It’s where it started, the father and son on the couch breaking down film together, with the father providing nuances only a pro, trained eye could see. Jeremiah Trotter Jr. loved those times. He started when he was five, sitting next to his dad, beloved Eagles’ Hall of Fame linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Sr., with little tyke games. That advanced to middle school, where the younger Trotter gained a greater understanding of the game, all the way up to high school at national powerhouse St. Joseph’s Prep and then on to Clemson.
As he got older, Trotter Jr. could not learn enough, fast enough. He missed some of that time with his dad when he was at Clemson, but this Eagles’ season brought the two together again, when Trotter Jr. was drafted in the fifth round of what may turn into an historic 2024 NFL Draft for the Eagles.
It has been an historic season in the Trotter household. In his rookie year, Trotter Jr. is playing in the Super Bowl, something his dad, “The Axe Man,” did not do until his seventh season with the 2004 Eagles.
It’s been a special year in many ways for the Trotters. With the tragic loss of family matriarch Tammi Trotter on February 28, 2023, due to cancer, the family has been strongly coping with a trying time.
Trotter Jr.’s voracious appetite for film study and preparation received a nice boost this season sitting and watching film with his dad. He was getting wisdom everywhere, absorbing everything from Eagles’ defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and linebacker coaches Bobby King and Ronell Williams, who love Trotter Jr.’s work ethic and endless diligence.
“He worked every day and his goal is to make himself better, and grinding,” Trotter Sr. said about his son. “We’ve been watching film since he was five. We still watch film together, but I don’t do it with him as much as I used to, because he gets a lot from the Eagles. After games, we’ll talk about the good stuff, and the bad stuff; what worked, what didn’t. He’ll come home and we’ll sometimes go over practice film. Most of the film he gets is in practice. I’m proud of him. He’s done very well. He has proven he can play in the NFL, which was never a question.”
Even though Trotter Sr. is an all-time great Eagles’ linebacker, his first nine games he watched in street clothes his rookie season in 1998 after being selected in the third round by the Eagles’ counterpart this Sunday in the Super Bowl, former Eagles’ and current Kansas City Chiefs’ head coach Andy Reid.
The father reminds the son frequently that he is way ahead of his timetable already.
Then, Trotter Sr. told a great story about his rookie season. If he was not playing, he would find a way to fill the time on Sunday game days by working out in the Veterans Stadium’s antiquated weight room. He wanted to get the extra work in.
“I was in there when one of the assistant coaches came in and said, ‘Hey Trot, you want to play today?’ I said, ‘Yes sir!,’” the Axe Man recalled. “I was doing legs in that little, itty bitty weight room at Veterans Stadium and forget which coach came in. But someone got hurt. We were in pregame, two hours before the game. I had a good game on special teams and dressed out from there. I started getting better, and better and I went into the offseason and the rest is history.
“It is scary. The last time Andy saw Jeremiah was when he was a baby in my arms at Veterans Stadium. He may have been two. He’ll see him on Sunday (laughs). I love the fact of how focused he is. He does not get too high or too low. He keeps grinding. But that’s the way he has always been. Anytime you have God-given talent and the discipline to go with it, you will only get better. I’ve been telling him all season to be ready to play. He started in the last game against the (New York) Giants with him and Oren (Burks) getting game balls after that game. I remember the first award I got from John Harbaugh, who was Andy’s special teams coach. I decleated a guy on a block against San Diego and Harbaugh gave me the ‘What’s My Name Award’ that Monday.”
This has been fun for the father and the son. Trotter Sr. likes the character of this team. Jeremiah Jr., his father says, has a great linebacker room and learned a great deal under Zack Baun, Nakobe Dean, and Burks.
Fangio’s top-down defensive system caters to downhill linebackers—like Jeremiah Jr.
“All of these guys have really helped me,” Jeremiah Jr. said. “I couldn’t be with a better group of guys. It’s cool being home and breaking stuff down with my dad. A lot of guys go through a whole career without getting to a Super Bowl and I did it my rookie year. It’s crazy to think about being right back on that field playing on the same field my dad carried me off. It is funny to think the last time Andy Reid saw me was when I was a baby.”
Trotter Jr.’s transition from college to pro could not have gone any smoother. There have been some bumps here and there, but he has also played well when he has been given the chance. Much of that is derived by the trust the coaching staff has invested in him. It also comes from a mutual trust of the coaches.
“Coach Fangio has been around the game a very long time,” Trotter Jr. said. “I see how he brings a high-level IQ on how to play defense. He sees how the game has changed and he really knows how to stop an opponent. What I really like is the stuff that isn’t schemed, factoring in how guys run to the ball and attack the ball to get turnovers.
“I feel like it all plays a factor into his defensive style. He allows the linebackers to run downhill and play fast. We started slow because we were learning. Everyone continued to work and continued to grind. Vic is my only NFL defensive coordinator. But you have to put the work and time into study to get down the details. There were guys early on trying to get it down, but after that bye week, there was definitely a change after that. Guys have been stressing to me about getting down your own routine. Coach King and coach Williams have helped me improve my game.
“I have a lot of motivation for the Super Bowl. I know my mom would have wanted to be here for this. But I know she will be. She’s with me everywhere I go.”
