As Jeremiah Trotter embarks on what Eagles fans hope is a charmed third stint with the organization, the question that lingers is whether his knees - which led to his release in 2007 - can hold up against the rigors of playing essentially as a "nose tackle," which is the way he described his role during his first two stints with the team.

A "few months" after he left Tampa Bay, which was his most-recent NFL stint in 2007, Trotter had what he described as a "routine flushout" procedure on his right knee by Eagles head team physician Dr. Peter DeLuca. Trotter said that there were "pieces" floating in his knee which caused his demise with the Eagles in the 2007 training camp. Trotter said that he felt good for the first few days of practice, but the knee eventually wore down.

So, if the knees were an issue then. How can they be better at age 32?

"I think having the surgery and a lot of prayer and just changing my workout routine," said Trotter. "I just trained the whole year I was out. I was able to let my body rest. I worked on a lot of explosion things and that really helped me get my explosion back. I feel better now than when I came back from Washington (in 2004)."

In fact, Trotter said that the physical the Eagles gave him provided a pleasant response from the doctors.

"The physical went pretty good considering what I've been through in the past," Trotter said. "They actually said that my knees look better now and that was odd for me. I know they felt better, but I never heard they looked better."

Trotter believes that if he's utilized correctly, he's got "at least three years left." He said that he proved just how good the knees are in his second workout on Monday.

"Any questions they had (were) answered," Trotter said. "They wanted to see some run movement. They wanted to see some lateral movement."

Trotter knows the Eagles wouldn't have signed him if they didn't think he could make an impact. He fully understood the rationale behind his release in 2007.

"I know the Eagles made the best decision for this organization," Trotter said. "They made the right decision at the time. I had those pieces floating around in there. I lost my speed. I lost my explosion."

-- Posted by Chris McPherson, 10:44 a.m., September 30