A part of Cam Wake still bleeds orange....

[David]

Great story from the National Post on the progress of a former Lion.

story here



A third teammate walked past with a Louis Vuitton suitcase trailing behind when someone complained about how cold it was in the dressing room, and about how Cameron Wake should be used to it, given the fact he was Canadian.

"No," Wake said, his breath visible as he spoke, "I was an 'import' up here."

The dressing-room door was open because the Miami Dolphins were filing outside to the team bus idling in the runway at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Wake had taken his time getting dressed and was slow to join his teammates, which is really the story of his career in the National Football League.

Wake was an import once because he was an American playing in the Canadian Football League. That is where he landed after slipping through the player-personnel files of every team in the NFL, and it was there, with the B.C. Lions, where he became a star.

He was named the CFL's outstanding defensive player in both of the seasons he spent in Vancouver, in 2007 and in 2008. Wake dominated the line of scrimmage and, by 2009, he was gone, snatched by the Dolphins, who gave him a US$1-million signing bonus.

Wake went to the Pro Bowl last season.

"I kind of went through the back door, the back road to where I'm standing," he said at his stall on Sunday, after helping Miami beat the Buffalo Bills. "There were no bells and whistles, no silver spoon or big contract. None of that. I came out, worked, scratched and clawed and every day I fight for this opportunity."

He had a sack on the fourth play from scrimmage on Sunday, dropping Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick for a 10-yard loss. He finished tied with a game-high six tackles as the Dolphins earned a 30-23 win to lift themselves out of last place in the AFC East.

Wake is playing through the four-year, US$4.9-million deal he signed after leaving the Lions, but he has not lost touch with his former team. He said a handful of Lions players visited Miami after their Grey Cup win last month, and said he has been in contact with new head coach Mike Benevides, who was defensive co-ordinator when Wake patrolled the line in Vancouver.

"I congratulated him and he congratulated me on the success we've had," Wake said with a smile. "Those guys had an amazing, amazing run. I kind of followed it behind the scenes, but my hat's off to those guys. I'm so proud of them."

He also had praise for Wally Buono, who handed the reins over to Benevides by retiring as a head coach after the Lions beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for the CFL title.

"How else to do it, but on the way out, on top of everything?" Wake said. "Obviously, [Buono's] the guy who gave me my opportunity to get back into football. I probably wouldn't be standing here right now without him. And coach [Benevides] was a humongous part of my success while I was up there, and seeing him take over the head coaching job, it's good things all around."

Wake plays outside linebacker in Miami, where he has a team-leading 7½ sacks in his third full season. He was fined US$15,000 for a hit on Oakland Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer earlier this month - almost as much as the bonus paid to Lions players for winning the Grey Cup last month ($16,000).

"I think he's enjoying himself in Miami, but there's probably a little special part of his heart set aside for Canada," veteran Dolphins linebacker Jason Taylor said. "He talks about it quite often."

Has the time he has spent in the NFL provided any further perspective on how Wake might have slipped under the NFL's radar?

"It happens all the time," Taylor said. "It's not an exact science and personnel guys aren't the end-all, be-all. Unfortunately, he had to take a tough route to get here, but we're glad he's here. And he's very, very deserving of being here - and there's a lot of guys that he should have been here in front of, but he never let that get him down."

sfitzgerald@nationalpost.com

twitter.com/SeanFitz_Gerald

[Gerry]

Good read. Thanks, David.

[MexicoLionFan]

Awesome article David, thank you...

I still bleed Cam Wake...his BC Lions photo is still my desktop on my Windows based computer...now that's saying something...

He's a great person and a great player...his time here will never be forgotten...

[Rammer]

Wake is one classy individual who has been given an opportunity to prove to himself, just how good he can be. Too bad for the Lions that his talent far outreached a life term in a Lions jersey. He has set a standard that most DE's will be measured by now, and even when they are very good, they will have a difficult time displacing the legend of Wake's time in black and orange.

[TheLionKing]

Ex CFLers who went to the NFL has never forgotten where they got their start. Doug Flutie, Joe Thiesman, Warren Moon, Cameron Wake, etc.

[WestCoastJoe]

Thnx, David.

I recall Cam Wake exploding onto the scene with 3 sacks in his first game. Obviously no fluke. And he never let up all year or the next.

So much energy. So much fun. Great with the fans.

God bless him.

I never thought of it before, but he looks a little bit like Michael Strahan.

In the picture, one can see the absolute joy of playing ... like a giant kid ...

[Tighthead]

Two enduring thoughts on Wake's play:

1. Most dominant CFL defender I have ever seen.

2. Most held defensive lineman I have ever seen, any league. In his second year, guys were waterskiing behind him with no calls. I know not all holds get called, but it was crazy.

[Rammer]

Two enduring thoughts on Wake's play:

1. Most dominant CFL defender I have ever seen.

2. Most held defensive lineman I have ever seen, any league. In his second year, guys were waterskiing behind him with no calls. I know not all holds get called, but it was crazy.

I hold to your comments on point number 2. For a hold to be called in season two for Cam Wake, it would have to be a takedown and with his strength that just didn't happen often.

[joe kapp22]

Cam used to look like Strahan, but he got the gap fixed in his teeth.

He did a live chat with Dolphins fans on the teams radio program, you could tweet him questions and when the host mentioned BC had won the Cup he sort of raised both hands and shook them like "the champ", he clearly enjoyed that we had won the Cup.

Also thought the new stadium looked awesome.

[almo89]

I love the bit where Jason Taylor says he talks about playing in Canada quite a bit. Wake understood that he's still playing football because of the opportunity Wally gave him. He definitely doesn't have the big ego that some NFLers have.

[geroy_simon_081]

I've always liked Cam Wake because of how humble he is. This isn't the first article where he's displayed genuine appreciation for Canada and the CFL. Definitely a class act all around. Generally I'm indifferent about players after they leave the CFL, but Cam Wake is one of the players I'm really glad to see is succeeding down south.

Him and Brandon Browner are a couple of great examples and champions in the NFL of the caliber of player playing in our league.