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Brady Browne

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MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE press Blue Bombers� Brady Browne (left) has his work cut out for him against the potent Montreal offence Friday night. (MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store

It may be big shoes to fill, but they're shoes Winnipeg Blue Bomber Brady Browne is no stranger to.

So when asked following Wednesday's practice whether filling in for injured starting safety Ian Logan provided any added pressure to an already pressure-filled 1-4 season, Browne simply smiled:

"Oh no, no, no. Me and Ian are best friends," said Browne, a five-year CFL veteran and special teams captain. "We've been best friends for the last three years. We live with each other and I always tell him I'm going to take his job anyway, so I think he should be the one that is nervous cause I'm coming for his job."

Browne's movement in the lineup came after Logan, the league's all-star safety in 2011, suffered a leg injury during a 25-22 loss to the Toronto Argonauts in week three.

The 29-year-old Browne takes charge of a defence that has not been great this season on a team struggling to climb out of the CFL's East Division basement.

Browne's new duties don't come without prior experience. The 5-10, 203-pounder from Maple Ridge, B.C., started five games in 2010 when Logan was sidelined with a hamstring injury.

"I've been playing safety now in this system for about three years so I have a grasp of it," said Browne, who was quick to point out the importance of game reps. "I feel every game I play, I feel more comfortable with the guys. Every game I feel like I'm improving.

"I back up the best safety in the league and when I'm out there for him I feel like I'm the best safety in the league. I re-signed with Winnipeg knowing that I wasn't going to be the starter and I gave up my dream to be a starter somewhere else because I love this team and this city," said Browne.

He said injuries are part of the game, so you need to be prepared.

"One guy goes down and now I lead the defence, so every week I come in with the mentality that I'm going to start this week," said Browne. "Unfortunately Ian got hurt and that's where we are today."

Browne is 1-0 as a starter this season, helping the Bombers in a 23-22 victory over the Edmonton Eskimos in their home opener last Thursday.

Following Wednesday's practice, Bombers defensive co-ordinator Tim Burke said he was satisfied with the way Browne handled his new assignment.

"You know Brady did a good job of helping us get lined up during the game," he said. "He did a pretty good job assignment wise and I thought he was a leader on the field, so in those respects I think he did a really good job.

"I think what he's been working on this week is making sure that he's even more assignment sound. There were a couple times during the game where he got manoeuvred out of the middle of the field when he should have been in the middle, so he's been working on that. You know one thing about Brady is he's not going to make the same mistake twice."

Browne's assignment for Friday night: stop a Montreal offensive unit that tallied 551 yards of offence in a 41-30 win over Winnipeg in week 2.

"I started against Montreal a couple years ago and it's pretty much the whole same crew, its the exact same offence so they don't really change much," said Browne.

"They do the exact same thing over and over and they're perfect at it. I've watched a lot of game tape and hopefully I'll be prepared and the defence will go in there and shut them down."

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca twitter: @jeffkhamilton

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 2, 2012 C3