Nick Fierro is coming up! Here we are in the dregs of the stupid season in the NFL--- the 6 weeks leading up to training camp--- and Nick fires out his greatest column ever for the Allentown Morning Call.

Not all of our readers here are big Nick Fierro fans. Afra and Mothra aren't too fond of his schematic critiques. But I saw something in Nick that was bigger than the technical analysis approach--- he is an ex-player of the game at the collegiate level, he has a press pass that gets him inside the locker room, and he seems to have a real feel for the professional psyche of the game.

Silly me, I had a retro piece already in the can about the finances of the 1960-era Philadelphia Eagles, and how relatively small the money was back then, until you do as Brizer said and measure the actual spending power of the dollar in 1960.

Let's put it this way: a dollar got you 4 gallons of gas in 1960... and an oil check...and a radiator fluid check... and a windshield cleaned... and a free set of Eagles logo-embroidered drinking glasses.

We'll save that "back-in-the-day" financial look at the NFL for another rainy day.

Here's Fierro in his greatest moment, saving us from a slow news day (apart from the NBA and the NHL).... 

10 things the offseason has taught us about the 2013 Eagles thus far

Here are the Top 10 things we learned about the Philadelphia Eagles following all of their offseason minicamps under new head coach Chip Kelly:

10. Size matters. Kelly prefers bigger players than the Eagles used to have at all defensive positions and some offensive positions for the past decade-plus, and no matter what his final personnel decisions are, the cumulative size of the individuals is expected to reflect that preference.

9. Shape matters. With few exceptions, the players already are in game shape. Though Kelly has denied making it a major point of emphasis with his team, the players sensed they had to be at or near their playing weights by May — and they were. Many have lost significant weight. Others have bulked up. All who are still on the roster proved ready for the fast pace of Kelly's practices.

8. Special teams will be a force again. This much is certain, thanks to the solid competition for the punting job between Donnie Jones and Brad Wing, a bigger emphasis on getting the best athletes involved in the return game and overall makeup of roster.

7. Location, location, location. The Eagles are no longer holding training camp away from their premises because they prefer the convenience of staying at their training facility without having to pack everything up and move for three weeks every summer. Will this prevent or retard the bonding process that's necessary for some success? That part we won't know for quite some time.

6. Damage control required. Not even six months into his new job, Kelly already is faced with extinguishing a few fires. Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson have expressed their desire for the coach to name a starting quarterback before training camp. That's not going to happen. See Point 4. And top left tackle Jason Peters was arrested for drag-racing and fleeing from police this month. Finally, running back LeSean McCoy is facing a lawsuit for an alleged assault of a female, although he was never charged by the police who investigated the complaint.

5. They're not plays, they're concepts. Kelly wants every skill-position player on offense to know what all the other players are required to do on each snap, because the "play concepts" they send in could require them having to shift to something else. And the plays themselves could morph into something completely different than the original call, based on how the defense shifts or reacts.

4. Everybody throws, woo-hoo!! Don't count Matt Barkley and Dennis Dixon out of starting QB competition. Both have had mostly good-to-excellent showings in non-padded practices, and if Vick and/or Nick Foles go down in the preseason, Kelly has admitted that it will be awfully tough for any QB who misses the only portion of the preseason in which they're exposed to actual hits to win the job.

3. Less is more. The two-a-days of training camp are a thing of the past. The Eagles will be practicing once a day for approximately two hours, beginning at 12:30, and keeping their position-group meetings short to keep the players' minds from wandering off the reservation. But the practices will be packed with more action and more repetitions for everyone than they were under former coach Andy Reid.

2. Fastest learners first. Kelly's philosophy is "teach to the fastest learner. Everybody else has got to catch up." It explains why wide receiver Jackson, after initially failing to learn every position the way he was asked, was briefly running with the third team until he showed he was catching up. Corrections also are not done on the field during scrimmage sessions, but in the meeting rooms the next day — another method that more closely mimics how the team will operate during the season.

1. Until they hit, Kelly must not commit. No decisions will be made on any job (except perhaps Alex Henery's, since there is no other kicker on the roster) until deep into the preseason, the coach has promised every time he's been asked. The reason? "A lot of players look great in no-contact situations," Kelly explained. "But then when you put pads on, some of them disappear."

Okay, that pretty much sums up a general picture of the current state of the Eagles, which I admit is a "Cliff's Notes" version of where we are right now, but's it's something you could take into a cocktail party or a July 4th barbecue and do fairly well in using it to establish your Iggles Fan Awareness credibilty.

This one fell in my lap...and thanks, Juan, for being you... [Lay-up!]...

Is it any wonder that Juan Castillo has caught on big with not only former associate coach John Harbaugh but also the entire offensive unit of the Ravens, not to mention the Ravens' fan base?

I know it was a tough decision for Andy Reid to jettison his good buddy Juan Castillo as DC after having suffered himself the harsh judgement of promoting Juan to the position from OL Coach... But secretly I knew Andy also knew that Castillo would land on his feet.

And so has Castillo landed... with rings on his fingers and bells on his toes!

Speaking of rings, Castillo now flashes a Super Bowl Ring so much larger than all past Rings that it should be banned as a distraction to driving...

Anyway, here's the meat of the pro-Castillo article from BaltimoreRavens.com.... [Garrett Downing reporting...]

"Juan Castillo can be heard from across the field during practice.

"The Ravens’ new run game coordinator is active and energetic, barking out commands as he runs the offensive line through drills. He makes his way from player to player, critiquing them and pushing them on every rep. 

“His passion for the game is very evident,” second-year center Gino Gradkowski said. “I think it’s contagious. Guys are buying into his passion, his energy.”

"The longtime Philadelphia Eagles coach joined the Ravens during the playoffs last season, teaming up with Offensive Line Coach Andy Moeller. Castillo has a reputation as one of the premier line coaches in the NFL, and the players gravitated toward his instruction almost immediately."

“He tries to simplify everything as best he can,” Gradkowski said. “I know Coach Moeller built me a great foundation my first year. Coach Castillo, I think, is just taking my game to the next level, and I’m very excited about where I’m going as a player. I think a lot of players feel the same way.”

In addition to the energy he brings, Castillo is known for his attention to detail. A number of Ravens players have praised Castillo’s focus on the fundamentals, which has been a point of emphasis during the offseason.

Left tackle Bryant McKinnie, a 12-year veteran, said that working with Castillo was part of the attraction to participating in the entire offseason program.

“He focuses on our technique, and that’s something that I kind of get away from sometimes,” McKinnie said. “Right now is a great time for us to work on our technique and me in pass protection – sitting straight back. So, Juan’s been a great help.”

Castillo works with everyone on the line, but he’s spending a good deal of time with the young linemen. He had a knack for developing a number of small-school prospects during his 10 years with the Eagles, and he’s looking to continue that trend in Baltimore.

Castillo played at Texas A&I in college and eventually went on to coach there, which is part of his attraction to coaching players from small schools.

“I never coached at a big school. I went from Division II to the NFL,” Castillo said. “Throughout my years, the biggest thing that I enjoyed coming from a Division II school is that at our place what we learned is that it didn’t matter who you got; you developed whatever you got, because you didn’t have that many players.”

The Ravens currently have eight rookies or first-year offensive linemen on the 90-man roster, including a number of undrafted or late-round prospects, and Castillo is relishing the opportunity to coach them.

“I really enjoyed developing players, and I think that’s something that throughout my career at Philadelphia that I’ve done, especially college free agents,” Castillo said.

That excitement is mutual for the players.

“We have fun with him,” Gradkowski said. “We work hard, but we have fun at the same time. He’s a very intelligent guy. He’s very intelligent and I think it’s going to be good for all of us.”

Okay...  we lost a good one. Maybe it didn't have to go down the way it did. But here we are...

Castillo is an offensive line unit coach again. There is your poetic justice. And his...

Yes, I know "Father's Day" is a contrived holiday and a tribute to the marketing genius of Hallmark Cards.  But when it comes to a football team, having an acknowledged "father figure" inspiring the team can be a real plus.

I got to thinking about team "fathers" of the past. You'd probably have to consider the late Jim Johnson a very real "father figure" of the past decade for the Eagles. Sometimes, like Johnson, the team's "father" is not the head coach. Sometimes it's a player, too, like a veteran quarterback or linebacker; sometimes it's an owner (George Halas)...If you're lucky, your head coach takes on the role in a winning way.

It's no easy task to be the father of an NFL team, I'm sure, given the ever-changing rosters, the power of free-agency, and the many different personalities which need to respond to a father's leadership.

A lot of head coaches today prefer to delegate the "fatherly" duties to other assistants or team captains.

Still, when it comes down to team unity, nothing beats a good father. He teaches, he motivates, he disciplines, he protects...and yes, he loves his guys, even when they've had a real bad day.

I don't "feel" the Chippah yet as a "father" of the Eagles. He could end up being the "Godfather" because of the smart way he delegates his attention to the players, and he's got a huge staff of assistants to take care of personnel issues.

I don't see him as a "Big Brother" type, either, like Gruden was at Tampa, walking the fine line between being the boss and still belonging as "one of the guys"...

Maybe he will end up more as the "Smart Uncle", the guy who puts you in a position to succeed but at the end of the day cannot take responsibility if someone else's kid screws up.

Anyway, Happy Father's Day, to all you dads and guys who miss their dads...
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Dan Graziano of ESPN.com came to my rescue with some actual football news. He took a quick walk around the league and compiled these quick-hit topics and links to share:

 Washington Redskins  ---The injury rehabilitation of Robert Griffin III and Brian Orakpo is going well, but the news on Adam Carriker is not as good. He suffered a setback in his recovery from the injury that ended his 2012 season and he'll likely have to start training camp on the PUP list.

Lots of talk the past couple of days about the value and effect of the zone-read offense in terms of keeping its quarterback protected. Keith McMillan went in search of a tutorial on the concepts and how they are employed.

New York Giants --- The Giants' coaching staff is raving about all of the progress second-year wide receiver Rueben Randle has made during the offseason program, and I am suuuuuure they'd be saying all of the same things, just as strongly, if Victor Cruz were in camp on a signed free-agent tender. No way one has anything to do with the other. Pure coincidence.

The Giants' web site has a list of 10 things it learned from minicamp, including that David Wilson remains interested in serving as a kick returner in spite of his increased role in the running game.

Dallas Cowboys --- Todd Archer thinks talks between the Cowboys and Anthony Spencer on the long-term contract they both want could take a fair amount of time yet.

Randy Galloway runs down eight changes the Cowboys made this offseason, including a few he thinks will actually help.

Philadelphia Eagles --- Hey, we're famous! I enjoyed that discussion the other night, and obviously I have no way of knowing whether Chip Kelly will be a complete flop, a massive success or something in between. No one does. It's a huge mystery. But if you're telling me I have to pick over or under 3.5 years on Kelly in Philadelphia, I'll stick with under. Given the average tenure of NFL coaches, how little we know about Kelly, the reasonable questions about his real reasons for leaving Oregon and his current quarterback situation, it's simply the smarter way to bet. Once we have some actual evidence about how it's likely to go for Kelly at the NFL level, all of our outlooks are subject to change.

Thanks, Dan Graziano--- I appreciate the speed date!

We're in that "dead" period of the Eagles news cycle, but don't relax too much... Remember, becoming a winner again is about grinding it out... And right now, we as fans are grinding it.

The Jason Peters thing? No biggie to me... just grind it out. Gee, big surprise that the local Monroe, Louisiana cops are watching the multi-millionaire country boy's every move! Wow, is their police chief named Roscoe? And those guys have messed with the Peters boys for a long time now. It's like the Dukes of Hazzard down there. Someone's just jealous...And as IF they didn't know that Jason Peters' biggest off-field passion in life is to restore and rebuild old classic cars?  Oh yeah, they knew...

Anyway, nice to know Jason's reconstructed achilles tendon can still handle a clutch pedal...and/or an accelerator pedal.

The only legitimate football article about the Eagles I have researched in the last two days comes from Pro Football Focus, and it features DE/OLB Brandon Graham.

The article is by Ben Stockwell and is entitled

Pass Rusher Profile: Carlos Dunlap and Brandon Graham

It's worth a quick read.

The "focus" of the article is part-time, rotational pass rushers in the league.

Some teams use a pass-rush rotation to maximize the situational play of each player, while others run to a "pitch count" to ensure that they are always fresh on the field or protected from potentially aggravating old injuries. The Eagles are one of these teams.

Two players who fall into this category of "rotational pass rushers" were the focus for Ben Stockwell's edition of the Pass Rusher Profile examining two of the most productive but perhaps under-used pass rushers in the last two seasons: Carlos Dunlap and Brandon Graham.

"Dunlap and Graham both entered the league as part of the 2010 draft class but have as yet failed to nail down the sort of workload that might have been expected from them. In Graham’s case this can be in large part attributed to a torn ACL which derailed his career towards the end of his rookie season. After a promising rookie season where he shone when given the chance in a crowded Eagles’ defensive line rotation Graham re-emerged in 2012, finally clear of injury, and was the only pass rusher to record pressure more frequently than Von Miller."

"In Dunlap’s case the under-use is to an extent harder to understand and appears more down to a coaching decision than any area where he may be short of productivity. Dunlap is without question the Bengals’ best pass rusher and whilst he might not have put up the sack numbers in the last two seasons he has led the Bengals in terms of Pass Rushing Productivity both years. Even with his run defense being far from a weakness, Dunlap is still not entrusted with a full-time starting role, splitting snaps with the likes of Robert Geathers who is no better a run defender than Dunlap and a sizeable downgrade when the opposition drops back to pass."

The overall volume of pass rushing opportunities might have precluded these two from yet entering the league’s elite pass rushers, but in terms of efficiency they have shown that they are ready to handle that leap.

The article goes on to examine the various specialties and talents of each unique player, then seems to give the edge to Graham for biggest future upside. It sounds real nice...

Both pass rushers are to an extent known quantities, both have proven that in well-managed or situational roles they can be tremendously productive, but there is a great unknown yet to come of whether they will be entrusted with — and able to grasp — the opportunity to play a more extended role in their respective defenses.

"For Dunlap, the Bengals have the air of a team on the brink and with the opportunity there to really press on and become contenders. To do that the perceived wisdom is that the offense led by Andy Dalton needs to take a step forward but outside of Geno Atkins the defense really lacks a consistent play-making presence and one has to wonder whether now is the time for the Bengals and Mike Zimmer to roll the dice, give Dunlap an extended role in the defense and see if he can spark some more big plays alongside Atkins."

Too much of the time the Bengals’ defensive line is filled with players like Domata Peko and Robert Geathers doing nothing more than occupying space and offering very little in the way of penetration. The Bengals have the talent to get more aggressive and try to make things happen.

"For Graham there are perhaps bigger question marks, just as he appeared to be answering questions about his return to health the Eagles new coaching staff are introducing a 3-4 defense where the role of many players holding over from the previous scheme is unclear. They aggressively (and in my opinion, unwisely) went hard after Connor Barwin in free agency which presumably will leave only one starting spot open to a host of players, including Graham, converting from defensive end to outside linebacker… unless they get “creative” and run a 4-2-5 nickel defense with two edge rushers like Graham and Trent Cole having their hand on the ground in sub packages."

Now in my opinion that's where the conversation gets interesting...

Though the switch to a 3-4 may sound like a frame shift for the Eagles there is no reason that, with sub packages overtaking base defenses as the most used by NFL defenses, Graham couldn’t find himself in a situation by which he is labeled as a 3-4 outside linebacker but spends as much or more time rushing the passer with his hand on the ground.

I know, it's still early, but that's a concept I can grind on...

I'm between power outages right now as a weird weather system cascaded last night through my neighborhood....and another one is headed southeast and has a bullseye on the region.

So I'll keep this short and generic.

Want to see the Eagles practice at training camp? You have five opportunities this summer, the first time in 17 years the team will not be preparing for the season at Lehigh University.

The five open practices will take place at Lincoln Financial Field and begin at 12:30 pm. Fans need tickets (available via Philadelphiaeagles.com or through Ticketmaster) to attend. Tickets, however, are free. So is parking. Concessions will be open, but there will be no alcohol sold. If practice needs to be cancelled there will be no make-up date due to scheduling conflicts.

The training camp practices will retain their fan-friendly feel. There will be autograph sessions, interaction with Eagles alumni, music and other activities that will greatly differentiate the experience from preseason and regular season games.

“Our goal is to have a fun atmosphere for fans as they get an up-close look at the team,” said Eagles president Don Smolenski. “There will be special events surrounding every practice including an opportunity for all kids 14 and under to catch a pass from Eagles alumni on the field after practice.”

The schedule for open practices:

Sunday, July 28 – Alumni Day

The Eagles will recognize alumni players on the field prior to practice. In addition, some of the many honored players will begin signing autographs for fans in the HeadHouse Plaza at 10:30 am.

Monday, August 5 – Military Appreciation Day

On Military Appreciation Day the Eagles will honor members from all four branches of the military on the field prior to practice.

Sunday, August 11 – Bobblehead Giveaways

The first 10,000 kids entering Lincoln Financial Field ages 12-and-under will receive a LeSean McCoy mini-bobblehead doll.

Saturday, August 17 – Health and Safety Day

The Eagles will honor members of the Philadelphia Police Force, Fire Department and First Responders on the fourth annual Health and Safety Day. In addition, fans can learn valuable information about health and wellness, emergency services and safety tips for the whole family.

Monday, August 26 - No special event scheduled

(Note: The Aug. 17 practice may be moved to 8:15 a.m. depending on the Phillies schedule.)