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Eagles season can go one of three ways

There are three doors, and the Eagles will walk through one of them this season. You don't need Monty Hall to tell you that not all doors are created equal, but that is the nature of a boom-or-bust season so reliant on things that are still uncertain.

Eagles running back DeMarco Murray.
Eagles running back DeMarco Murray.Read more(Michael Bryant/Staff Photographer)

There are three doors, and the Eagles will walk through one of them this season. You don't need Monty Hall to tell you that not all doors are created equal, but that is the nature of a boom-or-bust season so reliant on things that are still uncertain.

Chip Kelly remade a large portion of the roster after deciding the 2014 team "wasn't close" to good enough to compete for a championship. In doing so, he removed almost all of the last vestiges of Good King Andy (and Howie Roseman, to some extent) and put the onus of winning and losing even more squarely on his shoulders. If the Eagles win big this season, they will get bonus points for degree of difficulty. The tightrope over which success is stretched is very narrow.

As training camp begins Sunday, we'll begin to find out which door is most likely for the Eagles this season. A lot will depend on some players who have previously had injury problems being able to stay on the field. Some more will depend on inexperienced players growing into more demanding roles, or experienced ones taking on new challenges.

It will take place amid the blur of Kelly's pace and the blare of motivational music, but little truths will become apparent every day, truths that won't be fully validated until Jan. 3, when the regular season ends. That's five months away, but that is when the numbers will finally be posted on the doors. Today, they are unmarked. Pick one.

Door No. 1

This is not a good door. Behind this door, quarterback Sam Bradford lies on the ground in pain, and it is still August. This is a real possibility, no matter how many times you read that a reconstructed knee is less likely to suffer an anterior cruciate ligament tear than a knee that has never been injured. That information might be statistically correct, but it was probably small comfort to Bradford when it happened to him before.

Behind this door, Mark Sanchez is an underwhelming substitute. He manages the games competently enough, but his suspect arm strength allows defenses to cheat up toward the line of scrimmage, and the crowding leads to interceptions. Running back DeMarco Murray finds himself beset by a few nagging injuries and he can't replicate his great 2014 season with the Cowboys, largely because . . .

. . . The offensive line is awful! Really awful. Not only is the three-helmeted guard combo of Matt Tobin, Andrew Gardner, and Allen Barbre less than NFL-starter quality, but 33-year-old Jason Peters suffers a step-down year at left tackle. Look out, Mark.

On defense, the injury news isn't much better. At linebacker, Kiko Alonso is healthy, but slow, and his backup, DeMeco Ryans, doesn't recover as well as hoped. With Brandon Graham and his limited coverage skills on the field all the time, the Eagles are susceptible to being picked apart by passes to tight ends and backs out of the backfield. In the secondary, Byron Maxwell and Malcolm Jenkins are fine at one of the cornerback and safety positions, but their counterparts struggle all season.

What's behind the door?

A 6-10 record, no postseason, and a fan satisfaction rating of zero smiles.

Door No. 2

Decent door, but not great. The Birds get half of what they're looking for.

Bradford is fine through training camp, but tweaks his knee midway through the season and misses four games. His arm strength is good, he can make all the throws, but takes some sacks because the offensive line, while holding together, is still not a great unit.

Murray rushes for 1,200 yards, Ryan Matthews and Darren Sproles provide some variety to the running/short passing game, and Zach Ertz emerges as an every-down tight end because of his improved blocking skills. There are growing pains for the receivers, as rookie Nelson Agholor and second-year Jordan Matthews adjust to new environments - Agholor to the NFL and Matthews to the outside receiver position.

The offense is mostly solid, although Sanchez is inconsistent in his starts, and the team doesn't get the boost it got the season before from 11 return touchdowns by the defense and special teams.

Defensively, converted cornerback Walter Thurmond earns and keeps a starting safety job, as does second-round draft pick Eric Rowe at cornerback. There is stability in the secondary, but still not enough of a pass rush to keep it from being vulnerable.

Behind this door?

A 10-6 record again, a brief postseason, and a fan satisfaction rating of two smiles.

Door No. 3

Ding, ding, ding. This is the door.

Bradford is healthy all year, and he is great. The receivers are open for all of Kelly's underneath routes because defenses have to respect that arm. This also opens things up for Murray, who takes advantage of the holes that are there and leads the league in rushing again.

Kelly finds a way to use Tim Tebow as a multipurpose back in short-yardage and goal-line situations, and this sleight of hand adds to the mystique of the Eagles, a team doing everything quicker and smarter than everyone else.

Alonso recovers his mobility at inside linebacker to team with Mychal Kendricks as superb running back hunters. Graham and Connor Barwin bring the heat on the quarterbacks, and the depth of the secondary, with Brandon Boykin, Nolan Carroll, and Earl Wolff available to fill out the frequent nickel and dime packages, suffocates opposing receivers.

This door?

A 13-3 record, a deep playoff run, and a fan satisfaction rating of five smiles.

Those are the three doors, and, admit it, the Eagles could open any of them this season. As training camp begins, there is no way to tell. There could be opportunity knocking or a doorbell tolling. Finding out which will take a while, though.

@bobfordsports