Perched at right defensive end, Trent Cole donned his weekly green and white camouflage and set his sights on the Vikings during the Eagles' 23-16 victory over Minnesota, where he recorded a career-high 13 tackles, including his league-leading ninth sack of the season, also a career-high.

Cole's performance earned him the NFC Defensive Player of the Week Award for the first time in his career. Cole is the first Eagle to win the award since Brian Dawkins last December after the Eagles' 36-22 win over the Giants.

"He's tough right now, tough to stop," head coach Andy Reid said. "He plays relentless football, he was in for every snap in that game … He gives his 110 percent on every snap and players respect him for that, his teammates too."

Only in his third year as an Eagle, Cole has a sack in five of the last seven games and is on track to finish the season with 20.5 sacks which has put teams league-wide on notice. The attention is not recent, though. Prior to this year, Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre had told Reid how they had to account for Cole.

Trent Cole donates $500 after every sack to Eagles Youth Partnership

A fifth-round draft pick in 2005 from the University of Cincinnati, Cole originally arrived at the NovaCare Complex as a 235-pound player the team was unsure would be a linebacker or defensive end.

Three years and many trips to the weight room later, the 270-pound Cole has emerged as a definitive defensive end known for his speed, size, athleticism and motor.

"That's one thing we noticed when he was at Cincinnati," Reid added. "I think you've either got that or you don't. You can direct it in certain directions and become a better player. But, I think you're born with the motor."

With 6:41 to go in the first quarter, Cole proved he was running on all eight cylinders as he made his way past Vikings tackle Bryant McKinnie to sack quarterback Kelly Holcomb for a 9-yard loss.

"You have to wear them down and that's how we go into games," Cole said. "We call our defense nasty and that's how we want to play is nasty."

Holcomb's crashing to the turf quelled the momentum generated by the Vikings offense, who hoped to post seven more points after they scored on their opening drive and managed to retain the ball on a surprise onside kick.

"It was all on us - the defense," Cole said. "The game was in our hands and we had to go out there and get it done. That's what we did."

With 9:29 to go in the game, Cole added to his sack total when he tripped up backup quarterback Brooks Bollinger for a loss of six yards and his ninth sack of the season.

It's becoming an expensive habit for Cole who donates $500 to Eagles Youth Partnership for every sack this season. So far, that's $4,500 to the award-winning charitable wing of the Eagles organization.

Cole's nine sacks are also the most by an Eagles player since his mentor, former Eagles defensive end Hugh Douglas, recorded 12.5 in 2002. Reid said Cole reminds him of Douglas, who retired after the 2004 season but stayed on as a team "ambassador" in 2005, Cole's rookie year.

"He had a good teacher in Hugh Douglas," Reid said. "He was able to be here with Hugh, and Hugh could share some of the things that made Hugh successful. (Douglas) was a defensive end that was what people consider a little undersized. (Cole is) on the climb."

The last Eagle to lead the league in sacks was Clyde Simmons who had 19 in 1992. In addition to his nine sacks, he has 54 tackles and has played well against the run.

With less than five minutes to play against Minnesota, Cole would team up with defensive end Jevon Kearse to squash the Vikings hopes of victory. Cole pounced on Vikings running back Adrian Peterson for a six-yard loss. On the very next play, Kearse would send Bollinger, and the Vikings hopes of victory, crashing to the turf.

"I feel like I'm improving every year since my rookie season," Cole said. "Last year, I said that I was going to change up my arsenal of pass moves heading into the spring mini-camps to be great in this game. I think I've done that this year and I'm just going to keep improving from game to game to game and continue in the offseason."