At least for one night, the old Axe Man was back.


I'm not from New York. In fact, I've never even been to New York -- It's not really my kind of place. So, if you are from New York (or have ever been to New York), I would love to hear if the city actually still has phone booths.

Well, it must because Trotter had to find somewhere to change back into the Axe Man.

What we all got to see Sunday night was a 32-year old linebacker who many, including myself, have called washed up and too beaten up by knee injuries to be effective in this league be very effective.

He led the defense with nine total tackles (eight solo), and a few of them for a loss. The best tackle of the night, however, had to be when Trotter stopped Ahmad Bradshaw in the backfield for a short loss.

The eyes got big, the shoulders went back, and down came the axe.

Trotter's patented move was met with a wave of boos from the Giants' faithful in the Meadownlands, but it had no negative effect on the Axe Man. He fed off of it and was a force for the rest of the game. He was filling the holes well, reacting to the plays, and nearly had himself an interception.

Of course, that near interception turned into nothing more than a tipped pass that fell into the hands of Kevin Boss for a first down, so it won't get chalked up in the "good play" category.

And while it was exciting to see a glimpse of the old Trotter, I'm trying not to get ahead of myself. He looked pretty good, but there were still a few times that he got washed out of the hole and was unable to make the play. There were still a few times that he was slow getting out into coverage and allowed the Giants to move the sticks.

However, there were a few times when the old Axe Man showed up, and that's cause for optimism in Trotter for the remainder of the season.