Carson Wentz's rookie-year game film is sporadic enough to inspire belief that his career could go in several different directions.
After leading the Eagles to a sensational 3-0 start, he was hailed as the next great franchise quarterback, destined to haunt the Browns for years to come.
By the end of the season, the draft's No. 2 overall pick had clearly regressed, finishing 28th in yards per attempt (6.2) and 25th in passer rating (79.3).
Beset by obvious mechanical flaws and a subpar supporting cast, Wentz entered the 2017 offseason as a promising but unrefined question mark.
Factoring in that uneven pro football debut, though, at least one NFL head coach maintains a staunch belief that the future is bright in Philadelphia.
"You can win a Super Bowl with that kid," the coach told CSN Philly's Dave Zangaro this week at the Annual League Meeting in Phoenix.
That undisclosed coach isn't alone in his steadfast opinion that Wentz is bound for success despite his late-season slump.
When NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah asked five NFL personnel executives to identify one quarterback from the past two draft classes around which to build a winner, three opted for Wentz while the other two chose TitansfranchisecornerstoneMarcus Mariota.
After squaring off against Wentz in November, Packers All-Pro Aaron Rodgers raved about his young counterpart as "an amazing kid, very cerebral beyond his years."
"I think his ceiling is extremely high," Rodgers continued, "and Eagles fans should be very excited for the future."
Speaking at the Annual League Meeting this week, owner Jeffrey Lurie outlined the reasons for his organization's blockbuster trade to acquire Wentz, explaining that the only way to graduate from the top -- or even the middle -- of the draft is to find the answer at quarterback.
"The best quarterbacks in this league lead from hard work and being humble and they're very smart," Lurie added. "And you obviously have to have the physical talent. He's got that.
"Can he stay healthy? Can he continue to grow? Can he perform as we go forward, the way the curve should go? It's a hope. That's all it is. It's a hope."
Lurie is said to be "shocked and pained" that the Eagles have not won a Super Bowl during his 23 years of stewardship, according to ESPN.com's Tim McManus. For that matter, the franchise's championship drought goes all the way back to the 1960 team featuring Hall of Famer Chuck Bednarik, the last vestige of the NFL's 60-minute men.
If Wentz leads the Eagles to their first title in six decades, he'll end up with his own statue to match those of Philadelphia legends Bednarik and Rocky Balboa.
