I've always felt strongly that, to be an effective leader, you had to be out there on the field. It's hard to inspire, hard to teach, hard to motivate, from the bench.
But Trotter is proving that it can be done.
"I have some good leaders [on defense]," Reid said. "Sheldon Brown is a tremendous leader, and Quintin Mikell. But when you have one of those linebackers that's right in the middle of that secondary and defensive line, they normally can rally it and they're normally your primary leader on the defensive team.
"I thought Trot could do that. I thought he earned the respect just from his past career where he could come in and do that. And he has. He's been willing to do anything. You see him out there on special teams, he doesn't care. He just wants to play and help any way he can. I think the players respect that. They all know he's old. But they also know that he's built quite a resume over his years in the league."
Starter or not, when Trotter talks, the young defensive players listen. When he tells them to grab their notebooks and follow him into the film room for a tape-watching session, they do it enthusiastically.
"One of the things he's done being here is he's gathered everybody up and taken them into the film room without the coaches there," Reid said. "They sit in there and they watch tape and go over things."
Two weeks after signing with the Eagles, Trotter played 19 rust-covered defensive snaps in the Eagles' 33-14, Week 5 win over Tampa Bay, then made mostly cameo appearances in the next five games.
With Akeem Jordan out with a hyperextended knee, Trotter rotated in the middle with Joe Mays on first and second down in last week's 24-20 win over the Bears. Took most of the run-down reps in the second half as the Eagles held the Bears to 2.4 yards per carry in the final two quarters.
