NFL's Comeback Player of 2011: 10 Players Most Likely To Follow in Vick's Shoes
As I'm sure most of you know by now, Michael Vick was named the recipient for the Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year award for the 2010 season. Receiving 29.5 votes out of a possible 50 total, Michael Vick put a stamp on his remarkable season by winning this hardware.
He is only the second ex-convict to receive the award, as Barry Word (1990 recipient) went in prison for 5 months prior to joining the NFL. However, Lyle Alzado (1982 recipient) attended a college that is now being used as a prison, so pundits are still debating whether this makes Vick the second or third person to win the award after being at prison. I'm leaning toward third, but regardless Michael Vick is the first recipient of the award whose prison sentence actually precipitated the win.
His runner-up for the award, Mike Williams, received 8 votes. Williams began his career with the Detroit Lions. After essentially eating himself out of the league, he realized he had a family to feed and that working in the NFL might pay better than whatever job he could land as a college drop-out. Enter the Oakland Raiders, Tennessee Titans, and eventually Seattle Seahawks. Fighting his way to the top of the depth chart, Williams became an improbable top target for an improbable playoff team.
Third in the voting E.J. Henderson received 5.5 votes. After receiving the type of leg injury you more commonly see in Muay Thai title fights, he had a remarkable year in only his third full-time season. Many people (myself included) consider him snubbed for the award, if only because he received such a low amount of votes. However, one writer apparently had enough sensibility to vote for Vick and Henderson equally -- whoever you are, props to you.
Other votes went to Wes Welker (2), Brian Urlacher (2), Matt Cassel (2), Troy Polamalu (1), Leon Washington (1), and LeGarette Blount (1).
Yes, LeGarette Blount the rookie. I didn't understand it either.
Anyways.
Now that the Super Bowl has passed and us writing types struggle to find interesting things to write about, we begin the phase of the NFL year known as "speculative sensationalism," where constant arguments about mock drafts, potential trades, and re-structuring will consume the better part of the next 6 months. In that vein, I present for your reading pleasure the players most likely to receive the Comeback award for the 2011 season, in no particular order.
Unlikely Candidates
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Brett Favre
I wouldn't feel right about listing Brett Favre as anything but an honorable mention, though this isn't really a ranking so much as a list. The thought of Brett Favre hitting the field again as a starter kind of gives me the heebies. This comes from a position of no real ill-will or malice toward the man, and instead comes from the position of a football fan who would like the natural evolution of the league to continue.
Donovan McNabb
He may appear as an appealing target for the award next year and a target of consideration, but I have to think otherwise. Despite at times lackluster play and serious issues with his coach, McNabb hasn't had THAT bad of a year, nor has he been severely injured or been convicted of a felony. He did throw for more interceptions than touchdowns for the first time in his career, but all signs point to Donovan McNabb finding a new team and playing... well, decent, but undeserving of the honor.
JaMarcus Russell
Is this guy still around? I would imagine he'd be under federal investigation for knocking over too many fast food joints by now. While precedent was laid before him by Mike Williams receiving consideration for the award, something tells me JaMarcus Russell isn't going to have a Michael Vick style comeback. He first needs to find a team willing to take him on, and then he needs to hope that whoever is starting goes out with an injury. Odds are good JaMarcus Russell is never going to get this award.
Plaxico Burress
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On November 28, 2008, Plaxico Burress was the victim of a shooting that took place in popular New York City nightclub Latin Quarter. Unfortunately for him, a grand jury in NYC indicted him for several felonies as a result of his gunshot wound. He plead guilty on attempted weapons possession in the second degree on August 9, 2009. He had been released from the Giants that prior April.
He's scheduled to be released from prison on June 6th of this year. What does this mean? Well, it means that his suspension will be up, and he'll be eligible to sign with whichever team would be interested. Since Michael Vick broke precedent on ex-convicts winning the award, it wouldn't be the first time someone came back from a prison sentence to win it.
He has reportedly kept in shape during his time in prison, and has gone on record as saying that he will play in the NFL again. If a team picks him up and he has a stellar year during the 2011 season, he'll certainly be in contention to win the award.
Vince Young
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Drafted in 2006 as the third overall pick, Young is in the evolutionary chain of Quarterbacks starting with Tarkenton and ending with Tebow. His first two years were fairly decent, but since then he's barely made ripples in the NFL — due to injuries, on-field play, and off-field problems. His antics have essentially spurred a complete re-structuring in Tennessee.
Vince Young may well be a whiny step-child in today's NFL, but you have to feel bad for the guy on some levels. He was robbed of an eventually redacted Heisman Trophy, and then forced to work under a head coach that essentially despised him; coupled with several injuries along the way, he's has had his fair share of tough luck.
If he can find a new starting job in the 2011 season and improve on his past seasons, he should be a likely candidate for Comeback Player of the Year. He'll need to prove a lot of things to the public, however. Can he stay on the field? Will he grow up? Time will tell.
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Sidney Rice
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The promising wide receiver from USC has yet to start a full 16 game season, but he did come very close to it in the 2009 season. As a result of a hip injury against the Saints in that season's NFC Championship Game, Rice was in need of hip surgery. Concerned about the affect this surgery would have on his play, he held off on it in favor of rehabilitation — until late August.
This indecision would cause him to miss the majority of the season, but he would return this past November and play out the rest of a disappointing Minnesota season. This marked the third year in a row that Rice would be the recipient of an injury.
All signs of Sidney Rice's injury seem to be fading into the background, but we'll know next season if he's truly back to his 2009 form. He did post decent numbers while he actually played in 2010, but it's a sheer guess whether his injuries are a thing of the past.
Matthew Stafford
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The much maligned Detroit Lions seem to be on a bit of an upswing after years of futility, but question marks still remain at the quarterback position. During his short career, Stafford has spent more time on the bench than on the field, has a 67.1 QB rating, and has thrown 19 touchdowns to 21 interceptions.
But all doesn't appear to be so bad for the young man in Honolulu blue. While he has spent time warming the bench, his coaches have established a respectable offense around him, not to mention a formidable defense. Sam Bradford stood as a shining paragon to AC surgery during his rookie campaign, and Stafford's injury has been reported as being not as serious as Bradford's.
The NFL is riddled with players — past and present — who have come back from serious injuries; Phil Simms and Drew Brees are most often named. Having undergone surgery at the end of the regular season, Stafford seems as likely for a turn-around as any other QB in the league. But will Mr. Glass prove to be unbreakable?
Randy Moss
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If you've been living under a rock for the past 10 years, allow me to introduce you to one of the best NFL players of all time: Randy Moss. In other news, you managed to avoid a national tragedy and some wars. Welcome to 2011.
Randy Moss has been with four franchises during his 12 year career, and could possibly be with a fifth by opening kickoff next season. "Locker room cancer" and "Prima Donna" are often the type of things you hear when Randy Moss is spoken of, and they may not miss the mark by much. All drama aside, the man is a top flight receiver and you'd have to be crazy to ignore the level that Moss is capable of playing at.
Can Randy Moss finally put his ego aside and have one last season? Will it be enough to endear him to the hearts of the nation's sports writers and have him voted Comeback Player? Will he retire? Your guess is as good as mine, but if he takes the field for 16 good games next season his name will be in the running.
Jermichael Finley
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Drafted 91st overall in the 2008 draft, Finley was one of the best tight ends to have ever been a Longhorn. He matched the accolade during the 09 season, doubled down during the 09 post-season, and was surely missed by the Packers during this last post-season as well.
His week 2 and week 3 games showed what Finley can do, posting 103 yards and 115 yards each, but he suffered a season-ending injury at the hands of the Washington Redskins by week 5. Placing him on IR and having him undergo surgery was deemed as the best course of action, and so Finley had to sit out the rest of the year while his team battled to bring the Lombardi back home.
If his knee holds up for the next season and he continues being a large cog in Green Bay's prolific offense, there's no reason why Finley won't be considered for some hardware next year.
Tony Romo
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Since being signed as an un-drafted free agent in 2003, Romo helped solidify a quarterback situation in Dallas that was anything but stable. After he finally won the starting job from Drew Bledsoe, he went on to have a couple decent seasons before getting injured in 2010.
He was the first quarterback to ever take all the snaps at center for an entire Dallas season in 2009, leading the Cowboys to his second post-season since becoming a starter. He has undergone heavy scrutiny for his (in)ability to play well during clutch games, and the collapse of Dallas in the 2010 season only exacerbates this concern.
Given he only had a broken clavicle, it's unlikely that this injury has seriously affected his ability to play in the 2011 season. However, if he manages to turn the Cowboys from a 6-10 season into a playoff berth, the "America's Team" hype machine will certainly push hard for him to win this award.
Terrell Owens
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At the time of this writing, Terrell Owens is 37 years young. I use the term young facetiously, as most senior citizens are apt to do when referring to themselves. All jokes aside, he's past his prime. The man of a thousand celebrations is well known for a lot of things, but as of late he's known more for his reality show(s) than his outstanding play.
If Owens doesn't retire, which seems likely even though it would probably be for the best for him to hang up the cleats, he'll be in his third contract year in three years. There is simply no way to deny that T.O. is one of the better wide receivers in league history, but age may well be catching up with him by now.
For Owens to win this award, he'll have to find a franchise that sees him as a possible suitor and solution at wide receiver first. Should that happen, he'll have to play better than he has in three years. Would I bet on it? Not really, but I wouldn't put anything past the man who could rival Deion Sanders in an "I'm crazier than I'm good" contest.
Steve Smith
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Steve Smith is one of the few things the Carolina Panthers have to look forward to in the 2011 season. In 2005, he led the league in receptions, yards, and touchdowns for wide receivers—a feat that no receiver has repeated since.
His talent can't be denied, but without another reliable target in Carolina he's going to be facing double coverage through most of next season. He managed to suffer a broken arm twice in a 12 month period leading up to the start of the 2010 season, and his play faltered badly because of it, causing him to put up one of his worst seasons ever.
He received this award in 2005 along with Tedy Bruschi after a severe leg injury during the 2004 season. If he manages to come back to spectacular playing form for 2011, he may be the second person to win this award twice (the other being Chad Pennington.) But, it's unclear if the Panthers will even be in a position to help him have a year needed to get consideration for this award.
The Award in History
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Here's a breakdown of the past Comeback Player of the Year awards, for all you trivia geeks.
Quarterbacks - 20
Running Backs - 13
Wide Receiver - 4
Defensive Ends - 3
Defensive Tackles - 1
Fullbacks - 1
Linebacker - 1
This means that offensive players beat out defensive players at a 7.6:1 ratio, and that quarterbacks win the award just under half the time. The award began in 1972 and has been awarded every year except for 1985 (which we assume is a result of Reaganomics.) In 1998 the Associated Press began handing out the awards as well as the PWF, and they have agreed every year except 2004, when Drew Brees won the AP and Willis McGahee won the PWF.
The Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers are the leading-most franchises at this award with 4 each. The Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers have each won 3. 8 other franchises have won 2, and 11 more have won 1 each.
The only teams never to have won the award are the Chicago Bears (*), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (**), Tennessee Titans (**), Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Seattle Seahawks. If not for the AP/PWF disagreement in 2004, San Diego would have also never won an award.
* - Gale Sayers (CHI) was awarded the award by the United Press International in 1969. It's unclear if this actually counts because, well, what the hell is the United Press International?
** - The Bucs and Titans were recipients of Sporting News's award in 2008 and 2009.
Steve Smith, Matthew Stafford, Plaxico Burress, and Jermichael Finley seem like they'd be the most probable candidates right now, but who knows what player might come out of the woodwork and shock the world?
There are many would-be candidates for this award, including players like Clinton Portis. Who knows? Maybe Chad Pennington will win his third award. Thanks for reading, folks. Have a nice day.
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