NU's Kadela winding down in style

Adam Kadela is breaking the rules.

Football players aren't supposed to look ahead, count the remaining games, and acknowledge that, yes, their careers will end. They are ageless and invincible, firm in their belief that there always will be another Saturday.

But Kadela, a fifth-year senior middle linebacker at Northwestern, won't live in denial.

Well, maybe just a little.

"I'm reaching a point now where this is what I've worked for my entire life," Kadela said. "It's about to come to an end. What am I going to do? I can't think about it. I've not reached that crisis stage yet, but I'm really thinking, 'You've got to make the most of this.' "

He has done so recently, stringing together the best three-game stretch of his career. The spate has featured 37 tackles (2 for loss, 1 sack), an interception and 2 pass deflections, one of which led to an interception.

The 6-foot-3, 240-pound Kadela is tied for fourth in the Big Ten in tackles with 92 and has made 10 or more stops four times this year after doing so just three times in his first three-plus seasons. His stretch-run splendor has stood out on a team that needs a boost to secure a bowl berth.

The Wildcats host Iowa on Saturday (11 a.m., ESPN2).

"I'm seeing everything come together for him," NU coach Pat Fitzgerald said.

Added Kadela: "I've played with a greater sense of urgency. That's what it takes."

During the league's media sessions in August, Kadela, a co-captain, spoke at length about the pain of discipline vs. the pain of regret. The concept originated from former college coach Bill Curry and was passed down to Kadela by former NU coach Randy Walker.

Kadela knew which pain he would choose.

"I wanted to look back after this year and have no regrets on my effort," he said.

Before this season, Kadela didn't have a say over what type of pain he would endure. After a promising start to the 2004 season, he broke his leg and sprained his MCL in the third game and received a medical hardship.

Hip and hamstring injuries limited him for much of the 2006 season, when he returned to middle linebacker after playing strong-side backer in 2005. It wasn't until this fall that he reached full strength.

"I feel my legs, my knee's not hurting, I'm not nervous about pulling my hamstring or my hip flexor being tweaked," he said. "You don't feel so much at a disadvantage."

Kadela's football roots run deeper than most players'.

His father, Dave, played tackle at Michigan, lettering in 1977. Older brother Dave Jr. starred as a right tackle at Virginia Tech before playing six NFL seasons with Atlanta, Jacksonville and Carolina.

"His brother and I, we had our hands in the dirt," Dave Sr. said. "God blessed him with a little more speed and athleticism."

Growing up in the Columbus suburb of Dublin, Ohio, Kadela's friends included former Notre Dame and current Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn, with whom he began playing football in the fifth grade.

Kadela and Quinn played high school ball with the Ndukwes: Ike, a former guard at Northwestern who now plays for the Baltimore Ravens, and Chinedum, a former safety at Notre Dame who plays for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Kadela served as a captain for both the football and lacrosse teams in high school.

"I was surrounded by guys who worked hard and wanted to do great things," Kadela said.

Kadela has done so both on and off the field.

In September he was named to the American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team, which honors players for their work with charities and community-service organizations.

Kadela, the only Big Ten player named to the team, volunteers for the American Cancer Society Generation Fit Program, speaking to elementary school students about the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

He also assembled a team of football players for the NU Relay for Life, an event that raises money for cancer research.

Such virtue merits the question: Is Kadela too nice to play linebacker? His high school coach, Mark Crabtree, sometimes wondered.

"He'd see me in the training room reading because I read a lot," Kadela said. "He was like, 'Man, most schools have a middle linebacker who's crazy, a headhunter, foaming at the mouth. I've got freaking Kadela sitting in the training room reading Lord of the Rings.' "

Kadela remembers his dad telling stories of being so geeked before Michigan games that teammates had to slam his head against the lockers. But Dave Sr. learned to appreciate the calm demeanor embraced by both of his sons.

"They said the same stuff about Mike Singletary," Dave Kadela said. "Nicest guy in the world off the field."

When Fitzgerald was NU's linebackers coach, he would see Kadela and fellow nice guy Nick Roach in the film room and often asked what it took to tick them off. Fitzgerald no longer speculates about Kadela.

"On the field, there's nothing nice about the way that he plays," Fitzgerald said.

Three regular-season games remain for Kadela, who already has his degree in communications and is enrolled in graduate school. What comes next is unknown, but he wouldn't mind a bowl trip to figure it out.

"You just try to find the moment and appreciate it," he said, "make sure you don't have any regrets afterwards."

Three strikes

Here's a look at Adam Kadela's surge during the last three games.

Oct. 13 vs. Minnesota: Career-high 15 tackles, named team's defensive player of the week.

Oct. 19 vs. Eastern Michigan: Team-high 12 tackles, first interception of season, first sack of season, deflected pass that led to interception, named team's defensive player of the week.

Oct. 27 vs. Purdue: Team-high 10 tackles, assisted on tackle for loss, pass breakup, named team's defensive player of the week.

-- Adam Rittenberg