"Twice in two meetings with the media since being named defensive coordinator of the Eagles, Juan Castillo has singled out the Chicago Bears' defense as one he admires, one he'd like his group to emulate.

But the Bears typically play a Cover 2 scheme that drops linebackers into coverage and relies heavily on pressure generated from the front four.

It's almost the opposite of the style implemented by the late Jim Johnson and carried on for two years by Sean McDermott, each of whom would blitz anyone from anywhere at any time.

But the message Wednesday during an informal meet-and-greet session with the Eagles' new coaches is that Castillo's defense is going back to basics.

Simple is the buzz word.

"To play fast, things have to be easy," Castillo said, adding that his scheme should be aggressive enough to challenge the NFL's growing number of finesse offenses but "as simple as possible so that people can just run and play.

"You see defenses like that now. People talk about the Bears. They're not really very complex, but they do a good job playing defense, playing fast, playing physical. Fundamentals are very important, and they attack."

Does that mean the days of zero blitzes and safeties attacking from the corners are over? Well, no. But they'll be chosen more conservatively."