Northwestern University Athletics
Spring Practice: Day Three
4/2/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
April 2, 2009
Browne Talks with NUsports.com
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern endured its first spring practice with shoulder pads on Thursday as head coach Pat Fitzgerald and the Wildcats continue to ratchet up their intensity during the opening week of spring ball.
The change could especially be felt on the line of scrimmage, where sophomore Vince Browne figures to play a prominent role next season rushing the opposing team's passer and stopping the run as a defensive end. Last season Browne racked up 26 tackles and four sacks despite missing the final three games after suffering a leg injury.
With a number of fellow defensive linemen missing spring practice due to injury, Browne has been joined in the trenches this week by a host of young Wildcats who continue to improve with increased first-team reps. The native of Lisbon, Ohio, talked about this trend as well as his own recovery from injury and other topics with NUsports.com.
"Right now everything feels good, I'm not 100 percent yet but I'm getting pretty close and I should be 100 percent by the end of spring ball," Browne said. "I was limited a little bit with what I could do (in the offseason) but the whole defensive team got in the weight room and we all worked hard to improve."
The complete interview with Browne is available by clicking on the All-Access page on NUsports.com.
SPRING NOTES:
Former Northwestern offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar (2001-05) is in Chicago visiting and spent Thursday watching the Wildcats go through their 19-period practice. Dunbar, who most recently was the OC at Minnesota (2007-08), also will attend Saturday's 9:30 a.m. practice ... A reminder to Wildcat fans to register for the upcoming "Walk for Randy". It takes place at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 25, just prior to NU's spring game at noon ... Season ticket information for 2009 can be found here ... Northwestern Head Football Coach Pat Fitzgerald announced today that redshirt freshman Jeff Radek (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) has been dismissed from Northwestern's football team. Radek, a reserve offensive guard, was dismissed for team policy violations.
