I cleared 'flea-power' by holding the power button for 20 seconds with power chords removed the other night before I cleared/reset/defaulted BIOS. I also downgraded the BIOS last night to 1.1.4; hoping it would allow me to see the iDRAC and upgrade the firmware, then re-apply the BIOS update.
I can still clear NVRAM_CLR if you really think it will do anything; however, I have ordered a new Dell P/N: CN-0J800M-13740-071-01BT-A00 (Front I/O panel module for PowerEdge R710) which I think may be the culprit.
Since this is a iDRAC Express configuration, meaning there is no iDRAC controller installed in the rear/right corner of the server, this seems to be the only related daughter card in the mix.