Defensive coordinator Sean McDermott knows he has to find a way to put a muzzle on Marion Barber and Felix Jones, knows he has to put the players on the field who give him the best chance of doing that.
Which brings us to Trotter. The Eagles clearly were much more effective stopping the run with Trotter at the middle-linebacker position in their base defense last week, rather than 230-pound Akeem Jordan.
In the first three quarters of the game, the Cowboys ran the ball nine times for 83 yards against the Eagles' base defense with Jordan at MIKE. That included three runs for 59 yards by Marion Barber on their first scoring drive.
With Trotter at MIKE during that same period, the Cowboys rushed for 68 yards on 10 carries. But 49 of those yards came on Jones' third-quarter touchdown run away from Trotter. Their other nine rushing attempts in the first three quarters with Trotter on the field produced just 19 yards.
The dilemma for McDermott is that while the Eagles are stronger against the run when Trotter is the man in the middle, they also are more susceptible to the pass because of his lack of speed.
"That's the slippery slope you're looking at there, understanding our players and what they bring to the table," McDermott said earlier this week. "Trotter is a heck of a competitor. I think we all noticed a difference when he was in the game the other night. He plays with great intensity. We just have to make sure that we scheme around that going into this weekend."
Trotter takes umbrage with suggestions that he's a liability against the pass. When a reporter makes mention of a 25-yard catch-and-run by tight end Jason Witten late in the third quarter in which Trotter was giving chase, he quickly pointed out that Witten wasn't even his responsibility on the play.
