IDP Spotlight: DE Trent Cole, Philadelphia Eagles

  Posted 8/8 by Sigmund Bloom, Exclusive to Footballguys.com

Trent Cole hit the scene with back to back two sack outbursts in his rookie year, but the undersized end did not generate much hype going into his second season. Cole again put up back to back two sack games in 2006, this time to open the season, but his production was uneven through the middle of the season, and tailed off to almost nothing in December. We chalked it up to Cole wearing down and sporadic nature of stats in the Eagles "hockey line" defensive line rotation. Again, even though Cole finished as DE15, his fan club was not growing. After 2007, you would think the doubters have been quieted. Cole put up career highs in every major stat category for a defensive end and finished as the #3 defensive end. He even had some of his best games in December. Somehow, yet again, Cole is forecast to not live up to the promise he showed in the previous year.

Not one of the FBG staffers has Cole back at his 2007 of #3. Two of the eight members of the IDP crew don't have him in the top 10. The sticking point has to be that Cole is not an every-down end. It's hard to build your fantasy defense around a part time player, no matter how productive he is. Not that there isn't reason for optimism when it comes to Cole's 2008 outlook. The Eagles have added pass rush specialist Chris Clemons in free agency to split the opposition blocking scheme's attention on third down. They also signed Asante Samuel, one of the best cover corners in the league. Both acquisitions should lead to more sack opportunities for Cole.

On the flip side, the young DE expected to anchor the side opposite Cole, Victor Abiamiri, suffered a wrist injury that required surgery and will sideline him for four months. Clemons had to go to the hospital with severe dehydration. The depth on Eagles defensive line is dwindling and they haven't even played a preseason game yet.

Positives

• Cole has increased his output every season of his career
• He's set to play the most snaps of his career as the marquee member of the defensive line
• Asante Samuel should lock down his side of the field and make QBs take more time to get rid of the ball

Negatives

• Philly's system still dictates that Cole is not a full time player
• If Chris Clemons goes down or is ineffective, opponents will be able to focus on Cole
• Cole's three sack game last year came only after the Eagles were up 35-7 on the Lions
  

Final Thoughts

The Eagles might have to ask for more snaps from Cole this year. While that seems to offset the major concern about him (limited snaps), it also brings back into play his drop-off in the second half of 2006 from wearing down as the season went on. Either way, Cole owners can't win, which is why FBG staffers are hesitant to put him in the top 5, despite the fact that he finished there last year.

Quotes from the IDP Spotlight Message Thread

To view the entire thread, click here.

therokie0070:
"I may be going out on a limb but I am going to project Cole finishes in the number one spot if he stays healthy. I think he will perform much better in the second half, he is young and has more upside than any other DE in my mind."

Aaron Rudnicki:
"Over the past two years combined, Cole has 15 sacks in 16 games over the first half of each season, but just 6 sacks in 16 games over the second half. As an undersized end, it seems likely that he could be wearing down a bit late in the season. In order to become a truly elite fantasy DE, he'll need to be more consistent over the entire season. He clearly has the potential to be a top-5 DE every season and although his numbers seem to decline in the second half, he's played in all but 1 game over the past 3 seasons so he's been durable."

Benny Beaver:
"Put Trent Cole on any other team and you easily have a Top-5 DE in redraft and dynasty play.

But with his obsession with keeping his defensive ends fresh, Defensive Coordinator Jim Johnson will be the sole reason why Cole doesn't post Top-5 numbers this season. If you have two QBs, you have none. If you have 4-5 good DEs, you have a rotation. More snaps for Juqua Thomas, Chris Clemons and Darren Howard means fewer chances for Trent Cole to wreck havoc. Victor Abiamiri will also be in the mix.

Cole will get his 10-14 sacks, but don't expect 50+ tackles."

Tick:
"I thought the rotation would rob Cole of some value and that Abiamiri would cut into his production. With Abiamiri's injury, Cole's now a stud."

Projections

IDP Scoring System

• 1.5 pts per Solo Tackle
• 0.75 pts per Assisted Tackle
• 4 pts per Sack
• 4 pts per Forced Fumble
• 4 pts per Fumble Recovery
• 5 pts per Interception
• 1.5 pts per Pass Defensed
• 6 pts per Touchdown
• 2 pts per Safety