Julian Vandervelde's approach is pretty simple – the more things he can do, the more chances he’ll get to do them.

Vandervelde is an offensive lineman who was drafted by the Eagles in the fifth round of last year’s draft, and if you don’t remember him, don’t feel bad – he was only active for one game last season, in Week 9 vs. Arizona, as a backup guard.

But that was last year. This year, Vandervelde is also playing center and he hopes that will be his ticket to the active roster since the backup center in 2011, Jamaal Jackson, is no longer on the team.

“I always knew that I was going to have to play center at some point, and I’ve wanted to play center,’’ Vandervelde said. “I’m really excited about learning it and kind of getting the hang of the way that the center has to have control of the offense.”

The center has to make line calls and adjustments and often has to do it with a very large and angry man lined up right over his head. The mental part shouldn’t be a problem for Vandervelde, who was an academic All-American three years in a row at Iowa, where he had a double major in English and Religious Studies and minored in Japanese.

 “I think it’s how much you have to be aware of as a center,’’ Vandervelde said when asked about the difference in the positions. “As a guard, you listen to the center. You take your cues from the center. As the center, you’re the quarterback of the offensive line. You have to be the guy who sees the rotation of the safeties, who sees where the linebackers are moving and the patterns in defenses and how they’re blitzing. You have to be able to make those adjustments on the fly and not just be listening for the adjustments from the center.

“It’s a fun position,’’ he added. “I like it a lot.”

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