He's Birds' backup bear at nose tackle

Nose tackle Beau Allen walks off the field after a recent Eagles practice at the NovaCare Complex. (DAVID MAIALETTI/Staff Photographer)ON MANY FRONTS, nose tackle Beau Allen is the rarest of beasts. His nickname is Polar Bear, both because he hails from the arctic climes of Minnetonka, Minn., and because he shares that animal's general physiology. He is without both neck and ankle - there is only so much room for definition when you pack 333 pounds onto a frame that is allegedly 6-2, give or take 2 inches (mostly take).

Still, Allen was nimble enough to play competitive ice hockey through his sophomore year in high school.

That athleticism has helped him overcome the height deficiency and his…