Trent Cole

ON MONDAY, when reporters first watched the Eagles practice under Chip Kelly, among the stranger sights was a rep that featured Trent Cole crouching, his hands held at hip level, as he lined up across from slot receiver Jason Avant. So far, much of what has been written and said about the Eagles under Kelly concerns the offense. That's understandable, given that Kelly's offensive theories are why he got the job. The offense is why practice is run at such a hectic pace. But new defensive coordinator Billy Davis' unit is making an equally huge adjustment; maybe a bigger one, given that there figure to be more new defensive starters in 2013 than new offensive starters.

IN HIS HUGE OFFICE, early in these spring mornings, ol' Chippah must be chuckling. He has the whole region chasing its tail, like some strung-out Pac-12 defense without the sense to just play soft until the red zone. Who will be the quarterback? Will the rookie right tackle start over that huge Hanson brother lookalike? Can Trent Cole play without his hand in the ground after eight seasons? Can Brandon Graham get a break? Who's going to return punts? Jason Avant's going to be a safety?

After closing time at Club Chipper, the hot new dance spot in South Philadelphia, the patrons clear out pretty fast. They have to exit via a hallway lined with blowups of newspaper pages celebrating great moments in Eagles history - if you define Eagles history as things that happened since the NovaCare Complex opened in 2001. What is striking is how ancient that history is beginning to feel. To many of the players leaving Chip Kelly's aerobics/football class Monday, the names and faces on the walls are those of strangers.

A magnetic resonance imaging on Trent Cole's right ankle Saturday revealed no structural damage, the Eagles said. The defensive end is listed as day to day with a mild ankle sprain. Cole injured the ankle in the second quarter of the Eagles' 20-17 preseason win Friday night at Kansas City. He had to be carted off the field. "Well I'm good nothing serious," Cole tweeted. "Time to recover and get after Green Bay. " The Eagles will play their final preseason game Thursday against the New York Jets.

Since he joined the Eagles as an unheralded fifth-round draft choice in 2005, defensive end Trent Cole has made his reputation by sacking quarterbacks. He had five his first year - while making just seven starts - but recorded eight or more in each of the next six seasons, two of which ended with Pro Bowl honors. So for Cole, this season has been baffling, because he has recorded just 11/2 sacks for the 3-4 Eagles. And the struggles aren't limited to Cole. The Eagles have recorded just nine sacks overall.

Hugh Douglas, the Eagles' most proficient pass-rusher during coach Andy Reid's first four seasons as head coach, had signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars during the 2003 free-agent period, and now the search was on for the team's next disruptive defensive end. The draft seemed like a logical place to start, so the Eagles maneuvered from the 30th overall pick to the 15th selection and grabbed Jerome McDougle from the University of Miami. Oops, that didn't work. They also took McDougle's Miami teammate Jamaal Green in the fourth round of that same draft.

Eagles defensive end Trent Cole, a major hunting enthusiast, is snubbing a Pennsylvania sports expo because it has banned sales of certain rifles variously described as "modern sporting rifles," "tactical rifles" or "assault weapons. " Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show, scheduled for Feb. 2 to 10 in Harrisburg, bills itself as "THE Sportsman Show," and was expected to draw about 200,000 visitors and feature 1,200 exhibitors. Many sportsmen, however, seem to be upset that the show's organizers have failed to fully support the constitutional right to bear arms.

Playing on the defensive line for Jim Washburn required an understanding of the controversial coach who was loyal to his players and often effective in developing their pass-rushing skills. Washburn could be abrasive, and his style has come under criticism since the Eagles fired him on Monday, but respect remains. "If you're one of the guys on the D-line, we know how he is," defensive end Trent Cole said Tuesday. "So we're used to that. We're used to . . . I don't know what you call it. But we had that [close]

One of the bright spots of an otherwise gloomy Eagles season has been the rapid development of rookie defensive end Trent Cole. A fifth-round draft choice from the University of Cincinnati, Cole made his first NFL start last week against the New York Giants a memorable one, with two sacks and six tackles in the Eagles' 27-17 loss. Cole is second on the team with five sacks, all in the last three games, with two against Dallas and one against the Washington Redskins. His emergence has coincided with improved play of fellow defensive end Jevon Kearse.

When Trent Cole arrived in Philadelphia, he was a fifth-round pick recovering from two bouts of pneumonia and felt decidedly out of place in a big city hundreds of miles removed from the rural stretches of Ohio where he spent his childhood hunting. "When I first got here, I was like, 'Man, I don't know about this,' " Cole said. "I'm serious, I told 'em, 'Direct me to the woods.' " Eight years later, Cole is one of the three longest-tenured Eagles and has established himself as one of the most prolific pass rushers in the NFL. He still has a noticeable drawl - when he says "woods" it sounds as if he's using four O's, not two - but South Jersey and Philadelphia have become home.

IN HIS HUGE OFFICE, early in these spring mornings, ol' Chippah must be chuckling. He has the whole region chasing its tail, like some strung-out Pac-12 defense without the sense to just play soft until the red zone. Who will be the quarterback? Will the rookie right tackle start over that huge Hanson brother lookalike? Can Trent Cole play without his hand in the ground after eight seasons? Can Brandon Graham get a break? Who's going to return punts? Jason Avant's going to be a safety?

After closing time at Club Chipper, the hot new dance spot in South Philadelphia, the patrons clear out pretty fast. They have to exit via a hallway lined with blowups of newspaper pages celebrating great moments in Eagles history - if you define Eagles history as things that happened since the NovaCare Complex opened in 2001. What is striking is how ancient that history is beginning to feel. To many of the players leaving Chip Kelly's aerobics/football class Monday, the names and faces on the walls are those of strangers.

ON MONDAY, when reporters first watched the Eagles practice under Chip Kelly, among the stranger sights was a rep that featured Trent Cole crouching, his hands held at hip level, as he lined up across from slot receiver Jason Avant. So far, much of what has been written and said about the Eagles under Kelly concerns the offense. That's understandable, given that Kelly's offensive theories are why he got the job. The offense is why practice is run at such a hectic pace. But new defensive coordinator Billy Davis' unit is making an equally huge adjustment; maybe a bigger one, given that there figure to be more new defensive starters in 2013 than new offensive starters.

It happens with every coaching change. Long-standing players from the previous regime don't match up well with the new system and are phased out. Former defensive ends Trent Cole and Brandon Graham are doing and saying everything to fit in and stick around - and they are likely here for the season - but it's difficult to see either as a long-term solution once the Eagles move to a new defensive scheme. Chip Kelly and Bill Davis aren't exactly there yet. The new Eagles coach and his defensive coordinator still are evaluating and constructing a system that will emphasize the skill set of their players, especially on the front seven.

VINNY CURRY is a now a 3-4 end. Trent Cole is a linebacker. Curry is trying to gain weight, Cole is trying to shed it. Both need to prove they can fit into a defense they were not drafted to play, for which their body types might not be ideally suited. Cole is 30, coming off the least productive of his eight NFL seasons, with 32 solo tackles and three sacks. Asked Wednesday about postseason hand surgery, Cole acknowledged he "snapped in half" a bone in the hand, playing with a hand injury originally suffered during the 2011 season.

THE OFFENSIVE line arrayed in front of Michael Vick this week at Chip Kelly's first minicamp might look pretty different from the group that takes the field next month, when the team again assembles. The Eagles hold the fourth overall pick in the April 25-27 NFL draft, and with three offensive tackles expected to go in the top 10, plus a couple of guards, the veterans on the line could soon be welcoming to their group the highest-drafted Eagle since Donovan McNabb arrived (accompanied by boos, local legend holds)

Free agent linebacker Victor Butler visited with the Eagles on Tuesday but left without a contract. There was still mutual interest in getting a deal done, an NFL source said. But Butler has met with a number of other teams, including the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers, and could be mulling over multiple offers. Butler underwent a physical at the NovaCare Complex and met with Eagles coaches on Tuesday. The team is looking to add to its stable of pass-rushers.

Eagles defensive end Trent Cole, a major hunting enthusiast, is snubbing a Pennsylvania sports expo because it has banned sales of certain rifles variously described as "modern sporting rifles," "tactical rifles" or "assault weapons. " Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show, scheduled for Feb. 2 to 10 in Harrisburg, bills itself as "THE Sportsman Show," and was expected to draw about 200,000 visitors and feature 1,200 exhibitors. Many sportsmen, however, seem to be upset that the show's organizers have failed to fully support the constitutional right to bear arms.

Is Thursday night football the worst idea since toll roads? USA Today found a bunch of players - including including Eagles defensive end Trent Cole - who talked of troubles healing and getting prepared in time. Cole said he'll flip a mental switch to ignore his lingering aches and lagging energy as the Birds take on the Cincinnati Bengals at Lincoln Financial Field. "The mind takes over the body. That's how you have to do it," he said. "If they are really concerned about the violence and injuries . . . Why is there Thursday night football?"

SOME INTREPID folks were trying to work the gee-despite-the-win-you-were-eliminated-from-playoff-contention angle in the locker room Monday. Of the handful of Eagles available after a brief practice, nobody seemed shocked they weren't going to the postseason. "It felt great to win, especially under the circumstances, with a lot of young guys in, a lot of key players out in key positions," tight end Clay Harbor said. Despite how the question was phrased, Harbor didn't even mention the playoffs.