That said, I'm here to tell you that Andy Reid's decision to bring Trotter back in late September was a very good move.

While Trot hasn't been able to help Sean McDermott's banged-up defense all that much on game day, he's been invaluable the other 6 days of the week.

I've always felt strongly that, to be an effective leader, you had to be out there on the field. It's hard to inspire, hard to teach, hard to motivate, from the bench.

But Trotter is proving that it can be done.

"I have some good leaders [on defense]," Reid said. "Sheldon Brown is a tremendous leader, and Quintin Mikell. But when you have one of those linebackers that's right in the middle of that secondary and defensive line, they normally can rally it and they're normally your primary leader on the defensive team.

"I thought Trot could do that. I thought he earned the respect just from his past career where he could come in and do that. And he has. He's been willing to do anything. You see him out there on special teams, he doesn't care. He just wants to play and help any way he can. I think the players respect that. They all know he's old. But they also know that he's built quite a resume over his years in the league."

Starter or not, when Trotter talks, the young defensive players listen. When he tells them to grab their notebooks and follow him into the film room for a tape-watching session, they do it enthusiastically.

"One of the things he's done being here is he's gathered everybody up and taken them into the film room without the coaches there," Reid said. "They sit in there and they watch tape and go over things."

Two weeks after signing with the Eagles, Trotter played 19 rust-covered defensive snaps in the Eagles' 33-14, Week 5 win over Tampa Bay, then made mostly cameo appearances in the next five games.

With Akeem Jordan out with a hyperextended knee, Trotter rotated in the middle with Joe Mays on first and second down in last week's 24-20 win over the Bears. Took most of the run-down reps in the second half as the Eagles held the Bears to 2.4 yards per carry in the final two quarters.

With Jordan still unable to practice, Trotter likely will see a lot of action at MIKE again this week against a sickly Redskins offense that is 29th in the league in scoring. Then, when Jordan returns, it will be back to the bench. And Trotter is OK with that.

"He's put the team first," McDermott said. "He's taken a very unselfish approach, which in this day and age is unheard of in team play. Or unique. Or the exception to the norm. He's come in and accepted his role, whatever it be, each and every week.

"We need leaders right now because we're all banged up. Guys that can help us Monday through Saturday, as we like to say, as well as on the field."

Around the league

 

* Jon Runyan's patience was rewarded this week when he signed with the Chargers. The former Eagles offensive tackle rejected earlier contract offers from three teams, including the Chargers, to be a backup, preferring to wait for a starting opportunity. That happened this week when the Chargers lost their starting right tackle, Jeromey Clary, to a possible season-ending ankle injury. "In my heart, I knew I was more than capable of starting," Runyan told reporters Wednesday. "Not jumping on a backup job at the time, I knew eventually someone would get injured and there would be an opportunity." Runyan probably won't play this week since he still is learning the offense, but is expected to start next week when the 7-3 Chargers play at Cleveland. The following week, he'll face a familiar foe: the Cowboys.

* Quarterback Marc Bulger probably has played his last game with the Rams. Bulger, 32, is out 3 to 6 weeks with a tibial plateau fracture near the top of his shin bone. Kyle Boller will replace him for the rest of this season, but the 1-9 Rams, who likely will have one of the first four or five picks in next April's quarterback-strong draft, probably will use their first pick for Bulger's successor.

* The Titans ran some spread-option with quarterback Vince Young in Monday's win over Houston. Young, who has led the 4-6 Titans to four straight wins since replacing Kerry Collins at quarterback, rushed for 73 yards on 11 carries against the Texans. Young ran the spread-option in college at Texas. "Coming into the game, we knew that he had been converting a lot of third downs with his feet," said Texans cornerback Dunta Robinson. "So we emphasized it. But it's easier said than done to go out there and try to stop it."