NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award

The NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award is presented by the Associated Press to the player in the National Football League (NFL) who shows perseverance in overcoming adversity, in the form of not being in the NFL the previous year, overcoming a severe injury, or simply a poor performance. Since its start, the winner has been selected by polling all active sportswriters of the Associated Press.

NOTES: Bold entries denote players who went on to become members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame; Year fields link to the NFL season in review page, winner's names link to the player's page and team name links to the official roster for the year in which the player won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award.

"Doug Flutie was the man Buffalo needed but never got his chance. Throughout his pro career, Doug was never given the chance to shine. This continued in Buffalo, as Flutie and (QB) Rob Johnson would constantly fight for the starting spot. Doug Flutie was a magician out on the field and no one knew it like the Buffalo Bills' fans, who enjoyed every single minute of it... Doug Flutie is the ideal role model. Flutie never gave up, no matter the situation. Everyone should desire his determination and heart." - Blogger GB Bongiovanni on BleacherReport.com (10/27/2008, Link)

NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award Associated Press NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award on Football Almanac
Year	Winner^(Quantity)	Position	Team / Roster^{(Franchise Quantity)}
1998	Doug Flutie⁽¹⁾	Quarterback	1998 Buffalo Bills⁽¹⁾
1999	Bryant Young⁽¹⁾	Defensive Tackle	1999 San Francisco 49ers⁽¹⁾
2000	Joe Johnson⁽¹⁾	Defensive End	2000 New Orleans Saints⁽¹⁾
2001	Garrison Hearst⁽¹⁾	Running Back	2001 San Francisco 49ers⁽²⁾
2002	Tommy Maddox⁽¹⁾	Quarterback	2002 Pittsburgh Steelers⁽¹⁾
2003	Jon Kitna⁽¹⁾	Quarterback	2003 Cincinnati Bengals⁽¹⁾
2004	Drew Brees⁽¹⁾	Quarterback	2004 San Diego Chargers⁽¹⁾
2005	Tedy Bruschi⁽¹⁾	Linebacker	2005 New England Patriots⁽¹⁾
2005	Steve Smith⁽¹⁾	Wide Receiver	2005 Carolina Panthers⁽¹⁾
2006	Chad Pennington⁽¹⁾	Quarterback	2006 New York Jets⁽¹⁾
2007	Greg Ellis⁽¹⁾	Linebacker	2007 Dallas Cowboys⁽¹⁾
2008	Chad Pennington⁽²⁾	Quarterback	2008 Miami Dolphins⁽¹⁾
2009	Tom Brady⁽¹⁾	Quarterback	2009 New England Patriots⁽²⁾
2010	Not Yet Announced^(01-2011)	--	--
Year	Winner^(Quantity)	Position	Team / Roster^{(Franchise Quantity)}
NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award on Football Almanac

Did you know that there has been one defensive tackle, one defensive end, one running back, one wide receiver, two linebackers and six quarterbacks who have won the Associated Press NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award?

Here on Football Almanac you can easily compare the winners of the Associated Press NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award (seen above) to the winners of the Pro Football Writers of America NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award and find where the differences between the two awards exist.

Which player on the chart above deserved the Associated Press NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award the least? Which player "should" have won during that season? Share your opinion on Pigskin Fever.

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