In defensive coordinator Sean McDermott's scheme, the middle linebacker isn't supposed to be the playmaker. The weakside linebacker is the freelancer and usually the pass rusher, as evidenced by Ernie Sims' dozen blitzes on Sunday.
The strong-side linebacker, Akeem Jordan in this case, is allowed more chances to find the gaps and make plays against the run game. Jordan, with five tackles and two for loss, had his best game of the season.
But Bradley is expected to do everything and therefore must defer to teammates sometimes. Mostly, he must be error-free. The week before, his replacement, Omar Gaither, was wildly inconsistent. By no coincidence he did not dress against the Jaguars.
Bradley, upon his return, helped solidify a group that held running back Maurice Jones-Drew to just 30 yards on 14 carries before the fourth quarter when the game was well in hand.
Bradley's four stops, all on Jones-Drew, came after the running back gained 5 yards. But the linebacker's duty there was to be the second line of defense if someone broke through, as Jones-Drew did, for instance, when defensive end Juqua Parker and cornerback Asante Samuel failed to wrap him up in the second quarter.
Here is a look at two other Eagles after a review of the tape of Sunday's game:
Brent Celek
After the first two games of the season, some were suggesting putting out a missing-persons report on the tight end.
Through the first two games of last season, Celek had 14 catches for 141 yards and one touchdown. This season, he notched just five catches for 59 yards and was without a score. He wasn't being targeted as much and didn't appear to be getting open with as much frequency as a year ago.
