Heeeeeeeeeee's baaaaaaaaacccckkkk.

Jeremiah Trotter is going to get a chance to see if it's true what they say about the third time.

The Eagles signed the former Pro Bowl middle linebacker to a one-year deal at the league minimum. The move would have come as a surprise a week ago, but seemed to become a formality yesterday when Trotter worked out for a second time. Trotter, a four-time Pro Bowler, last played for the Eagles in 2006. It's not exactly clear what role Trotter will play in his return to the Eagles.

"I don't think they brought me back to play special teams," Trotter said today at the NovaCare Complex.

Trotter said he was still in a state of shock. It's safe the say he's probably not the only one. Nevertheless, Trotter is back and he'll be wearing his old No. 54 after he made a deal with linebacker Tracy White.

"I always dreamed I would retire as an Eagle," said Trotter, who felt like he had at least three years of football left in his 32-year-old body. "Hopefully, that can still happen."

Trotter said that he did better than he expected on a physical the Eagles gave him yesterday. "They said my knees looked better" than last time he was with the Eagles, Trotter said. "Which is odd for me." Trotter said he had his right knee cleaned out a few months after he was released by Tampa Bay following the 2007 season. He spent the 2008 season out of the league.

He said today that he weighed around 257 pounds. He also revealed that he worked out for the St. Louis Rams in the off-season, but nothing came of it. Still, he kept training and kept believing that this day would come.

"Jeremiah Trotter has always been one of my favorite players,” head coach Andy Reid said in a press release. “He has worked very hard to keep himself in shape and we are pleased with where he is physically. We are excited to give him an opportunity to contribute to our football team.”

To make room for Trotter on their 53-man roster, the Eagles have released quarterback Jeff Garcia.

“Jeff Garcia is a true professional and I know the players and coaches appreciated having him around these last two weeks," Reid said. "There is no doubt Jeff can still perform at a championship caliber level in the National Football League.”

Here's the rest of the release:

Originally a third-round draft choice of the Eagles in 1998, Trotter racked up 100-or-more tackles and led the team in that category in five of his seven seasons in Philadelphia. He also became the fourth linebacker in team history with four-or-more Pro Bowls, joining Chuck Bednarik (8), Maxie Baughan (5), and Bill Bergey (4).

He was released by the Eagles prior to the start of the 2007 season. Trotter has played in 134 games (117 starts) in his ten-year career, tallying 1,201 tackles, 12.5 sacks, nine interceptions (two touchdown returns), and eight forced fumbles.

Trotter spent his first four years in Philadelphia (1998-2001), garnering Pro Bowl honors following the 2000 and 2001 seasons before joining the Washington Redskins in 2002. He was released by the Redskins after the 2003 season, and re-signed with the Eagles in 2004. He spent the first seven games of that season as a reserve linebacker, but re-claimed the starting middle linebacker spot midway through the year and was instrumental in the Eagles run to the Super Bowl. Trotter went on to earn his third and fourth Pro Bowl nominations following the 2004 and 2005 seasons.

Poll: Is signing Jeremiah Trotter a good move? (4338 votes)

Eagles president Joe Banner, speaking at a joint venture with the Phillies and Jefferson Hospital Tuesday morning, praised Michael Vick and expressed his delight over Sunday's win.

"He's doing great," Banner said of Vick. "He's doing everything we could ask for. We have to see how things play out over the season for everybody to really see what our vision is for how he can help the team." 

Banner would not offer any updates on the status of former linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, who has reportedly worked out and taken a physical for the Eagles.

"All we've done right now is work him out," Banner said.

Shying away from making bold claims like his preseason comment that the Eagles have the "best roster in the league," Banner stressed that the Eagles' victory over Kansas City on Sunday was just a good sign.

"We're optimistic that we have a good team and a lot of young players so we have a chance to have a good team for a while," Banner said. "But you have to prove that on the field." 

Banner was on hand to announce a unique partnership with the Phillies and Jefferson Hospital. The two sports franchises got together and designed a T-shirt with both Eagles and Phillies logos on it to raise money for the Jefferson Breast Care Center.

The T-shirt is $20 and will be sold at both stadiums and teams' Web sites. All of the proceeds will go to the hospital. It will be sold only in October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Such a partnership with the Phillies is unusual for the Eagles. But it was Banner's original idea, Phillies president David Montgomery said.

"We both always look for opportunities," Banner said. "In some ways our businesses are distinct and some ways they overlap."

The Eagles have given Jeremiah Trotter a physical, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, but a team spokesman said tonight that coach Andy Reid still remains undecided about re-signing the former Pro Bowl linebacker.

Trotter worked out in front of Reid and other Eagles team officials Thursday. The Eagles are likely to make some kind of roster move in the near future because quarterback Donovan McNabb is probably going to be able to play in the Oct. 11 game against Tampa Bay. McNabb's return will likely signal the release of Jeff Garcia, who was signed as insurance when the Eagles' starting quarterback suffered a fractured rib in the season opener.

Don't come here looking for a quarterback controversy. Nope. Not here. Those were the sentiments expressed by Andy Reid today at his day-after press conference.

In light of Kevin Kolb's relief performance in the Eagles' 34-14 win over the Chiefs yesterday, it's become clear that Reid has himself four quarterbacks capable of starting -- Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick, Jeff Garcia and Kolb. For the Eagles coach, though, this is not a problem, it is a good thing.

"As long as they know their roles," Reid said, "I don't have a problem with that."

Apparently the roles are this: McNabb is the starter, Kolb is the backup, Vick is the wildcard and Garcia is the odd man out. We'll see if they all remain satisfied with those roles.

"Not that they all don't want to start," Reid said. "I won't have a quarterback here that doesn't want to start. That's just not healthy thing to have on your football team. ... But they have to understand the situation here that Donovan is the No. 1 quarterback and we go from there."

As for injuries, Guard Max Jean-Gilles has shoulder inflammation. "He should be fine," Reid said. There were no other injuries from the game.

McNabb, meanwhile, is "making progress" with his fractured rib. "He's on the mend. This will be a good week for him," Reid said referring to the Eagles' upcoming bye.

“He will be working to get the soreness out, the muscles in between the ribs," Reid said. "The tightness in there, get it stretched out. ... He will continue to throw.”

The extra week off will help running back Brian Westbrook and his sprained ankle, Reid said.

LeSean McCoy filled in admirably for Westbrook yesterday, running for 84 yards on 20 carries and scoring a TD. Reid said that the rookie could be mixed into the running back rotation more often once the aging Westbrook returns.

“I think that will take place,” Reid said. “He will rotate in there. I don’t know exactly the rotation that we would do. We would work him in there. ... I want to see how Brian does after this week and where he gets to healthwise. It’s not going to hurt to have LeSean in position where he can get into a game and go and be a solid relief pitcher for Brian. The number of carries, we’ll see how it goes.”

Some suggested last season Reid should have used Correll Buckhalter, his second tailback, more often as a complement to Westbrook. He agreed with that assessment today.

"I should have done it with Buck, obviously," Reid said about sharing carries. "He's up in Denver gaining 100 yards every week. Maybe I should have played him a little more."

A day later, Reid still didn't have a problem with DeSean Jackson's flip into the end zone, even though center Jamaal Jackson said that he did.

"I know with DeSean when I tell him act like you’ve been there," Reid said, "he can tell me he has been there once or twice.”

Guard Todd Herremans will have a scan of his left foot on Thursday. He isn't expected to be back at least until the Washington game on Oct. 26. Wide receiver Kevin Curtis still has inflammation in his knee, Reid said. Quintin Demps still has a hamstring strain. Dimitri Patterson is getting better with the hand fracture.

Reid gave the players the week off. They'll return next Monday to begin preparing for Tampa Bay.

Jamaal Jackson loved DeSean Jackson's 64-yard touchdown reception during the second quarter of the Eagles' 34-14 rout of the Kansas City Chiefs.

He didn't like the head-first-dive-into-a-front-split celebration so much.

"I told him, 'Great run, but let's try to exhibit some professionalism,' " the Eagles' center said. "There's nothing wrong with a little celebration, but once you put your body at risk, that's when you want to take a step back and look at the big picture. There's nothing wrong with just handing the ball to the ref."

Jamaal thinks DeSean might heed his advice, especially because the receiving Jackson also vomitted on the sideline after his celebration.

"I've been trying to talk to these young guys," Jamaal said. "I tell them, 'Hey man, this is our jobs. It isn't some pickup game. I told him that right after he scored. After that, he was on the sideline throwing up. You run that long of a time, you need to save some of your energy. He was hurling. I might seem like the old guy out there, but my position on this team is to try to lead these guys by example."

Eagles coach Andy Reid didn't make a big deal about the celebration, saying simply that it was a good indication to him that Jackson's strained groin was feeling OK.

Randall Cunningham, the former quarterback that paved the way for the Donovan McNabbs and Michael Vicks of the NFL, and Al Wistert, who paved the way for tailback Steve Van Buren as the Eagles won their first two championships in 1948 and 1949, are being inducted into the team's Ring of Honor today.

The two inductees, along with owner Jeffrey Lurie, met with the media before the Eagles-Chiefs game. The 89-year-old Wistert had to be helped to the podium by Lurie and team spokesman Derek Boyko. Lurie and Cunningham embraced for an uncomfortable-looking hug. Nevertheless, Lurie gave his own personal pitch for both former Eagles to be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame.

Cunningham "revolutionized the game," Lurie said of the explosive and acrobatic quarterback, who was drafted by the Eagles in the second round of the 1985 draft.

Said Cunningham, who was the NFL's player of the year in 1988 and 1990: "This is my Hall of Fame. I'm satisfied."

Coincidentally, Cunningham is being honored on the day of Vick's return to the NFL. McNabb is inactive for the game with a fractured rib. Both present-day quarterbacks have expressed gratitude to Cunningham in the past for his part in dispelling the idea that African Americans couldn't play the position.

"I think that myth is over now," said the 46-year-old Cunningham, who is currently the pastor of a church in Las Vegas. "African American quarterbacks can do it just as well as anybody else."

Cunningham said that he attended Eagles practice yesterday and that he sat down with both players. Vick is expected to be used in the Eagles' Wildcat formation -- or "Spread Eagle," as they've been calling it -- with Kevin Kolb starting. Cunningham was in many ways the original Wildcat.

"Buddy [Ryan] used to tell me to just go out and make 5-7 big plays," Cunningham said. "That was the Wildcat back then. We just didn't have a catchy name for it."

Cunningham looked slim and healthy -- maybe good enough to make a comeback? "I'm too old," he said. "I have gray in my eyebrows."

Wistert was an eight-time All-Pro tackle in nine seasons of play and was the first player to have his jersey retired by the Eagles. "A no-brainer," Lurie said of Wistert's credentials for the Hall of Fame.

"Naturally, when you get to be near 90 years of age, any fuss they make over you is easy to handle," said Wistert, who flew from his home in Oregon to Philadelphia.

Both players will be honored at halftime.

Brian Westbrook isn't playing.

Despite reports during the practice week from coach Andy Reid that Westbrook's sprained right ankle was improving, the Eagles' star running back is unable to play today against the Kansas City Chiefs. Westbrook sprained his surgically repaired ankle late in the third quarter of the Eagles' loss to New Orleans and didn't practice at all during the week. Rookie LeSean McCoy will make his first career start in place of Westbrook.

Wide receiver Kevin Curtis, who was listed as doubtful Friday because of a sprained left knee, also is not playing. That means Jeremy Maclin will make his first NFL start and fellow rookie Brandon Gibson will dress for the first time this season. Veteran Reggie Brown is dressing for the first time since the Eagles' playoff win over the New York Giants last season.

The Eagles also activated all three of their healthy quarterbacks, which probably means that Jeff Garcia would enter the game if Kevin Kolb was injured. Michael Vick, of course, is expected to play in a regular-season game for the first time since New Year's Even 2006 when he visited Lincoln Financial Field as the Atlanta Falcons' quarterback.

The Eagles' injured inactives are Westbrook, Curtis, quarterback Donovan McNabb (fractured rib), cornerback Dimitri Patterson (hand), safety Quintin Demps (hamstring) and guard Todd Herremans (foot). Healthy scratches are defensive end Jason Babin and offensive lineman Mike McGlynn. 

Andy Reid talked today about the Eagles' decision to work out former linebacker and current talk-radio personality Jeremiah Trotter Thursday.

"I just wanted to see where he was at," the Eagles coach said. "He had his knee taking care of after he left here ... so I wanted to get him in here and see him move around a little bit, which I thought he did a good job. We'll take it from there. I haven't made any decisions on it one way or another. I wanted to take a pulse of where he was at physically. I thought he did a nice job with what we did with him."

Trotter's tryout raises the question about whether Reid and the Eagles are concerned about the middle linebacker position, where Omar Gaither is now the starter.

"We brought other people in at other positions to look at," Reid said. "You just want to make sure you have everything lined up in case you need to go that direction. I don't like questions at the last minute about what people look like. You try to do that in advance."

INJURY REPORT

Reid also gave the injury report for Sunday's game against the Chiefs. Quarterback Donovan McNabb (rib), wide receiver Kevin Curtis (knee) and safety Quintin Demps (hamstring) are doubtful.

Running back Brian Westbrook (ankle) is questionable. Wide receiver DeSean Jackson is probable. If Curtis can't go, Reggie Brown will be activated and rookie Jeremy Maclin will start, Reid said. It would be Brown's first action of the season and the first start of Maclin's career.

FROM EARLIER ...

DeSean Jackson is back at practice after missing the last two days with a groin injury. The Eagles wide receiver should be healthy enough to play Sunday against the Chiefs.

Kevin Curtis, meanwhile, is missing. The wide receiver has a left knee sprain and has been a limited participant in practice this week.

Brian Westbrook is still out, but it's not as if the running back hasn't practiced the week before a game and still not played. He has a right ankle sprain.

No surprise here, Donovan McNabb is also not practicing. He and Westbrook left practice after about a half hour. Asked if he could play Sunday, McNabb said, "I just don't know yet. No new news here."

It looks like McNabb will get another week -- plus the upcoming bye -- to nurse a fractured rib. Kevin Kolb will start in his place. Michael Vick and Jeff Garcia are out on the practice field along with Kolb.

There is no sign of Jeremiah Trotter, who worked out for the Eagles yesterday.

The Eagles confirmed that they worked out former linebacker Jeremiah Trotter today at the NovaCare Complex. Trotter last played two seasons ago for Tampa Bay.

“I felt really good,” Trotter said on 610-WIP. “I’ve been training and working out. The indication I got from everybody was that the workout went really well.”

Trotter said that he first contacted coach Andy Reid about the possibility of a workout after starting middle linebacker Stewart Bradley tore his anterior cruciate ligament during training camp.

"I told him I was in great shape and I could help him out," Trotter said. "Nothing happened. But he called me today and wanted me to come in for a workout.”

“Going over today I was nervous as heck because I didn’t play all of last year. When I was in Tampa I practiced every day but I didn’t play. ... Obviously, I’m not in football shape. That’s going to take me getting out on the field.”

There was an initial report from ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The former Pro Bowler played for the Eagles over two stints, from 1998-2001 and from 2004-06. Trotter was cut just before the 2007 season when the team decided to go with Omar Gaither at middle linebacker. Gaither is currently in the middle.

Joe Mays was given every shot to claim the job, but he failed to put his stamp on the spot and Gaither was handed the starting position. Gaither has nine tackles, a half a sack and fumble recovery through two games. Mays missed the first game with a shoulder sprain but is back practicing.

Trotter was selected to the Pro Bowl four times (2001, 2002, 2004, 2005). He has recently been a talk radio host on (610) WIP-AM. Linebacker Tracy White currently wears Trotter's old uniform, No. 54.

"I ain't worried about that at all," Trotter said. "I just want to get out there on the field."

Poll: Should the Eagles bring Jeremiah Trotter back? (6539 votes)