Damar Hamlin as leading candidate for AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year receiving fan blowback

[Bferra13]

2 hours ago, LeGOATski said:

Giving the award to journeyman QBs definitely qualifies as diluting it. Those types of guys do things every year. 

Who cares if they're journeymen qbs or not? This isn't the Rookie of the Year award, it is given to someone who comes back, for whatever reason that may be, to play at a remarkable level. Hamlin has not played at a remarkable level. Flack-hole and Mayfield have. Hamlin has been honored plenty. It wouldn't surprise me if he is sick of it himself at this point.

[Dan Darragh]

A year after Geno Smith got "Comeback Player of the Year" for coming back from sucking for his whole career, Damar at least represents a lot of personal perseverance and courage involved in not just experiencing a medical miracle, but actually doing what it takes to make an NFL roster.  He could have hung it up and said enough, now I'll just live my life since I used to be dead and this is the better choice.

 

The weirdest thing about this list is ... Jake Browning????????

[thenorthremembers]

Amazing to me how much NFL fans care which millionaire is given a piece of metal to put in his house.

 

These guys are going on like the NFL gifted a team the Lombardi because they had the best team spirit.   It's comeback player of the year for God's sake.  

[nucci]

Usually a player gets the comeback award by playing the following season. Hamlin is a different circumstance, however.

[Giuseppe Tognarelli]

I don't think people know what "qualms" actually means. This is the second time in less than 24 hours I've seen it misused.

[Not at the table Karlos]

7 hours ago, uticaclub said:

I’m so sick of hearing about Hamlin

Did Chris Pronger get this kind of attention after he died on the ice and came back and played the next game?  Or is the Hamlin attention just a product of how everyone needs to be emotional these days and keep bringing it up to get in their feels?

[C.Biscuit97]

Glad he’s healthy and able to resume his career. But this would be the all time participation trophy. Dude has gotten so much off that moment, let’s not completely make that award meaningless. 

[Your Brown Eye]

21 minutes ago, Giuseppe Tognarelli said:

I don't think people know what "qualms" actually means. This is the second time in less than 24 hours I've seen it misused.

 

You need to qualm down my friend.

[Matt_In_NH]

I don't care about the award but happy everything worked out for Damar.

Edited December 29, 2023 by Matt_In_NH

[Son of a K-Gun]

I’m guessing both Flacco and Baker would have no problem with Damar as CPOY.

[BuffaloBillyG]

I'm fine with Hamlin winning it. I'm fine if he doesn't. I get that he has gone through a lot and even though his snaps and impact has been rather insignificant, his ability to play has been remarkable. I'm sure the NFL makes sure he wins it so they can squeeze just a tad more PR out of the situation.  That's what it's all about anyways, right?

 

Flacco and Mayfield as "comeback" players is a joke. Flacco has played what, 5 games? He's coming "back" from what exactly? Being unsigned? Being a member of the Jets?  Mayfield has had a really solid season...but again what is he "coming back" from? 

 

Honestly, even though I can't stand him, the player that has had the most impactful on field come back for my money is Matthew Stafford. 

[Mr. WEO]

he didn't "literally die on the field"

[PromoTheRobot]

I see the point on Hamlin not being worthy because he is barely playing this year. But then again he wasn't a stud superstar before his mishap either. He's pretty much back to where he was, a depth player.

[nedboy7]

I’m prepared to be offended with either decision. 

[Since1981]

Hamlin is definitely different from traditional (see list). He and Alex Smith overcame massive health barriers to comeback to where they were. 

[NewEra]

Damar deserves it based on what he came back from.

 

Baker deserves if based on his play for the entire season.

 

Flacco deserves it because he’s been the been the best of the bunch as a player.  He’s really been lights out

[Dancing Fool]

36 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

he didn't "literally die on the field"

Do you not follow the conspiracies? He died last year and the current Hamlin is a AI-generated lookalike projected on the field as needed to keep up the charade. It is why his play has seemed so unremarkable since returning, because his current form has no physical reality.

Him being the 12th person on the field was a gimmick to draw attention from this. Wake up sheeple!!1!1

[Dr. K]

It really does not matter. Awards are a distraction and often have little to do with who "deserves" them. "Deserve" is subject to many definitions. 

 

As The Dude said, "Yeah? Well, you know, that's just like, uh, your opinion, man." 

[Ya Digg?]

So apparently the media and public have a limit on acceptable undeserving people for awards - 1. Unfortunately that honor currently belongs to the MVP favorite 

[DrDawkinstein]

As much as I've eye-rolled every Hamlin story since the moment every team changed their twitter profile pics to "support him", I do think dying on the field and then coming back to play at all the next season does warrant the award.

 

That said, I'm perfectly fine if they give it to Mayfield. Not much of a Baker fan, but cant deny dude has shown amazing resiliency. That win last year after only being on the Rams for 48 hours was one of the coolest things I've ever seen in pro football. But at the same time, Mayfield never really had any big drop off. His main "come back" is "coming back from being Browns-ed".