Comeback Player of the Year – TE Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots
It’s hard to quantify what counts as a “Comeback” nowadays – Is it exceeding expectations? Is it recovering from season-ending surgery? Is it a great year after several bad ones? Whatever it is, Gronk probably fits the bill – after recovering from multiple season-shortening injuries that put his very NFL career in jeopardy, the Patriots TE came back in a vengeance in 2014, finishing 4th in the league in receiving TDs and being named a Unanimous All-Pro selection.
Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year – LB Thomas Davis, Carolina Panthers
Competing with Anquan Boldin and Aaron Rodgers for any award is a hard hill to climb, but Thomas Davis, who has been one of the keys to the Carolina Panthers back-to-back division titles, will certainly earn this one. Davis has donated countless dollars and man hours to helping underprivileged youth through building playgrounds, mentoring, school-supply giveaways, Thanksgiving dinner donations and countless other good deeds.
He may be a terror on the field, but off the field, Davis is a one-of-a-kind good guy.
COMMENTS