The Odds Are What Make Mayfield Comeback Player Of The Year Worthy
Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports
As we approach the end of the NFL season playoff scenarios begin to whittle down and discussions about postseason awards heat up.
Any NFL player worth their salt will always prioritize a Lombardi trophy over an individual award, but that doesn’t mean the NFL’s honors aren’t extremely meaningful. Often overlooked amongst the awards that get most of the attention (MVP Defensive Player of The Year and Rookies of The Year) is the honor that perhaps deserves the most attention: Comeback Player of The Year.
The NFL is a league that moves fast and forgets players easily. Coming back from injury is certainly impressive, but coming back from a place where the league seemed to have dismissed your value is nearly incredible in the modern NFL. Thats what makes what Baker Mayfield has done this year all the more impressive.
Quarterbacks who “bust” as number one picks on their original team are usually either quickly relegated to forgotten backup or more often out of the league and never heard of again. Watching Mayfield succeed this year is extra special knowing he was callously replaced in Cleveland an floundered in Carolina before being released to be forgotten. The odds of any NFL quarterback returning from that Journey to a place of success are beyond minuscule. But Baker Mayfield is one of the few people who thrives in those sorts of situations. It’s what made his Thursday night in Los Angeles so captivating and special and it’s what’s made this entire season so intriguing. Odds be damned, this guy is gonna prove he can play.
Yes, Joe Flacco’s miraculous career resurgence in Cleveland is perhaps the leagues most fun story right now. but it’s important not to get caught up in the most recent events and to look at the season as a totality. Mayfield has come back against significant odds and cemented himself as a successful quarterback in this league while leading his teams to the brink of the playoffs. And he’s done it all while being something that the media had questioned him over for years; being a true leader.
“It’s been his consistency since he’s [been] here – his work ethic, his maturity [in] getting along with the other players.” Head coach Todd Bowles said of Mayfield yesterday. “Obviously, they see his fire and everything on the field, but him being consistent and the same guy every day and a guy they can talk to on and off the field makes it even better.”
“He cares. He cares about his guys. He cares about all of us.” OC Dave Canales added. “He came here and from the jump, he wanted to meet with certain guys and really start to develop the relationship. The chemistry he has with the offensive line – he belongs in that room with those dudes. At the same time, he comes into our QB room and we have a level of conversation in there where we’ve got to kind of talk about everything. He’s got that chameleon effect, where he’s able to make his way into any group and be really comfortable in his own skin is a big part of it. And then, [he is] a guy that bets on himself. At the end of the day, he’s like, ‘Game on the line? I want the ball in my hands. Let’s go.’ That’s his mentality throughout the game.”
Mayfield has been more than advertised and as he potentially leads the Bucks into the playoffs he deserves to have the Comeback Player of the Year Award sitting shotgun.
Up Next