Bradham ignored Pederson's bye-week message

Said the same thing a father would say to his teenage son just before he leaves for a weekend down the shore with his friends.

Behave yourself and don't do anything stupid.

And then linebacker Nigel Bradham was arrested at Miami International Airport Sunday on a misdemeanor concealed weapons charge while carrying a loaded gun in his backpack.

In case you were wondering, that is one of those don't-do-anything-stupid things.

"My message [to the players before they left for the bye week] was, 'Be smart. Be careful. Protect each other away from the building,' '' the Eagles coach said.

"Guys have to make better decisions when they're away from the building. It's out of my hands right now. It's a legal matter. But you've got to use your head and be smart in those situations.''

Pederson said, "I don't know why anybody would'' carry a loaded gun in public. "I don't know all the circumstances around it. But it's a big deal to do that.

"Listen, I've got rifles and I like to hunt. But we have to be smart. It is a little surprising that he carried it.''

Making matters worse: It's Bradham's second brush with the law in the last 2 ½ months. In late July, he also was arrested in South Florida for allegedly punching a hotel employee.

Pederson said he will wait for both matters to play out in the courts before he considers taking any action himself against Bradham. He said he also will wait to see if the league weighs in. Bradham could face a fine or suspension from it for violating the league's personal conduct policy.

"I can talk to him until I'm blue in the face,'' Pederson said. "I could sit him down. I could suspend him. I could do a lot of different things.

"But at the same time, because it is a legal matter and the league could potentially step in, until I get all of the information, we go with business as usual.''

Pederson seemed puzzled that a 27-year-old player such as Bradham could be this careless.

"Both of these were incidents were away from here and were out of our control,'' Pederson said. "Guys need to be smart about these things. It's their livelihood. It's their family's.

"It's no different [for me]. If I'm away from this building, the things that I do as a [person] when you're not the head football coach and you're with your family, you have to make smart choices.

"It's easier when they're in town and you can kind of control the environment a little bit and protect them. But they've got to be a little smarter away from the building.''

Bradham, who signed a two-year deal with the Eagles in March, has been one of the Eagles' top defensive performers in the first three games. He played for defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz in Buffalo two years ago.

"He's played well,'' Pederson said. "He's been one of the bright spots on defense and also has had a role on special teams. He's been a valuable part to what we've done defensively.''