Could the Axe-man return to midnight green?

On Thursday, my favorite axe-man and yours, worked out for the Philadelphia Eagles.

"The Axe-man" Jeremiah Trotter, who last played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after being cut by the Eagles during the 2006 season in an act to bring in more youth to the Eagles defense.

Jeremiah Trotter is thirty-two years of age, he was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third-round of the 1998 National Football League draft. Shortly after being drafted Trotter, due to his work ethic, hard-hitting ways and leadership ability became an Eagles fan favorite and remains one to this day.

Trotter's rookie contract with the Eagles ended in 2002 and for all of his hard work he thought that the Eagles would be willing to reward him with a lucrative deal to remain an Eagle for a few years more. All the Eagles did at the time was off him the teams franchise tag, which insulted the Pro Bowl middle linebacker. So the dissed and pissed Trotter shunned the Eagles franchise tag offer and joined one of the Eagles interdivisional rivals, the Washington Redskins.

During the Axe-man's two-years with the Washington Redskins, he was nothing like the pro bowl middle linebacker that he was inside of Jim Johnson's dreaded Philadelphia defense. After 2003 Trotter was no longer a Washington Redskin.

In 2004, Jeremiah Trotter went back to the team where he had burnt so many bridges, and while Coach Andy Reid and defensive coordinator Jim Johnson were willing to give the Axe-man a second shot, he would have to start from scratch. Even though he made a name for himself in Philadelphia, along with earning his Pro Bowl status, Trotter would have to start all over with the birds as a back-up middle linebacker behind starting middle linebacker at that time, Mark Simoneau. Trotter was even on special teams for a time period in 2004.

During the 2004 season, the Eagles were considered one of the best teams in the NFL, the best bar none in the NFC. But they had one flaw, a very big flaw - the Eagles were considered to have one of the worst run defenses in the entire National Football League. Jeremiah Trotter was a huge part in shoring up the Eagles run defense once he was reinserted as the starting middle linebacker shortly after the Eagles loss to the Steelers in Pittsburgh.

After that there was no questioning the Eagles run defense or Trot's middle linebacking skills. Some consider the Eagles resigning of Jeremiah Trotter to be the best signing they made in 2004 and one of the main reasons the Eagles got over the hump of losing three-straight NFC Championships, and getting them to the Super Bowl. The Eagles trade to acquire T.O. is the other acquisition which many consider why the Eagles made it to Super Bowl XXIX.

Jeremiah Trotter was named to the Pro Bowl during the 2004 and 2005 seasons, he also made the Pro Bowl the two-years prior to signing with the Redskins, 2000 and 2001. Each time he was selected to the Pro Bowl he went there representing the Eagles and their fans.

2007 was the last time we watched a Axe-man dawn the midnight green jersey. On the day of his release the Eagles set up a farewell press conference for Trotter. The Eagles do things like that for only the very important and that goes to show you how important Andy Reid and the Eagles felt Trotter was to the organization.

He was signed shortly after the Eagles cut him by Jon Gruden and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he only played three games, starting in one.

Now that the Eagles have lost their main leadership presence at the middle linebacking position, when Stewart Bradley suffered a torn ACL during the Eagles first annual flight night, which was in August; to this day the Eagles remain paper thin at the middle linebacking position.

Omar Gaither replaced Trot in 2007 and he just won back that position this season, during a battle where second-year Pro, Joe Mays failed to win it. Mays has failed to remain healthy during the last two regular season games. Mays is supposed to return to action this Sunday but if he were to re-injure himself again that Would make Gaither the only true active middle linebacker on the team.

If Trotter is able to play at a level anywhere near what he once played at in 2005 and even 2006, the Eagles would benefit by it. Because as it stands now they are desperate for help at the middle linebacking position.

I know we Eagles fans would be all for an Axe-man return. But we were also all for a Big Jon Runyan return as well, and look where that got us.

The comeback of Jeremiah Trotter would be a long shot to say the least, but if by some miraculous force the Axe-man was able to return to shape we are used to seeing him in - Well, that would be the biggest comeback since Rocky beat Apollo Creed.