It doesn’t matter how you slice it, the consensus is always the same: 2009 was a bad year for the Florida State defense.

Not just bad­—really bad.

Nobody knows this better than the returning members of that defense, who all offseason have had to answer questions about how they will respond to last year’s abysmal performance and how new defensive coordinator Mark Stoops plans on restoring the power in the once-dominant Seminole defense.

One player who has answered many of these questions is junior linebacker Nigel Bradham, and simply put, he’s ready to let both his play and that of his teammates do all the talking and effectively put the memory of last season in the rearview mirror.

“We just had a bad year, something that we weren’t happy with,” Bradham said. “We were very disappointed with that, so we’re just coming in with a chip on our shoulder. We know we have a lot of eyes on us and we want to make up for [last season]—pretty much just perform well every Saturday and make a lot of plays on defense.”

It’s no secret the defense didn’t make a lot of plays in 2009, but when they did, Bradham typically had a say in them.

Bradham, who was the top-ranked linebacker prospect in the nation back in 2008, gave fans reason to believe his junior season will be the year he lives up to the hype he came to Florida State with after leading the team in tackles (93) last year to go along with 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and an interception.

Those numbers showed the big strides Bradham made from his freshman season in 2008, where he played sparingly at linebacker and was mainly used on punt and kickoff coverage teams. Based on his performance last season, it’s safe to say fans are excited to see the type of player Bradham will be this fall.

Bradham understands the high expectations his coaches, teammates and fans have for him this season, and it’s helped him develop a leadership role that he has come to relish.

“I’m a leader of this defense and a leader of this team as well,” Bradham said. “I know a lot of guys look up to me as far as what I did on the field, and a lot of guys respect me on this team. For me, it’s pretty good because any time I have an opportunity to lead a team to victory, it’s a pretty good [feeling]. I have a lot of confidence in our defense and in our offense and special teams, and I feel we’re going to have a great year this year.”

Bradham’s newfound role as a leader this season is something that first-year head coach Jimbo Fisher certainly welcomes. Any time a player can be an extension of the coach out on the field—especially for a coach entering his first season—it helps make for a much smoother transition.

According to Bradham, he isn’t the only player stepping up and becoming a leader. There are a number of his teammates who are taking on leadership roles this season—something he felt was sorely lacking a year ago and is necessary for Fisher’s first season to be a successful one.

“Coach Fisher needs the leaders—you can’t do it by yourself as a head coach,” Bradham said. “You’re going to have to have leaders on your team. We know that, and everybody is taking on a great attitude with this season.

“We know what we want to accomplish; we know we’ve got to go out every Saturday and every practice and achieve perfection. Coach Fisher always tells us to strive for perfection. He’s given us a great approach and he’s teaching everything we need to know.”

Whether or not Florida State does achieve perfection in 2010 is far from being determined, but it’s safe to say that no matter the amount of success the Seminoles have this season, as long as No. 13 is in uniform, he’ll have a large say in determining it.