FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Fortunately for Patriots offensive tackle Nate Solder, he can leave work at the office.
Otherwise, the rookie might be suffering from sleep deprivation, battling his way through weekly nightmares as game day approached with the likes of superlative pass-rushers Tamba Hali, Dwight Freeney, Robert Mathis, Brian Orakpo, Ryan Kerrigan and Elvis Dumervil taking ferocious aim at New England quarterback Tom Brady.
This week it's going to be Miami Dolphins linebacker Cameron Wake, who will be a major focus of New England's pass protection for Saturday's 1 p.m. ET game at Gillette Stadium. Wake has been credited with 7½ sacks this season, giving him 27 in his three years in the league.
"I try not to have any dreams about it," said Solder with a slight smile Wednesday. "I try to get all my work done here [in preparation for the game] with practice and watching film."
At least this week, Solder has some personal experience to draw upon when it comes to Wake.
The Patriots played Miami in the season opener, which also marked Solder's NFL debut. The Pats had made him their top pick (17th overall) in the 2011 draft after a standout career at Colorado. Wake registered one sack in that game, a 38-24 New England victory in Miami, but it did not come at Solder's expense.
And while Wake isn't the Dolphins' only solid pass rusher, he is their most dangerous. So Solder and his offensive linemates will be well aware of where Wake is lining up.
"I certainly knew of him [before the first game]," said Solder, a 6-foot-8, 319-pounder. "I knew he was an amazing player. He's really quick, has great moves and is a really good athlete."
Solder, though, is now better able to know what to expect from pass rushers, thanks to, he says, tutelage from line coach Dante Scarnecchia, his teammates and his own personal experiences.
"One of the things I've been learning is that you have to be ready for [a great pass rusher or two] every week," Solder said. "That's so different from college. Here everyone has elite pass rushers. But we do a lot of studying."
Solder, who also has been asked to play as an extra tight end on occasion, has impressed 12-year veteran guard Brian Waters.
"He's a very good player, but one of the things I like about him is that he still has things to learn, and he knows he has things to learn," Waters said.
Waters, meanwhile, has seen a lot in his time in the league. While the Pats have been playing against some exceptional pass rushers lately, he answered simply when asked if anyone has shown him anything new.
"Not really," said Waters, who signed with the Pats just before the regular season and quickly became a fixture on New England's line.
"They come with basically what you'd expect, but that's not to say they aren't great players. When teams are looking for [defensive] players [in the draft] they're looking for speed rushers, guys who can get to the quarterback. They want the best players to get to the quarterback," he said.
Wake, agrees Waters, is one of those special players.
"Wake is an explosive football player," said Waters, a 6-3, 320-pounder. "He's quick off the ball, comes after you trying to get to the quarterback, puts a lot of pressure and hits on the quarterback. He's dangerous. I feel sorry for the tackles because it seems like every week we're playing the best players in the league."
The tackles, notably Solder, Matt Light and Marcus Cannon, are entrusted with forcing the outside rushers to move wide past Brady without getting a hand on him. That doesn't always work according to plan, notably Dumervil's bone-crushing sack of Brady last week in Denver.
The Pats, though, have given up only 24 sacks this season, keeping Brady relatively unscathed through the first 14 games of the season.
"That's certainly our responsibility," Solder said.
And it will be again Saturday, no matter what havoc Wake and his pass-rushing teammates try to cause.
Steven Krasner is a frequent contributor to ESPNBoston.com.