The Cardinals didn't sign inside linebacker Stewart Bradley to a five-year, $30 million contract in July to stand on the sideline in the fall. Yet, that's where Bradley stayed during most of Sunday's season opener.
Bradley didn't start, and he didn't enter the game when Daryl Washington suffered a calf strain in the fourth quarter. Reggie Walker did.
This naturally prompted the following nuanced question: What's up with that?
When the Cardinals signed Bradley, coach Ken Whisenhunt said Bradley, when healthy, is among the elite linebackers in the NFL.
On Monday, Whisenhunt was asked whether Bradley was struggling to learn the system.
"I don't know if I would say struggling is the right word," Whisenhunt said. "I just thing he needs more reps (repetitions). He's been a 4-3 backer, and now we're asking him to play an inside 3-4 backer. It's a big difference."
Bradley played in a 4-3 scheme with the Philadelphia Eagles, with whom he spent his first four NFL seasons. Transitioning to a 3-4 is like moving to a different country, where everything from road signs to driving rules is different.
It takes time to adapt to new surroundings, and without an off-season, free agents, rookies and new coaches, such as Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton, face daunting challenges.
That's what Bradley is trying to overcome now.
For instance in a 3-4 scheme, the gap responsibilities of an inside linebacker are far different from a 4-3. So are coverage techniques.
"It's a learning curve," Bradley said. "We just finished installing six days or so ago. I spent four years in a system where I was kind of a coach on the field, helping the young guys out."
Even the basic techniques are drastically different. In the Eagles defense, Bradley often would cover receivers man to man in certain situations and schemes. That sometimes meant turning his body and running with receivers. Now coaches are telling him to stay squarely facing the offense.
"I used to get my ass ripped for staying square," Bradley said, "and now it's like, 'You better stay square. You better not turn.' "
Bradley is bright with a multitude of interests, including learning French, playing the guitar and architecture. He knows how to study, and he's had to put those skills to use.
"It's exciting to go home and look at my playbook again. I'll do little quizzes where I'll write all the plays out and then time myself to see how fast I can do all the adjustments."
Bradley snapped his fingers repeatedly to illustrate how fast those adjustments need to be made.
Much has been written about quarterback Kevin Kolb's transition to a new system, and it's easy to forget others are going through it, too.
"I think it's nice on offense, because you're calling the plays," Bradley said. "Defenses, we're like, 'Well, they're empty (backfield) again. They're running Wildcat again, guys.' You don't really get to decide what they come out in.
"You don't have the first 15 (scripted) on defense. 'Here we go, guys. We're going to be in nickel, and then we're going to be in goal line, regardless of where they line up.' "
Bradley's not complaining. He smiled and laughed as he explained the challenges of his transition. And it's possible he will be asked to put his new skills to use Sunday.
If Washington can't play, the Cardinals might move Paris Lenon to the weak side, where Washington played, and start Bradley. Or they could stick with Lenon and Walker, with Bradley rotating in and playing in passing situations. They did that often in the preseason.
Though Bradley's lack of playing time in the opener garnered attention, the Cardinals obviously have longer-term plans for him. He's only 27, and he's signed through 2015.
Lenon is 33 and signed through 2012, so if Bradley stays healthy, he's the future at the position.
Coaches are confident Bradley will adapt just fine over time.
"You don't want to belabor the point," Whisenhunt said, "but when you don't have OTAs (organized team activities), when you don't have minicamps . . . I don't know how a lot of people are, but there's quite a few guys who can't just look at a book and enact what they see.
"A lot of guys have to out and actually experience it."
