Notes from Northwestern practice: August 19

- Stephen Buckley was out there in full pads. His left leg was heavily braced, but he was bouncing around pretty well even though he didn't participate in every drill.

- A scout from the Kansas City Chiefs attended practice.

- Chris Gradone punted today and, it can confidently be said that the jugs machine that was the MVP of Saturday's practice, was not needed. In other words, he looked pretty good punting.

- Miles Shuler looked a little different sporting his new No. 5 jersey at practice.

- Christian Salem, who projected as Northwestern fifth-string quarterback, was not wearing the customary purple jersey sported by the signal-callers. He was wearing No. 21 and a white (offense) jersey. He worked with both the quarterbacks and the wide receivers.

- In the middle of practice, the team split up into two segments. One group (wide receivers, defensive backs, Zack Oliver and Matt Alviti) did one-on-one drills on the outside. Alviti looked really sharp with his throws. The were both accurate and on time for the most part. Oliver looked a little loose, throwing behind receivers and even tossed an interception. Shuler also worked well on the outside. He should be effective establishing himself underneath while mixing in some double moves, utilizing his speed to beat corners down the field.

- The other (both lines, linebackers, running backs, Trevor Siemian and Clayton Thorson) worked running the ball inside the tackle box. Treyvon Green excelled, using his quick feet to make defenders miss in small areas. Warren Long and Justin Jackson, two of Northwestern's other backs with the ability to run between the tackles also looked shifty and hit the hole with some burst.

- Defensively, the defensive backs and linebackers looked strong, containing the offense and forcing Siemian to often use his check downs. At one point, the defense started chanting "Check down Trevor!"

- Fitzgerald said that the competition between Jimmy Hall and Drew Smith at outside linebacker isn't necessarily for a starting role. He said that depending on the opponent, situation, etc. both players will see plenty of time on defense.

- Toward the end of practice, Green hurt himself during 11-on-11 drills. It looked like a lower body injury. Following practice, Green seemed to be walking pretty well with no visible impairment.