See our other Cold, Hard Football Facts year-end awards:
There's talk of Drew Brees being a front-runner here, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense, as he played a full season in San Diego last year and was excellent (89.2 rating). He did have to rebound from offseason surgery, but Comeback Player of the Year? No.
Our unsexy pick is Trevor Pryce. The former Denver pass rusher came out of nowhere to register a team-high 13 sacks for the Ravens, matching his total from 2003-05.
Cold, Hard Football Facts Top 5 Comeback Player of the Year candidates:
1. Pryce.
2. Chad Pennington, N.Y. Jets. He guided the Jets into the playoffs at 10-6 despite major doubts that he'd even be able to be a starter this year. His 82.6 passer rating was 12th, and his completion percentage (64.5) was fourth.
3. Warren Sapp, Oakland. After a terrible two years in Oakland, Sapp was among the best defensive linemen in the league in 2006.
4. Isaac Bruce, St. Louis. The old man had to be all done after missing time with injury in 2005 and finishing with just 525 yards. Right? Wrong. Bruce caught 74 passes for 1,098 yards this year.
5. Charles Woodson, Green Bay. He finished his Raiders career on a down note, missing 17 games with injury his last two years and being a poster boy for discontent. But he made a big impact on the Packers, with eight picks for a surprising 8-8 squad.
