This year’s one-per-day unveiling of the PFT postseason awards has been thrown off schedule a bit because I was sick for much of the day on Saturday.
But I’ve now made a comeback. Which is fitting. Because the award that was missed on Saturday was comeback player of the year.
This one can be a bit of a challenge, because plenty of guys “come back” from plenty of things. Injury. Surgery. Poor performance. Failure to meet prior expectations.
This year, we’ve decided to give the award to a guy who came back from a pair of Achilles tendon surgeries that wiped out his 2012 season. He responded with yet another Pro Bowl season.
Jason Peters, Philadelphia Eagles.
His banner year included a $2 million settlement with the company that makes a walker that failed while he was using it, forcing him to have the second surgery in 2012.
Peters started every game for the first time since 2006, when he was with the Bills. He anchored the left side of a stellar offensive line, which helped create running room for LeSean McCoy and buy time for Nick Foles.
Other finalists include Colts running back Donald Brown, Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew, Bears quarterback Josh McCown, Buccaneers cornerback Darrelle Revis, and Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis.
As Darin Gantt explained his endorsement of Davis, “Even though he’s not coming back from anything specific last year, the dude is playing Pro Bowl level ball after three ACLs. Is there a lifetime achievement comeback award, especially after getting covered up by [Peyton] Manning last year?”
Cast a ballot of your own below and/or elaborate in the comments. Feel free to point out anyone we’ve missed -- as if you’d need an engraved invitation to do it.
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