http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/3682 Recent articles about Jeremiah Trotter en-us 2007 Summary: Scott Shanle did such a great job in 2006 that he got a nice contract before the 2007 season. Unfortunately, his tackle totals went down and had no sacks (3 in 2006) in 2007. Shanle had a tendency to disappear in games. Some could attribute it to bad D-line play, but then why didn't Fujita's numbers go down? Some could attribute it to a change in scheme. It's been discussed that Gibbs went from an attack defense to a read-and-react defense, not sending players like Shanle in on blitzes. 2008 Offseason: During the initial free agency period the Saints only major linebacker brought in was Vilma via a trade with the Jets. Some expected a WLB to be picked up in the draft or a lingering veteran (such as Takeo Spikes or Ian Gold) to hold things down, but Sean Payton has said that they want to bring in young talent rather than older veterans at LB. To that end the Saints have brought in UDFA Jo-Lonn Dunbar and 1 year journeyman William Kershaw. Player summary: LBs on roster as of today (in the order listed on the Saints website when sorting by position): William Kershaw (52) Scott Fujita (55) - Starting SLB Mark Simoneau (53) Troy Evans (54) Scott Shanle (58) Jo-Lonn Dunbar (56) Marvin Mitchell (50) Jonathan Vilma (51) – Assumed staring MLB William Kershaw: Jersey Number: 52 School: Maryland Year: Senior Drafted: UDFA 2006 (Chiefs) Experience: 2 years Height: 6-3 Weight: 240 40-Time: 4.63 (Combine) Kershaw started his career by being signed as an UDFA by the Kansas City Chiefs. He spent most of his first year on the practice squad, being activated for the final regular season game and a subsequent playoff game. He stayed with the Chiefs into 2007, but was cut and picked up by the Eagles for their practice squad. He went back and forth to the Texans and Eagle, before finally signing with the Broncos this offseason. For some reason the Broncos waived him soon after and the Saints signed him. Kershaw has no statistics attributed to him for any of the games he was activated for. Kershaw has the measurable that you would want from a LB in the NFL, but has not been able to get on the field with three teams, and has been quickly waived by two teams who have signed him so far. That leaves the question of why? What is wrong to cause this player to have been on 5 teams in essentially a 12 month time frame? Whatever it is, he could be a wildcard in the WLB race at Saints camp. Coming out of no where and producing. Or he could be a camp body that will be cut. Mark Simoneau: Jersey Number: 53 School: Kansas State Year: Senior Drafted: 3rd round 2000 (Falcons) Experience: 9 years Height: 6-0 Weight: 245 40-Time: 4.61 (Combine) Simoneau was acquired via a draft day trade in 2006 with the Philadelphia Eagles. He had been drafted by the Falcons, but was never able to produce for them and after an injury riddled 2002 season, was traded to the Eagles. At the WLB position in Philadelphia, he had the most tackles in a season in his career with 100 in 2003. The injury bug returned in the 2004 season and never returned to the starting line-up for the Eagles even in 2005. Known as a smart player, he was put in the MLB spot for the last two years, even though his talents are considered to be more suited for the WLB spot. Simoneau wasn't spectacular for the Saints in 2006, gathering 61 tackles, 1 sack and 1 interception. Considering the MLB slot is usually a high traffic position, and the Saints acquired a few mid-grade free agents in an attempt to replace him, but none were able to. In 2007, Simoneau only improved to 70 tackles, 1 sack and no INTs, which is apparently not what the Saints want from their MLB. With the acquisition of Jonathan Vilma, it is assumed that Simoneau will slide behind Vilma in the depth charts, but instead it may mean a move to WLB. With a true thumper of a MLB in Marvin Mitchell on the team, it may give the Saints the freedom to move him over. That makes the most sense for Simoneau and could be a boon for his production and the Saints. It will be interesting to see what happens with Mark through TC. He may even end up as the SLB (Strongside Linebacker) backup behind Fujita. It is highly unlikely that Simoneau will not be on the final roster somewhere. Troy Evans: Jersey Number: 54 School: Cinncinati Year: Senior Drafted: UDFA 2001 (Rams) Experience: 7 years Height: 6-3 Weight: 238 40-Time: 4.85 (Combine) Troy Evans is mostly a special teams player. He is not generally considered to be a potential starter at the LB position. Evans created his special teams pedigree over 5 years with the Texans, often leading the team in special teams tackles. He has an interesting career statistic, which is two special teams fumble recoveries in his career. Evans may end up being a backup LB, but more than likely will be purely a special teams player if he makes the roster. Scott Shanle: Jersey Number: School: Nebraska Year: Senior Drafted: 7th Round 2003 (Rams) Experience: 6 years Height: 6-2 Weight: 245 40-Time: 4.72 (Combine) Shanle came out of college as a projected 7th round pick in 2003 with the Rams making the projections correct. He finished fourth on the Huskers defense his senior year with 71 total tackles and wasn't overly impressive. The Rams dropped him midway through his first year with the Cowboys picking him up, but never playing him. He started in three games in 2004 and eight games in 2005, but never captured the full time starting role. The Saints scooped up Shanle when Sean Payton left Dallas for the Saints in 2006. As his first year as a full time starter in the NFL, Scott Shanle had a team high 97 tackles and 4 sacks in 2006. He was rewarded with a $12 Million dollar contract before the 2007 season and expectations were high. Unfortunately, Shanle seemed to disappear in games in 2007 and landed only 68 tackles and no sacks. That performance has a lot of people wondering if he will be replaced in 2008. But Shanle may well be the best WLB on the team and could prove that by winning the starting job and having another year like 2006. Even if he does do that, Shanle probably will not be a super-star LB, simply because he lacks the athletic prowess needed to do so. But this could be said about any of the other contenders for WLB. Last year could have been a product of a wider issue throughout the defense. Just like the other players being considered to replace him, Shanle will have to rely on others performing well in order to make good plays and have a good year. With an improved D-line and better overall more aggressive scheme, Shanle (or whoever wins the WLB spot) will probably look better than he did in 2007, if he's starting in 2008. Jo-Lonn Dunbar: Jersey Number: 56 School: Boston College Year: Senior Drafted: UDFA 2008 (Saints) Experience: Rookie Height: 6-0 Weight: 226 40-Time: 4.85 (Combine) Jo-Lonn Dunbar entered Boston College as a running back, but was converted to a LB as a red-shirt freshman and took to the new position quickly. He was the captain of the Eagle's defense in the last two years he played there, giving him the leadership experience that a coach likes to have in a player. While leading that BC defense, he was never physically dominant, but he always seemed to be in the right place and making plays. In both 2006 and 2007, Dunbar had over 90 total tackles, several tackles for loss and an interception in each year. That shows he has great instincts and awareness, an intangible that a LB needs to succeed. Dunbar had a poor performance at the combine, however, falling behind in not just the 40 yard dash, but in most athletic drills. An interesting note though is that he was listed at 231 lbs at the combine, despite playing at BC at 226 and being listed at 226 by the Saints now. That could mean that Dunbar tried to put on too much weight to fit into the "ideal" linebacker size, which is usually around 240 lbs. Or it could mean nothing and Dunbar will be another UDFA fans pull for who ends on special teams or cut altogether. Just to get Saints fan's hopes up though, the buzz around Saints camp is that Jo-Lonn Dunbar is looking good. He is, after all, one of those over-achievers types Sean Payton likes. He's just "a football player" as the cliché goes. Don't take that as a sign he is in good shape for stealing the WLB spot from Scott Shanle just yet, but it certainly could help him make the roster if he doesn't start. And it may make him that guy the Saints will wince and think hard about if they try to cut him and sneak him onto the practice squad. Marvin Mitchell: Jersey Number: 50 School: Tennessee Year: Senior Drafted: 7th Round 2008 (Saints) Experience: 1 year Height: 6-3 Weight: 249 40-Time: 4.87 (Combine) In college, Mitchell had always been a promising LB, but never really was able to show it, either because of injuries or other issues that kept him off the football field until his final year at Tennessee. In his senior year (2006), Mitchell had 104 tackles, including 10 for a loss, and was a team captain for the Volunteers. Prior to 2006 he had only 50 tackles, starting in two games out of twenty-seven games that he played in over three seasons for the Volunteers. He also performed poorly at the 2007 combine with no weight variations like Dunbar had in 08' as possible explanations. So Mitchell comes in with some questions. Was he a one year wonder at Tennessee? Is he best suited to be a special teams player and a short yardage thumper? Is he going to be the starter the Saints need at one of the linebacker positions? Mitchell is the ideal size for a linebacker and has one year under his belt with the Saints, making it through the entire 2007 season. That gives him an advantage over Dunbar and Kershaw, both of whom will be just getting used to the Saints scheme, language and chemistry. Mitchell seems well suited to be Vilma's backup at middle linebacker, so he probably has a good shot at making the final roster even if he gets beat out at the WLB position. Competition Summary: With only eight players for probably six positions to fill on the roster, the Saints seem light at linebacker going into training camp. There has been speculation about several veteran linebackers still available as free agents as this article is written. They include Takeo Spikes, Ian Gold, Al Wilson, Junior Seau, Jeremiah Trotter and a host more. It seems that at both linebacker and running back, there are a lot of older NFL players who were good veterans still on the market. The Saints have said publicly though that they want to get younger at linebacker, not older. So bringing in one of these veteran linebackers does not appear to be what the Saints are publicly saying they will do. Don't be surprised though if one of the aging veterans does end up on the roster before the opening game against the Bucs. With that said, Shanle will be hard pressed to return to 2006 form or face being dropped in the depth charts or cut. It is doubtful that he will be cut unless some of the rookies and maybe Simoneau really shine and make him expendable. The Saints showed a willingness to play rookies and wild cards on defense in 2006, but seemed unwilling to do so in 2007. Many of the same veterans from 2006 played in 2007, despite some fans thinking that they were outperformed by their backup. One would expect that Shanle, Vilma, Simoneau and Fujita will end up on the final roster, even if one or two of them isn't starting. Assuming six LB spots that leaves two spots open and two players out in the cold. Mitchell could be locked into the backup MLB role if he can fill Troy Evan's spot as the special teams guy. Otherwise Evans may eat up a backup roll, leaving Dunbar and Kershaw off the roster. Expect to see a hardy battle between Shanle, Simoneau, Dunbar and Mitchell for the open WLB starting role. If either Mitchell or Simoneau win the starting WLB, the other will most likely be the backup MLB, Shanle being the generic OLB backup and only one spot will be open for Evans, Dunbar or Kershaw. However, if Dunbar wins the starting WLB role, it could really shake up the roster. Could Shanle and Simoneau stick as the backup OLBs with Mitchell as the backup MLB? Or could that mean that one of the vets will be dropped from the roster all together? As mentioned before, the scheme and personnel changes to the defense will probably make whoever wins the starting WLB job look better than Shanle did in 2007. Another very interesting battle to watch in training camp! Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:32:14 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290696 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290696 This is a very good video I came across, and I wanted to share it with you. Enjoy. Mon, 14 Jul 2008 22:51:45 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290481 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290481 If you have pride in your fandom and the Eagles then vote for Swoop and bring us to victory. The Redskins fans aren't nearly as intense as us and we have to prove it. Spread the word and vote for Swoop. If you've voted vote again so we double the number of votes and turn the tide in our favor. Sun, 22 Jun 2008 05:20:06 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280750 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280750 This past Saturday many players from the Eagles took part in a fashion show to help raise money for the United Way of Camden County. They joined up with Chio and the Morning Show from Wired 96.5, and put on the show at G Lounge. Donovan McNabb, Correll Buckhalter, Todd Herremans, Hank Baskett, Chris Gocong, [...] Tue, 17 Jun 2008 19:50:31 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/279138 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/279138 The 49ers are looking to add either Takeo Spikes or Jeremiah Trotter to their team. But which one is the best fit? We'll take a quick look at both of them. Fri, 16 May 2008 12:17:22 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/267639 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/267639 Ladies and Gents since the offseason started I've been on Donovan's bandwagon to get our Birds some playmakers aka a real number 1 WR. However time went by and yet even as I write this March 23, 2008 there is no new offensive weapon for Super 5. I mean there's always a chance before the draft we make a trade or something. The thing is I realized we really shouldnt let Lito go, he's been a constant Cowboy Killa. He's been our Number 1 CB for a few years and has done a great job.. With the addition of Asante and Chis Clemmons I think our Defense can really excel. Jim Johnson can blitz out of his ass now. We can have more LB blitzes because we know Gocong and Bradley can rush the passer as well. Now my fellow birds fans for anyone whoever reads my articles or comments you know i'm right in the front of the bus when it comes to getting a top WR but I think keeping lito might be better. Now lets just imagine my scenairo. I say draft S Kenny Phillips from Miami in the first round, for the second round pick the best WR out there and then address our usual picks which concists of OT and DTs. So lets say the seasons here.... we slide Sheldon to nickel have Kenny Phillips start at safety dawk at his spot asante and lito at the corners. We can then unleash our d-linemen for havoc. Damnit I MISS the GANG GREEN D our city loves great defense thats one thing our team would always get right through the years. The last few we went away from it time to get back on it. The only way my scenario works though is if Andy doesnt red shirt our draft picks because it seems the Eagles are the only pro team to redshirt rookies lol. Seriously though if we get rookie results from the rookies we are going to Tampa. Sun, 23 Mar 2008 11:30:24 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/215535 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/215535 GREAT VIDEO of the Philadelphia Eagles!! HERE COMES THE BOOM Sun, 23 Mar 2008 01:01:12 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/215361 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/215361 If you were the GM, after seeing what he did his rookie season, and all the hype he had gotten before the season, would you have given Hank Baskett an oppurtunity to ge the starting position? I mean common, he didnt even get a shot at it... after what he was able to do his rookie season, how does Omar Gaither get the start over a guy like Jeremiah Trotter who is not only a philly icon, but one of the greatist linebackers of our decade, but Hank Baskett not get the start over a guy like Reggie Brown who has trouble breaking man-to-man, and drops the ball constantly? Its a question you gotta ask yourself, so if you were the GM, would you give him the oppurtunity, and if you think he will get a chance sometime in the future, when do you think our Philadelphia Eagles Managment will finally stop sitting on good prospects, and give Hank Baskett a shot? Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:35:59 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/213004 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/213004 There are still around two dozen quality players from the defensive side of the ball that remain on the free agent market. Defensive Tackle Albert Haynesworth (franchise player) Rod Coleman Darwin Walker Larry Tripplett Anthony McFarland Grady Jackson Bryan Robinson Ellis Wyms Keith Traylor James Reed William Joseph Ethan Kelley Ian Scott Antonio Garay Kimo von Oelhoffen Ted Washington Russell Davis Nick Eason Defensive End Jared Allen (franchise player) Terrell Suggs (OLB) (franchise player) James Hall Kevin Carter (DT) Mike Rucker Greg Spires Josh Thomas Orpheus Roye ND Kalu Darrion Scott Renaldo Wynn Al Wallace Inside Linebacker Karlos Dansby (franchise player) Lemar Marshall Jeremiah Trotter Brian Simmons Rob Morris (SLB) Caleb Miller Outside Linebacker Takeo Spikes Ian Gold Rosevelt Colvin Victor Hobson Clark Haggans Brandon Chillar Kendrell Bell Keith Adams Rocky Boiman Shawn Barber Donnie Spragan Matt Stewart Safety Ken Hamlin (franchise player) Kenoy Kennedy Chris Crocker Terrence Holt Sun, 16 Mar 2008 08:58:21 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/203017 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/203017 The recent history of the Eagles has been one filled with surprises. When looking at the time that Andy Reid has been in control, there have been a lot of highs and lows, as well as many surprises, good and bad. Since as recently as three years ago, a lot has happened in Philly. The 2004 season saw the Eagles reaching the Superbowl, 2005 featured the meltdown between Owens and McNabb and the season 2006 saw the resurrection of Jeff Garcia and the Eagles. But 2007 had even more in store in the form of surprises, and it's not over yet. At the start of the season, there was much optimism surrounding this Eagles team. McNabb and Kearse were back, we had improved the linebacking corps, Reggie Brown was supposed to have a breakout season and Kevin Curtis figured to have a big impact. The expectations were high: it was expected that McNabb continue his pre-injury form, Kearse was expected to build on his 3.5 sacks through a few games in '06, the defence was supposed to be a weakness, especially since Trotter departed and the wide receivers were expected to be quite good. But very little of this came to pass. The drafting of Kevin Kolb was the first indication that things might be going in a slightly different direction in 2007. Then came the promotion of Omar Gaither to the starting line-up, which raised some questions. However, he has silenced his critics and appears to be on his way to a strong career. But this was one of the few pleasant surprises. Jevon Kearse has regressed, and he was dropped from the starting line-up. His time with the birds is over. McNabb has not played consistently well this season, even though he seemed to progress and his statistics are pretty good. But his ankle and thumb had another surprise wrapped neatly in paper of optimism. And one surprise led to another…A.J. Feeley. McNabb's latest injuries gave Feeley another opportunity to prove how valuable he is to this team, and it has sparked the latest quarterback controversy in Philadelphia. Feeley will probably get the start against Seattle this weekend, which gives him one more opportunity to fuel the McNabb-critics. But these surprises are individual in nature, and there was a much bigger surprise this season. The Eagles have struggled. It can be said that I was blinded by optimism, but I feel that there were very few signs that this would be a 5-6 team through week 12. The play has been downright dreadful at times, and the only consistent cog in the offensive wheel is Brian Westbrook, who deserves a lot more credit that he gets. The defence has been solid and seems to be a strong unit, but there have been very little turnovers. The play calling has been shocking at times as well. But there appears to be another, somewhat intangible reason why this team has struggled, and it is truly hard to define. My pride and optimism bars me from agreeing totally with "Bleed Green" when he states that this team might simply not be good enough, even though he makes very valid points. I am not discounting this as a possible reason for the poor and inconsistent play, but I don't want to agree completely. My reason for this is that the Eagles have shown at times that they can play brilliant football, and a poor team may sneak in a win on any given Sunday, but a poor team doesn't have so many teasingly good moments. This certainly does not prove that the Eagles are a good team, but it also doesn't strengthen the notion that they are simply not good. It has certainly been surprising to find so many poor performances from a team that had the opportunity to really get far into the playoffs. The future of this season probably holds a few more surprises. The 2007/2008 offseason could also be an important time for this team, as I am dreading that it will see the departure of McNabb if he doesn't create a few miracles in his next few games (which is certainly possible) and the start of the Kolb-era. Jevon Kearse will also probably be gone and if L.J. Smith doesn't get an extension, we will lose a very promising player. Don't be surprised if by week 12 in the 2008 season Kevin Kolb is the Face of the Eagles, while McNabb starts somewhere else (my gut says that he will be a Viking next year). But hey, this is Philly, and we might still be pleasantly surprised. Sat, 01 Dec 2007 13:01:21 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/39845 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/39845 My 1st Pick - Reggie Bush My 2nd Pick - Tom Brady My 3rd Pick - Edge James My 4th Pick - Randy Moss My 5th Pick - Vincent Jackson My 6th Pick - Vernon Davis My 7th Pick - Devery Henderson My 8th Pick - Jeremiah Trotter My 9th Pick - Jay Cutler QB - Tom Brady/Jay Cutler WR - Randy Moss, Vincent Jackson, Devery Henderson, Duane Bowe RB - Reggie Bush, Edge James, Jeremiah Trotter TE - Vernon Davis, Eric Johnson K - Olindo Mare Def - GB Wed, 05 Sep 2007 15:03:06 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/26015 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/26015 With the 2007 NFL season right around the corner, FIO writers Matt Hinzpeter and Tim Hays square off against each other to discuss the NFC. FIO's "The Splits" is a debate/discussion style article between two FIO writers. See where Hinzpeter and Hays agree, and where they butt heads. Tue, 04 Sep 2007 00:53:32 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/25834 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/25834 Looks like Tampa Bay will try to fit Jeremiah Trotter into their 3-4 scheme. Just another good ol' boy network signing. John Gruden, Andy Reid, Brad Childress, and Mike Holmgren like to swap players between themselves and their franchises. It will be seen whether Trotter can get deep enough to cover receivers and last throughout the length of his contract, which is one year with the Bucs. Maybe they will play him strictly on running downs only? Well, at least we know his knees have passed their physical. Since Bucs linebacker Patrick Chukwurah already wears #54 it looks like Jeremiah will have to pick a new number to market while in Tampa on his third stop in his NFL travels. Tampa Bay and Philadelphia do not play each other this year, unless they meet up in the playoffs. www.myspace.com/wpsn Mon, 03 Sep 2007 22:13:49 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/25820 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/25820 During the Eagles @ Steelers (13-27) Sunday night pre-season game Andrea Kremer reported that released MLB Jeremiah Trotter was not offered a back-up role. He said that he was told his options were to be released or retire, and that he most likely would have declined a spot on the bench had the organization offered. As the story develops, if Trotter can only land a team as a back up, then perhaps 'most likely' meant he would have slept on it and been upset but still remained an Eagle. However, if he is forced to retire instead, then the seemingly shrewed move will only go down as yet another action of good foresight by the Eagles organization. Mon, 27 Aug 2007 03:43:28 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/24989 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/24989 Jeremiah Trotter YouTube Video Tribute. We will miss you Axe Man. Sat, 25 Aug 2007 17:39:57 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/24886 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/24886