Eagles, a year later: Howie Roseman, Jeffrey Lurie, Nick Sirianni, Doug Pederson, Carson Wentz | Marcus Hayes

Few industries foster catastrophe and resurrection like the NFL.

A year ago popular opinion held that Jeffrey Lurie was a meddling oaf, Howie Roseman was a pencil-necked fraud, Ginger Jesus was Indianapolis’ savior, Nick Sirianni was Doug Pederson Lite, and Doug Pederson was done.

Now? Pederson’s coaching in Jacksonville, Sirianni’s a rising star, the Colts are banishing Carson Wentz, and the Lurie/Roseman collab is being trusted with three first-round draft picks. Three.

“We’ve got to continue to ... maximize our players’ ability to be successful, and, certainly, that starts at the quarterback position, with Jalen.” — Eagles GM Howie Roseman, Wednesday

A year ago, nobody outside politics was despised as much in Philly as the Eagles’ error-addled general manager, unless it was the owner. Now, they’re on the threshold of a 10-year decision, and they’ve got the people’s faith.

Roseman insisted again Wednesday that the Eagles plan to build a roster around limited young quarterback Jalen Hurts rather than trading valuable assets, like those three first-round picks, for accomplished, more talented veterans, such as Russell Wilson or Deshaun Watson. The wisdom of this strategy is less at issue than the fact that the Eagles’ fan base is fine with entrusting Roseman and Lurie to do the drafting.

The brain trust has a good record with trades and signings, but top draft talent? Since 2014 the dynamic duo has been part of first-round decisions that landed Marcus Smith, Nelson Agholor, Andre Dillard, Jalen Reagor, Derek Barnett, and, of course, Wentz — all disappointments to one degree or another. In April, they’ll have as many as three first-round picks. Three.

It’s amazing how much equity one good year from DeVonta Smith can buy.

It helps, of course, that the team went 9-8. It also helps that Lurie stopped critiquing his coach every Tuesday.

» READ MORE: Jeffrey Lurie learned his lesson, gave Eagles coach Nick Sirianni the autonomy he denied Doug Pederson | Marcus Hayes

Even Sirianni could thrive in this less oppressive atmosphere.

“First, it’s evaluating yourself. Evaluating your scheme. How do you make your scheme better?” — Nick Sirianni, Wednesday

This cogent, logical, well-reasoned sentence seemed impossible for Sirianni a year ago.

A year ago, Sirianni and his bosses were still reeling from his embarrassing introductory press conference, in which Sirianni delivered reams of nonsense like this: “We’re going to … we’re going to know … we’re going to have systems in place that are easier to learn. All right, complicated to the defense or offense that they’re going against ... but easy for us to learn.”

Every coach fumbles at pressers, and first-timers like Sirianni can be particularly painful to listen to, but he made Doug Pederson sound like Abraham Lincoln.

Sirianni proved to be less clueless than he sounded.

It took him seven games, which is seven too long, but he changed his pass-happy scheme that relied on Hurts, who couldn’t run it, to a run-heavy attack that leaned on the elite offensive line. He toned down his messaging, which helped veterans take him seriously, and got the team to buy into his Flower Power philosophy.

A year later, he has proven himself to be a patient teacher of football, and that, basically, is what he is. Eccentricities remain, and he basks in attention — he touted his rock-paper-scissors approach to evaluate draft prospects last year, and he brought a Villanova basketball hoop to the combine this week to shoot around with players — but, for all that, Sirianni has proven to be flexible, genuine, and smart.

Maybe Wentz wishes he’d stayed.

“I stuck my neck out for him. Last year, I was a big part of that decision to get him here.” — Colts coach Frank Reich on Carson Wentz, Tuesday.

The thing about sticking out your neck is, that makes it really easy to chop off. A year after begging his bosses to trade for Wentz, Reich’s neck has never been more exposed.

After failing with three different quarterbacks in his first three seasons at Indianapolis, Reich last February convinced Colts owner Jim Irsay to waste an enormous amount of assets on Wentz. The cost: what became a first-round pick in 2022; a third-round pick from last year’s draft; about $25 million in salary-cap space in 2021; and at least $15 million in cap space in 2022 (unless he’s traded), but almost double that amount if he remains a Colt.

The return: disappointment.

Wentz, who was unvaccinated, was part of a flood of positive COVID-19 tests the Colts suffered in the latter stages of the 2021 season, many of whom also were unvaccinated. Wentz played horridly in the two games after his return, and a loss in the finale to the moribund Jaguars that knocked the Colts from the playoff pool all but sealed his fate.

Reich and Irsay both campaigned for their players to get vaccinated. One Colts source said that Reich and Irsay saw Wentz’s refusal as a dereliction of leadership. On Tuesday, the Colts would not commit to Wentz for 2022.

At least Reich is consistent. A year ago, soon after Wentz landed, Reich said:

“When you’re in the role of head coach, you take a lot of responsibility for it. You have to be willing to stick your neck out.”

Pederson did that for his coaching staff. Oops.

“In just over three weeks, Doug Pederson has instilled a structured and disciplined approach that is clearly making a difference in our culture and mindset.” — Jaguars owner Shad Khan, Tuesday.

This time a year ago Pederson had benched and alienated Wentz, tanked the season finale, and then, after a four-win season, insisted that he be granted more control over coaching staff hires. Those issues got him fired, just three seasons after bringing Philadelphia its only Super Bowl title. By early March he’d gone underground, coming to grips with the reality that no team would touch him and wondering if he’d toxified himself out of a career. Eventually, he bought a big boat for his Jupiter, Fla., home and seemed content to fish his way into oblivion.

» READ MORE: Could Doug Pederson, fired by the Eagles, be done with the NFL for good? | Marcus Hayes

A year later, Pederson was hired to groom Trevor Lawrence, the most talented young quarterback in the NFL. Further, Pederson had convinced Khan that not only should Pederson hire his own coaching staff, but also that he should help incumbent general manager Trent Baalke rebuild the roster. In fact, after getting a taste of Pederson’s charisma, Khan ended a search for an executive vice president who would have overseen Pederson and Baalke.

During his five years in Philadelphia, Roseman and Lurie denied Pederson anything approaching these powers.

Then again, the Jaguars have had one winning season since Khan bought them 10 years ago. Roseman and Lurie have had six winning seasons, and they won a Super Bowl.