NFL Honors 2012 Start Time: Alex Smith Deserves Comeback Player of Year Award

Alex Smith went from complete bust to holding his own in the NFC title game, which should be more than enough to earn him the 2012 Comeback Player of the Year Award.

The San Francisco 49ers quarterback pulled off a turnaround that few people, especially the diehard fans in The City by the Bay, had faith was still possible. Smith will find out tonight at the NFL Honors show, which airs at 9 p.m. on NBC, if all his hard work paid off.

Smith's first five seasons in the league ranged from average to brutal—not what the 49ers were looking for from the first overall pick in 2005. The team was going through offensive coordinators at a rapid rate and he never seemed to find a comfort zone, leading to a lot of questions about his future.

Once Jim Harbaugh arrived from Stanford, everything changed. It was like a light bulb suddenly went on in Smith's head about the best way to handle the position.

Harbaugh understood Smith was never going to become Aaron Rodgers or Drew Brees in terms of running a high-powered offense. If put in the right situations, however, he had more than enough ability to help the 49ers win games.

Smith worked tirelessly with Harbaugh to learn his system, knowing full well it was probably his last chance to prove he deserved to be an NFL starting quarterback.

The hard work paid off to the tune of a career-high quarterback rating (90.6), a 13-3 record and the team's first trip to the playoffs since 2002.

Smith was able to be successful thanks to an offense predicated on quick, low-risk passes. He threw just five interceptions and showed a lot better decision-making skills. If you aren't going to be a dominant passer, you have to limit your mistakes. That's exactly what Smith did.

No other player in the league had such a massive turnaround. And if Smith wouldn't have pulled it off, there's no way the 49ers get as far as they did, no matter how good the defense was.

The astonishing reversal of fortunes—from maligned bust to fan favorite—is exactly why Smith should take home the hardware for Comeback Player of the Year tonight.