Is Trent Cole underrated?
Philly.com, Inquirer, and Daily News coverage of the Eagles
Is Trent Cole underrated?
Daily News staff
Defensive end Trent Cole became the first Eagles player to rank in the NFL Network's countdown of the Top 100 players of 2010, as voted by the players.
The two-time Pro Bowler came in at No. 73, and was not terribly happy about it.
"That's a low number being rated at but I at least made the top 100," he wrote on Twitter. "I'm used to being underrated so I laugh.
"I will just have to keep doing things on the field ... Who ever is doing the rating on players wake the hell up and smell what this country boy is cookin!"
When told that it was the players themselves, Cole scoffed: "Well if they say it is rated by the players that's a lie."
"Underrated will not be a word anymore after this year because its officially banned from the Cole Camp. To my fans we have to put a stop to me being underrated. Well I just tell them don't rate me ever again or use my name on any list."
Eagles coach Andy Reid introduced the segment on Cole and obviously had high praise for his defensive end: "Against the run and pass, he can play both equally well. He can do everything he's supposed to do and a little bit more. With age and experience, he's gotten better. He knows all the tricks."
Wrote the site: "Cole got some press this year for his performances, but he still doesn’t get the credit he’s due. People will note that he’s an impressive pass rusher (he’s beyond impressive) but they rarely give him his due for his all around game (I suspect because of his size.) The 28 year old is one of the most active players in the NFL; always doing something to influence the play. He destroyed so many tackles that it’s more noteworthy when he didn’t (Week 16 being the only game he graded negatively for pass rushing.)
So, where do you stand on Cole?
I put him somewhere between Hugh Douglas and William Fuller in their best years with the Birds. As for Clyde Simmons, it's so hard to rate him because he played with Reggie and, for a bit, Jerome. He played well with Jacksonville, but I can't put him above Trent of Hugh. Maybe I'm wrong?— Stephen_Niksa- first and formost the eagles must improve their D.Line its just too small after 8 games the ends are worn out no push from the tackles
its the same ecah year wake up ANDY your system sucks, look at GreenBay Game all day to pass no pressure on qb— Gmario - Cole is a really good overall player. But lets face it, he doesn't give LT's nightmares worrying about what he'll do to their QB's— jimmyj
- 411 Is right on the money! Cole has nobody to complement him on the other side.If anyone thinks Cole is average, then take him off the team and see what happens. I think then you"ll see how valuable he really is.— Geno D
- I think Cole is a good player, but like most people on the board, I agree he wears down. Maybe Washburn's defensive schemes will help improve his production past November.— watsonmr
- @ stikolaboloni. Exactly. Stop having LB's drop back in pass coverage and Cole would be more effective.— Richard Saunders
Comment removed.- One of the few things the eagles DON'T have to worry about is Trent Cole. Get that boy some help.— CripsyK
- Cole was rated fairly. #73 is about right. To get into the top 50. He's going to have to post bigger numbers. 16-18 sacks.— MrMiles1
- Comment removed.
- Very consistent against the run. Should get more holding calls in his favor in the pass rush. But not such a superstar that he should worry where he's rated. Get 15 sacks, or get double-teamed on a line that is racking up sacks, and the praise will come. When a team wins the Super Bowl, every single guy on the team gets noticed. That's where the fame is: SB.— armchairGM
- PLEASe!!! Freddie Mitchell is reborn!! What are they drinking out of those Gatorade jugs?— GO_FLYERS
- The guy draws constant double teams he has to fight through and is one of their only players on D who is out there every snap... and people really wonder why he wears down?? That's like asking why RBs have the shortest shelf life of any position when getting tackled at the NFL level is described as the equivalent of a moderate speed car accident. If pro football was that easy everybody would play it, don't knock a guy's effort from your couch it just sounds ridiculous— stikolaboloni
- I think he's a little overrated. Doesn't help that the Eagles have no other effective pass rushers.— p-diddy
- I thought there was some gonna be outrage in the comment section about him being underrated but the general consensus seems to be he's right where he should be. He does everything very well, just not later in the year. Maybe this year will be different if there's less games.— beerflow
- Comment removed.
- Maybe if the Eagles had traded up in 1999 they might have selected a better player to play alongside Cole because McNabb was as big a bust as they come. I put that at the top of 1st round bust in Eagles history. 1)McNabb 2)Mamula 3)Jon Harris 4)McDougle 5)Bernard Williams
— lonewolf 10 - The easiest way to boost the production for Cole late in the season is to focus on a ball control offense. Kevin "Klutch" Kolb is perfect for that role. Kolb is a lot like Cliff Lee in that all you have to do is get them to the playoffs to watch the magic happen— lonewolf 10
- doesnt get double teamed much late in the season, whats that tell you.— section707
- While Cole looks more like Casper late in the season you can't pin that on him. He has no help all year long so of course he loses steam. How about Andy actually give him some talent on the line...oh wait we didn't want to go all out for Peppers. We didn't want to trade for Seymour...not Cole's fault. Remember the year we had the most talented defense? Yeah, neither do I.— XanderCrews
- I love Cole, but he's definitely not underrated, or the fourth best player in the LEAGUE. That's insanity. He's not dominate enough to be mentioned in that company, plain and simple. The reason he disappears is because of his lack of physical dominance. It's very comendable, but most of what he accomplishes is on sheer will. Although it pains me to say it, guys like Tuck, Umeniyora, Ware, Jared Allen, Mario Williams, Freeney, etc, are undoubtably better as they can literally take over a game physically. Cole has really never done that, with all due respect.— SLP2009
- One of the best players in the league every September. No gas in the tank by Thanksgiving. Glad to see he's getting fired up in May!— Phillip?
- Cole gets his sack numbers early against bad teams with younger lineman. He becomes more invisible every year when the games get bigger and more important. Writers say he wears himself out during the season. I say just an average player at best.— dennis14
- lonewolf10, Dawk did get that job done in Arizona when he was burned badly. Oh well. Stop drinking the moonshine.— palmyra21
- Trent gets the job done just like Brian Dawkins did in championship games. McNabb probably took 5 years off his career with constantly ending drives quickly and putting the defense on the field all game long. Trent would be a even better player with a ball controlled offense which Kevin "Clutch" Kolb can provide.— lonewolf 10
- I feel that Cole is only underated because he doesn't give interviews and speak to the media often.. if you notice, he's not a great public speaker and that can hinder your fame as well when dealing with stardom. I think he gets good recognition none the less— twistedmetalone
- Cole would look a lot better in the second half of the year and playoffs if the opposing teams' offenses had to worry about any other Eagles getting to their QBs. He fights through those double-teams in September and October but wears down as any player would, especially an undersized player.— Raggamonkey
- Hard to tell if he is overrated or underrated. I would have to say that for the first half of the season he is underrated, and for the second half of the season he is overrated. He starts off strong then seems to fizzle out as the season goes on.— billro33
- Comment removed.
- If anything I think he's overrated.— Tech_Triumph
- Bonafide superstar. 1.5 sacks in 7 playoff games.........— zfaber
