Eagles’ Trent Cole is going hunting Sunday

Trent Cole is an accomplished hunter both on and off the football field.

The Philadelphia defensive end has nine sacks this season and, if all goes as planned for the Eagles, will be a disruptive factor into tonight’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Cole is also an avid hunter who owns four farms in southern Ohio, where he stalks whitetail deer, quail, pheasant and water fowl. He owns a company that produces hunting videos, and rolls around in a hulking pickup truck painted to look like camouflaged leaves. Even his Twitter name — Pro_Hunt58 — reflects his off-the-field passion.

“I know that some people look down on hunters and think that it’s a barbaric hobby,” Cole said, “but I pride myself on doing everything within the proper rules and regulations.”

The Eagles are hoping he’s anything but undercover tonight, when the goal will be to get in the face of Cowboys quarterback Jon Kitna, who’s not one of the league’s better performers when confronted by heavy pressure.

After seven sacks in the first eight games, Cole has had two in the last four — both of those coming two weeks ago against Chicago. He should get some help tonight from the return of bookend defensive end Juqua Parker, who missed the past three games with a hip injury.

Parker, who has five sacks, will also command the attention of the Cowboys, who won’t be able to simply devote an extra blocker to Cole.

The Eagles are looking for dramatic defensive improvement in the red zone. Despite winning four of their last five games, they have given up 14 red-zone touchdowns (in 17 intrusions) over that span. For the season, they have the league’s worst percentage (78.8%) of giving up touchdowns when opponents cross their 20-yard line.

Ratcheting up the pressure on Kitna will be key, and the Eagles are convinced they have just the big-game hunter to handle the job.

Sam Farmer