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".

[Teddy KGB]

It’s Flacco 

[Ralonzo]

9 hours ago, Cheektowaga Chad said:

Joe flacco came back from the couch and being a stay at home dad

 

So on the one hand coming back from death, and on the other coming back from purgatory.

[Bobby Hooks]

Being a Bills fan aside, I think it’s what you do on the field. 
 

I don’t think Hamlin deserves it, especially since when he was on the field he literally cost us a win. Nothing against the guy, his story is a great one, but if last year didn’t happen, I don’t even think he’s on the team this year. 
 

This should go to Flacco or Baker. 
 

This is coming from someone who couldn’t care any less about any trophies outside of the Lombardi, and I guess mvp and heisman are pretty cool. 

Edited December 29, 2023 by Bobby Hooks

[Mr. WEO]

23 minutes ago, Dancing Fool said:

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

wow AI has really come a long way—they were able to completely recreate his unremarkable play post mortem!

[benderbender]

All Damar had to do was be involved on the Russel Wilson pass interference wounded duck throw and the award was his. 

[seannc]

It's all pretty inconsequential as far as I'm concerned. Cheers to anyone who can name the last three winners without looking it up. I just want the Bills to win football games!

[Just Jack]

1 hour ago, seannc said:

It's all pretty inconsequential as far as I'm concerned. Cheers to anyone who can name the last three winners without looking it up. I just want the Bills to win football games!

 

I looked it up, here's the list if anyone wants to check it out.  The Bills have only had one two players make the list since 1972. 

 

National Football League Comeback Player of the Year Award - Wikipedia

Edited December 29, 2023 by Just Jack

[CodeMonkey]

Hamlin, IMO, is on the roster for the public relations bonus to the team.  Or, to avoid the PR fiasco if they had cut him.

But based on the CPOY definition... "shows perseverance in overcoming adversity, in the form of not being in the NFL the previous year, a severe injury, or simply poor performance." ... he probably deserves to be considered.  However it also says "who overcomes adversity to return to remarkable performance"   There has been no performance really, much less a remarkable one.

 

Hamlin will win because it is a very feel good story that the NFL loves to put forward to the public.

Edited December 29, 2023 by CodeMonkey

[Warcodered]

1 hour ago, Son of a K-Gun said:

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

Yeah I'm sure they're more than fine with the actual resurgence in their play over the reward.

[Prospector]

He’s the only player I see on the field and wish Cam Lewis was in his place. Damar should be ‘never’-back player of the year. He is terrible at football. He died, that is not worthy of an award. To get a football award, I think you need to actually be decent/contribute positively in football. 

Comeback player of the year isn’t meant to go to a player who plays less and has less impact than the prior year. That’s stupid. 

[The Firebaugh Kid]

I LOVE Damar, love his story, as we all do. I prayed like all of us and cried my eyes out multiple times during that entire ordeal.

To me, you have to play to win the award, plain and simple. 

[JohnBonhamRocks]

I’m fine with either Hamlin or Flacco, but whoever wins it, I’ll be outraged!

[Sierra Foothills]

2 hours ago, BuffaloBillyG said:

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. 

 

The award is voted on by sports writers... it's not awarded by the NFL.

 

1 hour ago, PromoTheRobot said:

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.

 

To the bolded, not even.

 

in 2022 he had a total of 922 snaps.

 

This year he's had a total of 111 snaps.

 

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/H/HamlDa00.htm

 

 

[Punching Bag]

3 hours 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.

 

"qualms" are questionable Psalms ibn bible, right?

 

It is so hard to keep track of all of the "new definitions" of words.

 

2 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

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.

 

He already got an award - he was not waived and signed to practice squad.

[Malazan]

8 hours ago, Punch said:

As good as Flacco is playing, what is he coming back from besides the waiver wire?

 

The Jets.

[Cheektowaga Chad]

7 hours ago, Scott7975 said:

 

I see it from both sides but looking up the reward its "The National Football League Comeback Player of the Year Award refers to a number of awards that are given to a National Football League (NFL) player who overcomes adversity to return to remarkable performance, in the form of not being in the NFL the previous year, a severe injury, or simply poor performance."

 

I don't think Hamlin should get it, personally.  It's amazing he has come back but to be fair he really hasn't played, much less came back to remarkable performance.

The remarkable performance and what constitutes as remarkable is what will be debated 

 

To some making a professional football team and stepping foot on the field in a real game after what happened is incredibly remarkable

 

On the other hand 2 tackles and a handful of snaps isn't remarkable stats in any way shape or form

 

[KDIGGZ]

Another vote for Flacco

[Einstein]

11 hours ago, Cheektowaga Chad said:

Like how is that not the definition of comeback player of the year

 

Therein lies the rub.

 

There is no set definition for what the “comeback” needs to be.

 

Im also genuinely shocked anyone gives a hoot about this.

[Warcodered]

25 minutes ago, Sierra Foothills said:

To the bolded, not even.

 

in 2022 he had a total of 922 snaps.

 

This year he's had a total of 111 snaps.

 

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/H/HamlDa00.htm

I wonder if anything happened to our starting safeties in 2022. 🙄

Edited December 29, 2023 by Warcodered

[Sierra Foothills]

1 minute ago, Warcodered said:

I wonder if anything happened to our starting safeties in 2022. 🙄

 

Hamlin started 13 games last year due to missed games from Hyde (15) and Poyer (2).

 

Hamlin has started 0 games this year in spite of missed games from Hyde (3) and Poyer (1).

 

Unlike last year, Hamlin is not the top reserve safety. His role on the team has been deeply reduced.