By Patrick Del Gaone, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 
Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback Carson Wentz won't receive a perfect grade in his inaugural season as an NFL quarterback, but offensive coordinator Frank Reich has seen exponential growth since the young signal-caller was thrust into the starting role just one week prior to the season opener.
With the opening day hog-mollies finally back at full strength, the Eagles' offense exploded for 21 first half points against the hottest defense in the NFL on Thursday night.
The rookie displayed tremendous alacrity and pocket awareness throughout the team's first divisional win; dipping and dodging defenders to avoid countless sacks, all the while preserving his body with timely slides.
"He's exceeded expectations in some ways," Reich said. "What you want to see is accuracy, good decision-making, the ability to sustain success, when things are going well to maintain focus and concentration the next week in preparation. You wanna see [the ability] to be able to bounce back after a poor performance. You want to see when things are going bad in the course of a game, for him to not waver. I think on most of those fronts he's passed the test."
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Wentz will become the first Eagles' quarterback since 2008 to start all 16 regular season games. According to Reich, the two-time FCS national champion's durability has much to do with his work ethic off the field and ability to learn from mistakes.
"That was another test," Reich said. "There were questions, 'Would he be durable? Could he start 16 games?' Just because of some of the injuries he's had. I think he's done a great job of knowing how to get down. It's been a learning process. We all know, early on, when he ran a couple, he probably was a little bit too aggressive. He took the coaching, learned from it, and gradually has gotten to the point where he looks like a seasoned pro out there running now. [He] knows when to slide, has a good sense for getting down. There's no guarantees about staying healthy in this league, but we're certainly glad he's done a good job with that this year."
"I think it says a lot about his toughness. I think it says a lot about his preparation in protection area. It says a lot about how well the offensive line has played, and I think it says a lot about, he has a good internal clock. That he's not just a big, athletic guy who's gonna get back there and make plays with his legs all the time. He knows that to be great in this league, and to take us where we wanna go, you've gotta learn how to play quarterback from the pocket, then let your athletic ability take over when something breaks down. We've worked very hard at trying to develop that into him. Be systematic, be disciplined, have a progression in mind, have a plan on every play. Then when things break down, then react and let your instincts take over."
With an elongated offseason just a week away, Reich was asked how much time off he expects his players to take before training resumes.
"All the rules with the C.B.A.," Reich said. "I'm a little bit old school. I came into the league with Jerry Rice. You know, that's legendary. The day after they win the Super Bowl, he's running hills and routes. I do think quarterbacks need to give their arm rest. I do think it's good for players to take a break, especially a mental break for about a month. But physically, I don't think you can take off for too long. This is a very demanding job. Physically, you have to be at your peak. It's a very competitive job. So, take a month off, relax mentally and physically, but you better get after it pretty hard, pretty quick."
You can watch the full press conference from Reich and Jim Schwartz below.
