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"Yeah, it's actually funny you say that. I actually get some kind of trash talk about that on the field," Bradham joked.
What do they say?
"All kinds of stuff, man. All kinds of stuff. It's all good, I still show them what I can do."
The Bills are certainly hoping Bradham lives up to that promise.
When Buffalo eased Arthur Moats off the field in San Francisco and allowed Bradham to take most of his snaps in the second half, the official starting designation was surely to follow.
After going through the week of practice (the individual portion, at least) as the starting strongside linebacker for the Bills, Bradham said Friday that he will make his first NFL start Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.
"[The coaches] pretty much told me on Monday," the rookie linebacker said Friday. "Got an opportunity to start. Just gotta take it from here and hopefully I can lock the position down and keep it."
Bradham's six tackle performance was enough to warrant another look, and having the knack for being around the ball was a major component that influenced the coaches to switch things up in favor of the rookie.
"That was one of the main things. Just being around the ball, being active," he remarked. "Pretty much, just making a lot of tackles. I got in a couple of situations where I missed a few tackles and stuff like that. I've just got to get better and keep getting better and just try to be a great player in this league."
The fourth-round pick out of Florida State said he's been mentally preapring himself throughout the first five weeks of the season just in case there were an injury. He didn't have to wait for an injury, however. Bradham is in to the lineup on his own accord.
"It's definitely rewarding," said the eager Bradham. "Anytime you can go out there and show your hard work and it pays off like in a situation like this. It's still the opportunity that you just have to take advantage of."
The Bills and Cardinals square off Sunday, October 14 at University of Phoenix Stadium.