Cole Starts On Career Path To Stardom
September 20, 2006
This is what Trent Cole was when he first arrived at the NovaCare Complex: A raw, ball of energy, tell-me-what-to-do-and-I'll-do-it kind of player. He weighed 238 pounds for goodness sakes.
What could he do?
Was he a rush linebacker, or a defensive end, or a fifth-round draft pick 'tweener who would never do much of anything except look good in a uniform?
Well, hey, what a difference a year makes. Cole is a beast now, a chisled 265 pounds, a "country boy" who spends his off time figuring out ways to become a better hunter when he's not playing football.
Maybe that's the connection, then. Cole is a hunter, a gatherer, a man who loves the kill.
"I guess you could say that, because to me there is nothing better than sacking a quarterback. That's what I'm here to do," says Cole, undressing after practice on Wednesday, heading to a defensive line meeting. "I mean, I know I have this motor that ... I just don't know how to slow down."
DE Trent Cole has shown great promise early in his career, and the best may be yet to come
Cole is such a key guy in this Eagles equation, and certainly with the loss of Jevon Kearse, Cole's importance has never been more prominent.
The Eagles are moving around some of their pieces up front, shifting Darren Howard from right end to left end and promoting Cole from a nickel pass rusher to the right end starting job.
The key to this defense and, obviously, one of the keys to the Eagles' goal of winning the Super Bowl, is to have a kick-butt defensive line. Cole is a kick-butt kind of guy, a super-raw talent whom the Eagles recognized from his collegiate time at Cincinnati and projected into a perfect fit as an edge rusher in Jim Johnson's scheme.
"I'm just going to go as hard as I can on every play," he says. "I've slowed down a little bit as I've gained weight, but now I understand technique more and I play faster. I just keep getting faster and faster. The game slows down and I get faster and faster and I all see is the ball and I go get the ball."
Cole has four sacks in two games, tied for the most in the NFL. He also has a killer penalty to live down -- the kick to the groin that cost the Eagles 15 yards in the final regulation seconds of Sunday's loss to the Giants.
He doesn't want to be, and won't be, known as the player to blame for the loss. Cole had a pair of sacks in the game, was dominating, was devastating.
And yet he hurts inside for the defeat. He feels the responsibility.
"We lost, and I feel so bad because we played so hard. It was terrible," says Cole. "I know how hard my team played and I know how hard I played. I feel bad for my teammates. I know we're going to keep playing hard and I know we're going to win games.
"The fans, they have been great to me. I was a little worried about it. I didn't know what they would say. But I have had so many fans tell me to keep playing hard, to get past it and to keep getting after the quarterback. That means so much to me."
The kid is a remarkable story. He literally ran around offensive linemen in high school and earned a college scholarship because he was such a rocket off the line of scrimmage. Only in college did Cole learn the importance of using his hands to shed blockers and make plays.
In the NFL, he has been a quick study. Cole had five sacks last November and earned NFL Rookie Of The Month honors, and then went without a sack for the final six games of the season.
He was a project who, it was obvious, had special skills. Now those skills must morph into something more consistent and punishing.
"A great pass rusher can use his hands and can also bull rush and overpower his blocker when he wants to," says Cole, warming up. "I know a lot more about how offensive tackles want to set me up. I know what they're trying to do to me now. Darren Howard, to me, is a great pass rusher. He uses his hands so well, and he counters people. He's different from a lot of other ends. I'm trying to get to that point. I need to learn how to counter people.
"I'm an edge rusher. Now I'm learning to change it up. You think I'm going to take the edge, and I will show you that I can go inside. That's something I've added to my arsenal. I'm always building my arsenal. Gotta keep adding to it."
Cole has the most exciting kind of upside. He is a bundle of raw nerves and speed and power, and yet he's learning to study the game more and more. He understands the nuances of getting an offensive tackle off balance just enough to make his move.
"I'm learning all the time. I'm hungry to learn," he says.
Cole, in his second year, has that look, doesn't he? He's a special talent, maybe a special player. Certainly, Cole is a huge piece in the plans this year. If he's as good as he looks ...
"That's for you to judge. What is a premier pass rusher? I don't know. I just go out and go," he says. "Every snap, I want to get to the ball. That's my goal. That's what I'm here for."
September 20, 2006
This is what Trent Cole was when he first arrived at the NovaCare Complex: A raw, ball of energy, tell-me-what-to-do-and-I'll-do-it kind of player. He weighed 238 pounds for goodness sakes.
What could he do?
Was he a rush linebacker, or a defensive end, or a fifth-round draft pick 'tweener who would never do much of anything except look good in a uniform?
Well, hey, what a difference a year makes. Cole is a beast now, a chisled 265 pounds, a "country boy" who spends his off time figuring out ways to become a better hunter when he's not playing football.
Maybe that's the connection, then. Cole is a hunter, a gatherer, a man who loves the kill.
"I guess you could say that, because to me there is nothing better than sacking a quarterback. That's what I'm here to do," says Cole, undressing after practice on Wednesday, heading to a defensive line meeting. "I mean, I know I have this motor that ... I just don't know how to slow down."
DE Trent Cole has shown great promise early in his career, and the best may be yet to come
Cole is such a key guy in this Eagles equation, and certainly with the loss of Jevon Kearse, Cole's importance has never been more prominent.
The Eagles are moving around some of their pieces up front, shifting Darren Howard from right end to left end and promoting Cole from a nickel pass rusher to the right end starting job.
The key to this defense and, obviously, one of the keys to the Eagles' goal of winning the Super Bowl, is to have a kick-butt defensive line. Cole is a kick-butt kind of guy, a super-raw talent whom the Eagles recognized from his collegiate time at Cincinnati and projected into a perfect fit as an edge rusher in Jim Johnson's scheme.
"I'm just going to go as hard as I can on every play," he says. "I've slowed down a little bit as I've gained weight, but now I understand technique more and I play faster. I just keep getting faster and faster. The game slows down and I get faster and faster and I all see is the ball and I go get the ball."
Cole has four sacks in two games, tied for the most in the NFL. He also has a killer penalty to live down -- the kick to the groin that cost the Eagles 15 yards in the final regulation seconds of Sunday's loss to the Giants.
He doesn't want to be, and won't be, known as the player to blame for the loss. Cole had a pair of sacks in the game, was dominating, was devastating.
And yet he hurts inside for the defeat. He feels the responsibility.
"We lost, and I feel so bad because we played so hard. It was terrible," says Cole. "I know how hard my team played and I know how hard I played. I feel bad for my teammates. I know we're going to keep playing hard and I know we're going to win games.
"The fans, they have been great to me. I was a little worried about it. I didn't know what they would say. But I have had so many fans tell me to keep playing hard, to get past it and to keep getting after the quarterback. That means so much to me."
The kid is a remarkable story. He literally ran around offensive linemen in high school and earned a college scholarship because he was such a rocket off the line of scrimmage. Only in college did Cole learn the importance of using his hands to shed blockers and make plays.
In the NFL, he has been a quick study. Cole had five sacks last November and earned NFL Rookie Of The Month honors, and then went without a sack for the final six games of the season.
He was a project who, it was obvious, had special skills. Now those skills must morph into something more consistent and punishing.
"A great pass rusher can use his hands and can also bull rush and overpower his blocker when he wants to," says Cole, warming up. "I know a lot more about how offensive tackles want to set me up. I know what they're trying to do to me now. Darren Howard, to me, is a great pass rusher. He uses his hands so well, and he counters people. He's different from a lot of other ends. I'm trying to get to that point. I need to learn how to counter people.
"I'm an edge rusher. Now I'm learning to change it up. You think I'm going to take the edge, and I will show you that I can go inside. That's something I've added to my arsenal. I'm always building my arsenal. Gotta keep adding to it."
Cole has the most exciting kind of upside. He is a bundle of raw nerves and speed and power, and yet he's learning to study the game more and more. He understands the nuances of getting an offensive tackle off balance just enough to make his move.
"I'm learning all the time. I'm hungry to learn," he says.
Cole, in his second year, has that look, doesn't he? He's a special talent, maybe a special player. Certainly, Cole is a huge piece in the plans this year. If he's as good as he looks ...
"That's for you to judge. What is a premier pass rusher? I don't know. I just go out and go," he says. "Every snap, I want to get to the ball. That's my goal. That's what I'm here for."
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