Jeremiah Trotter and Takeo Spikes have quite a bit in common - most notably both are entering their 10th NFL season, both have track records of success and, starting Saturday, a shared spot alongside each other in the Eagles' revamped linebacker corps.

The two linebackers also embark on the 2007 campaign with something to prove. Trotter wants to rebound what he saw as an off year and show that, at 30-years-old, father time hasn't caught up with him quite yet. For Spikes, a change of scenery and a new year give him a chance to show that two injury-plagued seasons in Buffalo have not robbed him of the skills that made him one of the most exciting, playmaking linebackers in football.

Trotter and Spikes each addressed the media Saturday and said they feel lining up next to one another will lead to individual success and restore the Eagles' defense to one of the fiercest in the league.

LB Jeremiah Trotter

"I'm tickled to death," Trotter said in a press conference at the NovaCare Complex. "Ever since I found out we got (Takeo) I've been excited about it. Any time you look across from you and see a great playmaker it's going to take a lot of tension off me."

Trotter has been a stalwart in the middle of the Eagles' defense since returning in 2004 from an injury-ridden stint of his own in Washington. In Philadelphia, Trotter has shouldered much of the responsibility for stopping the run and providing consistency in the Eagles' front seven.

The amount of pressure placed on Trotter may have shown for the first time last year, one that Trotter feels wasn't his best despite the fact he accumulated 87 solo tackles and 25 assists.

This off-season, Trotter, who emphasized Saturday that his starting middle linebacker job is safe despite some media speculation, stayed in Philadelphia and trained with an added amount of intensity to ensure the 2007 season would be one of his most productive. On March 26, when the Eagles pried Spikes and quarterback Kelly Holcomb from Buffalo in exchange for defensive tackle Darwin Walker, Trotter's lofty goals were only buoyed by what Spikes brings to the Eagles defense.

"Not only veteran experience. Size, speed, playmaking ability. He has all the intangibles," Trotter said. "You make some adjustments in the off-season, bringing in Takeo and myself coming in the best possible shape I can and sticking around in the off-season training hard. So we're excited about this year."

For Spikes, this season represents a chance to reclaim his status as an elite outside linebacker. The 30-year-old Spikes, who is currently slotted to play weakside (WILL) linebacker for the Eagles, first caught the injury bug in September 2005, when he tore his right Achilles tendon in a Week 3 game against the Falcons and was lost for the season. Spikes played in 12 games last season but struggled to recover from his injury.

Saturday, Spikes began his journey back to becoming the dominant force he was when he went to the Pro Bowl after the 2003 and 2004 seasons.

"I feel good, real good," Spikes said. "It was night and day compared to last year. Last year this time I was sitting on the sideline with a pair of binoculars."

LB Takeo Spikes

Spikes also expressed his excitement about his role in Jim Johnson's attacking defense. The Georgia native, who spent the first five years of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals before spending the last four in Buffalo, said Johnson's aggressive style was similar to the one played under former Bengals coach Dick LeBeau - the same style that helped lead to his initial success.

"I'm loving it. I love everything about it," Spikes said of the Eagles' defense. "And everyday it seems like there's a new twist to it. It's right down my alley.

"I told Andy, I hate that it took me ten years to get here"

Spikes understands that his success with the Eagles is very much linked with that of Trotter. Spikes emerged from practice Saturday with an obvious air of optimism about what to expect from he and Trotter's first year together.

"A lot of big plays," Spikes said what to expect out of he and Trotter in 2007. "We want to get to the point where we're so synchronized where I can look at him and he can look at me and we can talk without even saying a word to each other. That's what we're pushing for here at this mini-camp."

Trotter mirrored Spikes' anticipation for the season.

"I've enjoyed watching him throughout his career and vice versa," Trotter said. "We're just excited to get out there this year."