Defensive coordinator Sean McDermott has some extra help in camp in fellowship coaches like Brandon Whiting, Greg Lloyd and Carnell Lake. And he has encouraged his players to soak in as much as they can from these former NFL players.

"There's a tremendous amount of wisdom in those three players right there," McDermott said. "There's teaching in the meeting room and then there's wisdom on the field that comes from being in the trenches and that's what those three bring to the table."

Whiting, of course, is a defensive lineman who played under head coach Andy Reid. Lake and Lloyd spent the majority of their careers in western Pennsylvania playing for the Steelers.

Safety Quintin Mikell, for one, remembers watching those "dominant" Steelers defenses of the 1990s and is glad to have the pair on hand.

"I'm excited. I'm glad that they're out here," Mikell said. "Just the other day I was talking to Greg Lloyd and he was giving me tips on reading linemen's stances and stuff. Carnell, he's sitting there giving me tips on how to break off on tight ends. It's just awesome.

"Having guys that have done it and represented and did all these great things, all it does is make you get better."

-- Posted by Bob Kent, 3:10 p.m., August 1