Last year Northwestern football coach Francis Peay broketradition by naming quarterback Greg Bradshaw as the team captain.This year it's back to business as usual. The Wildcats opened fall practice Friday with Peay announcingcaptains would be chosen game by game, as they were in his first twoseasons as coach. The team's four fifth-year seniors - quarterbackTim O'Brien, tight end Bob Griswold, offensive tackle Derrill Vestand wide receiver Randy McClellan - will be listed as quad-captains.
"Greg stood out so far above the others last year," Peay said."He served as an example. Leadership is a difficult position toplace anyone in, and he did it quite well."
Bradshaw was also a fifth-year senior, but his heir-apparent,O'Brien, isn't assured of a starting job, although Peay said he wouldtake the first snap in practice. O'Brien took the unusual stance,for a Northwestern athlete, of declining interviews with the media atthe annual press day festivities. His primary competition for thestarting quarterback job will come from sophomore Kevin Krebs, whowas redshirted last season.
"Notre Dame selects its captain at the end of the previousseason, and I'd love to be able to do that," Peay said. "I don't wantthe captain selected on a popularity basis."
Dan Freveletti was the most notably changed among the playersreturning. He bulked up from 245 pounds to 269 after making theswitch from inside linebacker to nose guard in spring drills.
"He had a tremendous weight problem as a linebacker," Peay said."He's like Hercules unchained now."
Freveletti will be a key to improvement for the Wildcats, whowere 2-8-1 last season. "Our offense has performed well the lastthree years," Peay said. "Our defense has been suspect. No questionour defense has to improve for us to improve as a team."
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