A dream.

Sometimes, a thing as simple as a dream can make all the difference in the world.

Last year, Jeremiah Trotter was battling a bum knee as a member of the Washington Redskins. Next weekend, he'll be wearing green and silver as one of the most important members of the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl.

Seem like a big jump from one year to the next? Not if you have a dream.

During the 2000 season, the Eagles attempted to sign Trotter to a contract extention. He was a two time Pro Bowler and his ax-chop celebration was a hit with the blue-collar Philadelphia fans, so most were surprised when he turned down the team's generous $20 million offer. In 2002, when his contract expired, the Eagles offered him a one-year deal at $5.515 million. Trotter was torn; he loved Philadelphia and wanted to stay, but he also wanted to be "respected" and paid like the league's top linebackers. He reportedly requested a meeting with coach Andy Reid, to whom Trotter was close, but Reid denied him. Trotter told ESPN Magazine that he spent the next several weeks praying and asking his pastor for guidance. Eventually, he made a decision and told his agent to accept the one-year deal; he wanted to stay in Philadelphia.

But it was too late. Tired of waiting for Trotter to make his decision, they decided to part ways, removing the offer from the table. Two weeks later, Trotter was a Redskin.

In the second week of the 2002 season, the Redskins and the Eagles met up on Monday Night Football. The Eagles demolished the Skins 37-7, but Trotter showed up in a big way, racking up 11 tackles. He recently told ESPN Magazine what was going through his mind that Monday night. "I remember lining up late and looking at the scoreboard. And it hit me. I wasn't supposed to be in Washington."

Later that season, Trotter blew out his knee and was surprised when Andy Reid called to wish him well. It may have just been a phone call, but it would end up being so much more.

Before the 2004 season began, the Redskins cut Jeremiah Trotter. A couple of weeks later, Trotter had a dream that he was playing for the Eagles. A religious man, he took this as a sign and called Andy Reid. After apologizing for how things ended, he asked if there was an extra roster spot. Reid told him that he'd let him try out for the veteran minimum of $535,000 and only if he agreed to play special teams.

Trotter agreed. He wanted to be in Philadelphia.

However, things didn't go exactly as Trotter planned. His knee hindered his performance, and though he had expected to win a starting job in camp, he ended up starting the season on special teams. He was embarassed about his demotion, and disappointed in himself. Trotter reportedly walked onto the field for the team's first preseason game with tears in his eyes. So why didn't he walk off the field and give up? One reason: in his offseason dream, he had been playing special teams.

For the first few games of the 2004 season, Trotter tore it up on special teams while the Birds' run defense struggled. After their lopsided 27-3 loss to the Steelers, Trotter was moved to starting middle linebacker. In the six games that followed, the Eagles defense went from 27th in the league to 11th. Enough said.

The tears in Jeremiah Trotter's eyes during the national anthem prior to the NFC Championship Game were much different from the tears that rolled down his face at the start of the season. This time, these were tears of joy. Trotter was finally back where he wanted to be. It was a dream come true.

Literally.