his rookie year, Cameron Wake dreams of even better things

Mike Beamish Vancouver Sun Wednesday, November 21, 2007

The great leaper felt like a leper.

When he was out of football all last year, Derek Wake, as he is known to his family, would look at NFL games on TV and wonder why he wasn't playing in them. He looked like an NFL player, he hit like an NFL player -- and he jumped out at you like a baller from the NBA.

At 6-31/2, the first-year B.C. Lions defensive end can dunk a basketball flat-footed. Wake's vertical leap of 471/2 inches was the second highest of all the participants at the 2005 NFL combine, an evaluation camp for potential draft picks. Indeed, he enrolled at DeMatha Catholic high school in Hyattsville, Md. -- recognized by Sports Illustrated as the No. 2 high school athletic program in the U.S. -- for its basketball.

Wake started out as a centre, but he was switched to small forward and shooting guard by the 10th grade. Still, he found himself on the bench because a couple of talented seniors -- Joe Forte and Keith Bogans -- were ahead of him. So Wake turned to football. Forte and Bogans received college scholarships and were later drafted by NBA teams.

"That's why I started playing football," Wake says. "Now, I don't know any football league where I don't think I could play. CFL, Arena League, NFL, wherever it is. I think there are people in every league who aren't as big and as strong and as fast or as athletic. Why couldn't I be put in those situations, too?"

The former Penn State linebacker asked himself those questions over and over in 2006, when he was out of football and working as a mortgage specialist at a Maryland bank. There, he went by his middle name, Cameron, because Wake felt it sounded more "business-like."

"Last year was a real downer for Derek," recalls his father, Alvin Wake Jr., who'll be at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto on Thursday evening when tuxedo-ed Cameron Wake completes an exhilarating rebirth as a football player, except for an important qualifier. He won't be playing for the Grey Cup on Sunday.

Wake is a slam dunk to win the rookie of year category at the Rogers CFL Player Awards and could possibly double up as the league's most outstanding defensive player.

"I think he did have a lot of frustration, it's true," adds Alvin Wake. "A lot of guys he was rated in front of got drafted, and continued to play in the NFL. He would think, 'I'm better than this guy, I'm better than that guy. I should be out there.' As a parent, I encouraged him to make moves to make it happen."

Signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2005 but later released, Wake attempted to steer out of his rut by driving this spring to a Lions' free-agent camp at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Actually, the tryout was being held at Hampton University in Virginia, three hours' drive away, and Wake's agent had given him the wrong information. The player was shocked. He thought he'd blown his chance.

The Lions, however, were the ones left wide-eyed. B.C. player personnel director Bob O'Billovich watched Wake's college tapes at his home theatre in Oakville, Ont., and issued him an invitation to the team's 2007 training camp.

Though he now wears No. 91, Wake, for a brief period at Lions camp, was issued No. 99, the number formerly worn by the man he was trying to replace, Chris Wilson. The latter signed a free-agent contract with the Washington Redskins in January and backs up six-year NFL veteran Andre Carter, a former first-round draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers, at right defensive end.

"The guys started kidding me that I wasn't as fast as Chief [Nautyn McKay-Loescher, who wore No. 91 last season for the Lions] and all I heard through camp was 'Chris Wilson this, Chris Wilson that,'" Wake says. "The guys were obviously still thinking about Chief and Chris, so I had to stand out. I had to come and dispel the notion that I couldn't be as good as Chris. I didn't want to be the weak link."

Wake's league-leading 16 sacks --he tacked on another five in Sunday's West Division final, a CFL single-game playoff record -- and team-best 69 tackles have made any initial misgivings seem absurdly ridiculous. And if his rebound curve continues its steep ascent, he can start thinking about another NFL shot in his option year following the '08 CFL season.

"Believe me, I'm rooting for Chris Wilson to do well," says Alvin Wake, a Redskins' fan. "I'm very encouraged by that. It says a lot for the CFL. It lets CFL guys know they can play with guys in the NFL."

Cameron is too smart to make any wild predictions. Only 25 -- he is six months older than Wilson -- he was just looking to regain some momentum from a career stall when he came to B.C. Given that the 3-4 defence, relying on quickness and athleticism, has been gaining popularity in recent years, however, it wouldn't be a jaw-dropping surprise to see him back in the NFL at some point.

"I think, one day, I'll be more successful than what I'm doing," Wake says. "Whether it's four or five years down the line in the CFL, or the NFL, wherever it is, I'm just going to make the most of this opportunity."

That's why he'll be in a tuxedo Thursday, probably clutching a pair of trophies, with a look of destiny about him, completing a splendidly resurgent season, though the prize that matters most remains beyond his grasp.

[WestCoastJoe]

What a pleasant surprise this guy was.

Worried about replacing Chris Wilson? Not anymore.

Cameron Wake is an amazing athlete, highly motivated, and very skilled at his position. We will be fortunate in B.C. if we keep the NFL's hands off of him. If he gets that opportunity, more power to him.

Not only a great athlete, but a friendlier, more cheerful guy you will not encounter.

IMHO he deserves the top defensive player award, in addition to the top rookie, for which he should be a shoo-in.

[Soundy]

And he's got that great vertical...

[WestCoastJoe]

And he's got that great vertical...

Great picture, Soundy. Thanks.

2 blockers on Brent Johnson. I expect the former best defensive player of the year saw a lot of that this year.

[Rick James]

My sources in T.O. tell me he won Walby's Warrior award. Congrats Cameron. Enjoy the new truck.

[Rammer]

Tr(y)fector in Camerons case, with the Walby Warrior and the RoY and MODP, he will at least come away from Grey Cup week a little less depressed on the final game result for the Lions.

[nelson95]

Ain't Wake's fault they aren't there

[kidder]

It took me over 24 hr.s after leaving the game to finally decide to watch it, as I had recorded it @ home also, and was very happy that I did (as it was a coin toss as to wether I'd just delete it as I was so pissed with the outcome). I saw a lot of things that I had missed or had not fully appreciated @ the game live, and the biggest thing was the over all play of Cameron Wake. Here's hoping we can keep him in Orange, for MANY year's to come. What a talent.

[TheLionKing]

Chris who ?

[Vern Halen]

Yep - I would have to agree - he's one scary-good player. It's great for the Lions - it's nice to have players of his caliber in the CFL.

[Tighthead]

I think Wake will get some serious looks from NFL teams as an OLB in a 3-4 set up. If you can get to the passer, there is a job for you.

[OrangeShoes99]

Yep Wake is Warrior of the Year....Here I am presenting him with the keys to his new rig.

[Soundy]

I'd be sayin', "Oops, sorry Cam, dunno where the truck is... musta been some mixup..."

[Rammer]

NIce picture OS99, next time can you get one with both of you doing the vertical leap together?

[joesports]

Wake's league-leading 16 sacks --he tacked on another five in Sunday's West Division final, a CFL single-game playoff record -- and team-best 69 tackles have made any initial misgivings seem absurdly ridiculous. And if his rebound curve continues its steep ascent, he can start thinking about another NFL shot in his option year following the '08 CFL season.

Thankfully he's ours for at least another year.