Still, their head coach nags. Andy Reid took an interesting tone yesterday, the players' last day together before they reassemble for training camp next month at

Lehigh University. He didn't say it as plainly as he might have, but he hinted all around the edges of the topic.

His point, seemingly, is that this team needs to be in better shape than the one that went 8-8 in 2007.

"It looks like the team is in good shape for right now," Reid said. "This next month I think is huge for this crew to make sure they come back and that they are in training-camp shape, which obviously is different than doing this thing out here in shorts, that they are ready for the long haul of camp."

Reid was asked about camp, which begins with the arrival of rookies and selected veterans on July 21. He was asked if there was one aspect of the camp that he hoped would improve from last summer. Again, he suggested conditioning and stamina were the issues.

"There are always things that can get better," Reid said. "Now, to compare it to last year, it's a different team. I would like to see our speed be maintained through the training camp. I'm seeing it out here now. I want to see it when they are beat up, and see how fast we can play throughout those few weeks of training camp. I didn't see enough of that last year. I'd like to see more this year."

Camp comes in two pieces - the first part at Lehigh and the second part at the NovaCare Complex. Reid says, "It will be relatively the same schedule." But comparing last year to what has been proposed for this year suggests some changes.

First, this year's camp is going to be about 4 days longer. The Lehigh portion is going to be a full week longer. The full squad spent only 13 days at Lehigh last summer. This year, 20.

Last year, at Lehigh, the Eagles' full squad scheduled 15 regular practices, five more abbreviated practices, four special-teams practices and one game before heading home. This year, the schedule calls for 17 regular practices, seven more abbreviated practices, four special-teams practices and two games. It isn't a huge difference, but it will be more work and more days - and the symbolism alone of that extra week in the dorm can be lost on no one.

But there are days and there are days. With last summer's shorter time at Lehigh, Reid worked them harder than most years. The Eagles might have hit more in that 2007 camp than any Eagles coach since Buddy Ryan - which was 2 decades, several roster limits and a salary cap ago.

Nobody hits much in camp in the NFL anymore, but Reid does. His unspoken philosophy is that he likes to see more hitting in camp, under controlled conditions, and less veteran playing time in the exhibition games, which can be a little wilder.

Most years, it works out fine in the end. But in the beginning, the Eagles often start slowly in the regular season. He gets asked about it every year and he was asked again yesterday, if he sees a link between training camp and the slow starts. He never does. He still doesn't.

"I have looked into it, but I didn't feel that that was the issue," Reid said.

But will he hit as much this summer? It will be interesting to watch. It will be interesting to see what Reid is looking to emphasize. Because he has talked toughness, yes, but he has also talked speed. The two can go together, but there are limits and there are tradeoffs - because toughness matters but fresh legs matter, too. And he has built a defense that is all about speed.

"Right now [the defense] looks fast," Reid said. "I want to see how that works out when we put the pads on. It's all good with shorts on, but we've got a lot of work ahead of us. We're going to get out there in the grinder and see how they maintain that."

The public message was plain enough, as Reid's players scattered: Be ready, and be in better shape than you've ever been. *

Send e-mail to hofmanr@phillynews.com.

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