Major NFL Award Changes Criteria After Joe Flacco's Season With Browns
Joe Flacco had an unreal return to form at the tail end of last season as he stepped in at quarterback to help lead the Cleveland Browns to the postseason.
The 39-year-old's efforts won him the 2023 AP Comeback Player of the Year award, but it looks like the Associated Press didn’t think that Flacco was worthy of winning.
The AP clarified Tuesday that “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.”
AP Turns Comeback Player of the Year into ‘Injury Bounce-Back of the Year’
This is kind of a lame way to frame this award.
Who’s to say that it’s not more impressive or more challenging to come back from poor performance or career decline than it is injury?
The AP thinks so, but I’m not sure everyone else does.
The AP is asking voters to consider the following when voting for Comeback Player of the Year starting this upcoming season:
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) June 18, 2024
"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… pic.twitter.com/roJTtFpPFL
No one expected Flacco to throw for 1,600+ yards and 13 TDs with a 4-1 record to finish out the regular season.
That’s worthy of recognition! Geno Smith winning the 2022 Comeback Player of the Year award reportedly got the wheels moving on this clarification and Flacco appears to have been the final nail in the coffin.
Though you might not like this clarification, we can use this new criteria to help us from making some bad bets this upcoming season, at the least.
Don’t Bet on Players Who Simply had ‘Bad’ Years in 2023
Sportsbooks haven’t yet adjusted to this criteria, and you should keep that in mind if you’re planning on betting on the 2024 AP Comeback Player of the Year winner.
Sam Darnold, who was simply a backup last season, is listed 7th in odds at +2000 while Justin Herbert is 11th (+3000), Justin Fields is 13th (+3500) and Bryce Young 14th (+4000) at DraftKings Sportsbook.
It’s not as if those players are anywhere close to being the favorite to win the award, but they shouldn’t be listed anywhere close to where they currently are.
Going by that criteria, the only player who has a chance to win that award is Herbert, and he only missed four games last season.
Make sure the player you bet on this season is coming off a significant injury. Otherwise, you’re just wasting your money.
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