Eagles middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter spoke after the first practice on Friday and he's what he had to say.
On the scuffles that took place on the field:
“It stays on the field. It probably had a little bit to do with the heat, and guys are tired, too. I think it kind of keeps practice going, it keeps the energy up. The fans definitely love it.”
On the young players on defense:
“All the young guys are doing well. They’re all still learning. I don’t want to single out just one guy, but they’re all learning. The guys are definitely running around, flying around, and making big hits out there.”
On the crowd at practice today:
“It definitely helps me because I feed off of the crowd, knowing it’s hot out here, and the fans are out here sweating and bleeding with us. It’s great. That extra energy helps us get through the practice.”
On whether there can be more than one leader on a team:
“There’s never one leader on one team. A lot of people lead in different ways. We have a lot of leaders—myself, [FS Brian] Dawkins, [QB] Donovan [McNabb], [RB Brian] Westbrook, [LB] Takeo [Spikes]. I probably talk the most out of everybody. We have a lot of leaders. A lot of guys lead in different ways. You’ve got a guy like [CB] Sheldon Brown, who never says anything, but just leads by his actions. I think the more leaders you have, the better your team will be.”
On what he hopes to improve on this year:
“I do want to make more plays in the passing game, whether it’s breaking up passes or getting interceptions. [I want to make] game changing plays—causing fumbles, fumble recoveries. People expect me to go out and put up a certain amount of tackles every week against the run. But, I definitely want to make more plays in the passing game. It’s not a number; I just try to make plays—whatever it takes to help the team be successful.”
On whether he believes it’s possible for Spikes to make a big impact on this defense:
“Definitely, just because of the caliber of a player he is. The leadership he brings, the big-play ability. I’ve followed him his whole career. Everywhere he went, he did nothing but make big plays. It feels good having a guy like that beside you. It makes [defensive coordinator] Jim’s [Johnson] job easier. He can be more creative—now you’ve got a guy you can send off the edge, get some one on one matchups with running backs or fullbacks, and win those battles.”
On whether it’s unrealistic for Spikes to put up the numbers he’s put up in the past:
“No, you can’t put anything past this guy. This guy is a beast, flat out.”
On DT Brodrick Bunkley:
“Bunk is ready to play. I told him yesterday, if he keeps playing like that, I might play a couple more years.”
On how he feels now compared to how he felt at the end of the playoff game against the Saints last year:
“It’s like night and day. I dropped about 12 or 13 pounds, my body fat is lower, my muscle mass is up. Mentally, and conditioning wise, I’m in about the best shape I’ve ever been in. When you’re in that kind of shape, your confidence level is up and you can run around and do things you wouldn’t normally do. I’m having fun out there, I can celebrate, I can keep the guys fired up. When you’re tired, you can’t say anything.”
On whether he ever doubted that he could feel like this again:
“No, I never doubted it. I just knew that I would have to put in the work. I knew last year I didn’t put in the work. That’s not like me, but I was coming off of a big season that year and I was trying to rest my body, but I just rested too much.”
On what happened to make him rest:
“Two years ago, I was coming off of a Pro Bowl season. I had surgery right after the season was over with, and I had to go through rehab. My offseason was really short, because of the surgery and playing in the Pro Bowl game. I just wanted to rest my body because it was a really physical season for me. You all know what we went through that year. I just rested too much, and didn’t do the necessary things in the offseason. I made up my mind this offseason that I wanted to get back to playing the way I wanted to play.”
On whether it was frustrating that he realized that halfway through the season but couldn’t do anything about it:
“It was tough, but you just try to keep fighting and do the best you can. I kept fighting all the way through.”
On whether Spikes’ presence brings a sense of urgency to the defense:
“I wouldn’t say urgency because we always have urgency. I would say it brings another level of confidence. I can imagine being Brian Dawkins, standing back there at free safety, looking in front of him seeing three guys who are 250-plus, who can run, who has that dog in him, who can make big plays. I can imagine what goes through his mind. And being [head coach] Andy Reid too, and the moves he made in the offseason, and seeing how hard I worked in the offseason to get back in great shape to get back to that level of play that I can be. And also seeing the growth of [LB] Chris Gocong, a big draft pick last year, and just seeing him grow as the minicamps and training camp goes along.”
On whether this could be the year they make it back to the Super Bowl:
“I believe, yes, definitely. The way we’re jelling together, the way the front four are playing. Obviously, we all know that having a great season depends on how healthy everyone is. Hopefully we can keep everyone healthy and go out there and make a run.”
On whether he believes Jim Johnson brought an anger from last year with him into this camp:
“Definitely. We all were upset and pissed off about last year. We had three or four games where they rushed for 200-plus yards. That can’t happen if you want to be successful. Even though, in some of those games, teams only scored 10 or 17 points. But, when the offense is holding the ball all day long, Donovan and those guys can’t get out there and make any plays. So, we have to make sure we can stop the run and get in third and long. That’s when Jim Johnson is at his best. When he gets a team in third and long, you know he’s coming.”
On whether he thinks Gocong can make the switch to linebacker:
“Definitely. He made a huge jump. They did a great job this whole offseason working with him, breaking down film. He was always a good athlete. So, he’s got the toughest part down—being a good athlete. The rest is just learning. If you put him out there with me and Takeo, he can’t help but get in the right spot, because we’re going to talk to him and make sure we’re all on the same page.”
On whether he gets motivated when he hears negative things about him:
“I don’t really worry about that. Honestly, I don’t even hear about stuff like that until I’m on the podium. No offense to anybody, I just don’t watch the news or listen to the radio. I’ve always been self-motivated. What drives me is being the best I can be.”
On whether he expected any changes to take place on the defensive side of the ball after last season:
“I definitely expected some changes. Any time you come off a season like the one we did, changes have to be made. That’s just the nature of football, and that’s what happens when you don’t perform at a high level.”
On the biggest difference he sees in Bunkley:
“I think his drive, the mentality part of it. He was always physically gifted, just his mindset is totally different.”
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