The Sam Darnold CPOY conversation could be heating up again
AP's attempt to limit award to players coming back from injury or illness might not work.
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After the Vikings started the season with a five-game winning streak, a conversation emerged regarding whether quarterback Sam Darnold can be named the 2024 comeback player of the year. In past years, it wouldn't have been an issue.
It went away during a two-game losing streak. Now, after Darnold threw five touchdown passes on Sunday in the latest of six straight wins and given that his numbers put should make him an MVP candidate, why shouldn't he be a comeback player of the year candidate, too?
This year, the Associated Press has clarified the CPOY standard, ostensibly to slam the door on a player who didn't miss time the prior year due to injury or illness. But voters won't be prevented from voting for Darnold, if they believe he merits placement on the three-deep ballot.
"The spirit of the AP Comeback Player of the Year Award is to honor a player who has demonstrated resilience in the face of adversity by overcoming illness, physical injury or other circumstances that led him to miss playing time the previous season," the revised standard explains.
The key phrase is "other circumstances." The AP doesn't mean it to include a player who was simply a second-stringer the prior year, or who played but didn't play well. In October, Rob Maaddi of the AP, who administers the awards selection process, made that clear.
But the clarified standard is what it is. "Other circumstances." Like being drafted by a dysfunctional organization that derailed his career, being traded to another dysfunctional organization that kept it derailed, and landing with a non-dysfunctional organization as a backup for a season before stumbling into a chance to start in Minnesota.
Darnold didn't play in 2023 wih the 49ers due to the fact that he was regarded as not good enough to start, based on his time with the Jets and Panthers. If that's not "other circumstances," what is?
I have one of the votes. I'll make a decision as to the three names for the ballot after the season ends. And if I think Darnold is one of the most worthy based on 17 games, I'll regard his "other circumstances" as sufficient to put him in the mix.
