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Not in his wildest dreams: Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter has evolved from an out-of-work player to a special teams contributor to a pivotal starter in the Super Bowl. Not even he would have believed it—

Sporting News, The, Feb 11, 2005 by Paul Attner

It is last summer, and Jeremiah Trotter is dreaming. He puts a lot of faith, literally, in dreams. He believes they are messages to guide his life. But this one, well, this one he doesn't understand. This dream has him in an Eagles uniform, playing special teams, making a big play on a kickoff return. But how could that be? No way is he an Eagle, and he certainly isn't a special teams player. Trotter usually discusses his dreams with his pastor. But not this one. Eagles? Special teams? Lord, you sure you have the right guy here?

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Seven months later, after being an unemployed, unwanted former star, with no teams offering a contract, frightened he could be facing career decisions long before the proper time, Trotter stands in the Eagles' locker room and cries. He cries because he now is the starting middle linebacker of the newly crowned NFC champions and he remembers his dream and remembers the first three months of this season, when he shoved aside his pride and became a full-time special teams standout, and he realizes how glad he is he kept the faith--even waking up in a non-believing sweat seven months earlier.

Trotter looms as an essential player in Super Bowl 39. As the Eagles' pivotal run stopper, he will need to control Corey Dillon and force the Patriots to pass more than they want. allowing the Eagles to unleash their complex and formidable blitz packages. It's difficult to decide which is more remarkable: that he is in a position of importance for this game or that his dream turned out to be so accurate.

After all, this was the Trotter who ended his first tenure with the Eagles in an ugly shouting match with coach Andy Reid over contract differences. This was the Trotter who stalked out of the Eagles' complex in April 2002, vowing never to return. This was the Trotter who received a $7 million signing bonus from the Redskins two weeks later, ruined a knee and played with such lack of discipline when he was healthy that Joe Gibbs cut him after taking over as coach last offseason. The Eagles certainly didn't want him back. They were happy with Mark Simoneau, his replacement, and besides, defensive coordinator Jim Johnson thought Trotter played just "OK" with Washington. And hadn't he rejected Philly once already?

"I would never have expected to be here right now," he says. "Not in a million years."

Trotter always has been one of those intriguing players whose reputation conflicts with coaching evaluations.

In his first tenure with the Eagles, he is a reckless, physical, big-play guy who frequently free-lances outside Johnson's carefully scripted schemes. His style makes him a fan favorite; he is an emotional, entertaining leader, with his ax-chop celebrations and constant yapping. His teammates love him, too; it's easy to be captivated by his huge personality and hardy laugh. But for all the crushing hits, there are too many missed assignments. "Before, Trot was more worried about being in the Pro Bowl, being the best linebacker, being Ray Lewis," says Johnson. "It wasn't about being the best team. You try to make plays, but you can't guess." He wants huge bucks to stay with the Eagles. They aren't overpaying for a guy who plays too much on his own, two Pro Bowls or not.

That Trotter won't face the Patriots. Sure, be remains strong and aggressive, a pure, physical, blow-up tackler with a stunning explosive burst. But now, at 28, he is more disciplined, more attentive to detail, more patient, more willing to allow the defense to function correctly and rely on others to execute their jobs, too, far less prone to wild journeys outside the structure. "He is a much better player because he had to work at getting here again; it wasn't given to him," says Johnson. "And he is a different person, no question about that." He is strikingly more mature, more at peace with himself and life, his priorities less self-centered.

"I am a different person," he says. "I am definitely smarter as a player. I trust my eyes more. I am so much more patient; I allow the game to come to me instead of trying to make every play and get out of position like before. I learned a lot from what I went through. I had to work through my pride and ego and humble myself and pray a lot, but I am a better person for it. And I am having the time of my life. I can't even describe how much fun this is."

We'll never know, of course, if the Eagles would be in this Super Bowl without Trotter. But this much is obvious: Their run defense develops a glaring leak during the season, a defect capable of denying them a championship. Through eight games, they allow an average of 130.6 rushing yards, climaxed by Pittsburgh's 252 on November 7. Eight days later, Trotter starts for Simoneau, who is moved to the outside. In the next six games, the average drops to 83.5. In the NFC championship game, the Falcons, the league's No. 1 running team, coming off a 327-yard avalanche against the Rams, are limited to 99; Trotter has a team-high eight tackles. Controlling the rush no longer is an Eagles concern.

Not in his wildest dreams: Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter has evolved from an out-of-work player to a special teams contributor to a pivotal starter in the Super Bowl. Not even he would have believed it—

Sporting News, The, Feb 11, 2005 by Paul Attner

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