I have taken the position that some of the actions of the Eagles and Andy Reid show an air of desperation.

They uncharacteristically focused on offense during the draft, using their top picks to take wide receiver Jeremy Maclin and running back LeSean McCoy.

They revamped their offensive line, bidding adieu to longtime bookend tackles Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan. They signed Stacy Andrews (Shawn’s
brother) to a big contract even though he was coming off knee surgery.
Then they flipped the brothers, moving Shawn outside to Runyan’s spot.
Of course, Shawn is now on the shelf for the year. They signed Jason Peters to man the other side, but were unable to get what they hoped would be their starting offensive line on the field for even one play in the preseason.

Then, in perhaps the most stunning move, the team announced it was signing convicted dog ring operator Michael Vick. He will make his debut Sunday as “mad scientist” Andy Reid continues to toy with the Wildcat offense.

But yesterday the idea of desperation hit a new high at the Nova Care Center. Or maybe a new low.

The Eagles confirmed they brought in former linebacker Jeremiah Trotter for a workout. He has not played since he hooked on with Tampa Bay after being released by the Eagles in 2007. That is two years ago, about the same amount of time Vick was out of the game.

Last seen, Trotter was behind a microphone doing talk radio on WIP.

I love Trotter. I love the way he played. OK, I never was a big fan of his “Ax Man” routine after every tackle, but the guy was a flat-out stud middle linebacker.

But that’s the whole point. The key word in that sentence is WAS.
Trotter played on bad wheels, with knees ravaged from years of NFL action, even when he was an All-Pro.

The move seems to be an admission that the Eagles believe they are still weak up the middle, especially against the run.

Of course, there’s a guy now wearing orange in Denver who likely would agree with them. But Brian Dawkins does not play here anymore.

Sean McDermott’s defense, one week after a sparkling debut against the Panthers, got blown out by Drew Brees and the Saints. Apparently neither Omar Gaither nor Joe Mays are the answer.

Still, the Eagles should win this game. You can check back here tomorrow for the dreaded Saturday Eagles pick.

There’s no truth to the rumor that Harold Carmichael and Bill Bergey are coming in for workouts today.