Mike Williams NFL Comeback Player Of The Year Nomination

We all know the story, but I love finally seeing a Seahawk in the national media and in the discussion for an award. Feels good.

Vasser: BMW came in second in CPotY voting, to Michael Vick.

over 1 year ago why's-guy 32 comments 0 recs |

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Too bad Dog Killer won it.

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by Wayward Llama on Feb 5, 2011 6:15 PM PST reply actions

He was runnerup

As per Dougie

Seahawks WR Mike Williams finished second in the AP Comeback Player of the Year voting, with 8 votes to Michael Vick’s 29.5

by Thomas Beekers on Feb 5, 2011 6:41 PM PST up reply actions

Part of me doesn't think Vick should have been eligible for this award.

Because he was, essentially, “coming back” from a prison sentence due to his own criminal activities. This award almost, almost, seems to validate what Vick did, in the sense that you can be completely forgiven for a crime if you play football really really well after you serve your sentence. (Although I do feel he has paid his debt to society and, from everything I’ve seen and heard, believe he’s remorseful.)

by J.L. White on Feb 5, 2011 8:18 PM PST up reply actions

Plus he "came back" last year anyway!!!

This is his 2nd year back.

"Life does not cease to be funny when people die, anymore than it ceases to be serious when people laugh." - George Bernard Shaw

by Tyler Jorgensen on Feb 5, 2011 10:15 PM PST up reply actions

That's what I have a hard time with

This isn’t his first year back.

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by Carl Shinyama on Feb 6, 2011 1:30 AM PST up reply actions

100% agree.

Pretty lame that he was even eligable for the award.

by Mind of no mind on Feb 6, 2011 1:28 AM PST up reply actions

The CPotY doesn't really have an eligibility structure

I remember the same argument on the Bears blog where they thought Vick wasn’t eligible and Urlacher was guaranteed to win it…
But per the rules, you can come back from anything. Injury, suspension, jail time, benching, even poor play. Brett Favre could have been comeback player of the year in 2009 because of his mediocre 2008. In Vick’s case, he was coming back from spending his time on the bench and subbing in. There’s no question of eligibility there.

As for what it implies crime-wise. shrugs He served his jail time, that’s not being undone, I have no interest in claiming extra payment for his deeds from him.

Anyway, this year lacked clearly superior candidates. Because for some reason CPotY has become not just about coming back but about coming back to a high level, so basically only pro bowl players have a real shot. So that puts it between Vick and Urlacher realistically. I was pleasantly surprised to see BMW run up, a testament to people appreciating the unlikeliness of it.

by Thomas Beekers on Feb 6, 2011 6:38 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs

Although I love BMW

He basically came back from being a lard-ass. I don’t think the Vick argument holds much weight. If anything, you could say Vick should have won it last year.

This strikes me as a “best media story” award. In that sense, Vick is clearly the best story.

"Those who fear disorder more than injustice inevitably produce more of both." -- Rev. William Coffin

by dcrockett17 on Feb 6, 2011 6:58 AM PST up reply actions

I still don't see why they even let Vick back into the NFL.

Blah, blah, blah “He served his time. He’s a changed man. He’s seen the errors of his ways”, etc. If O.J. wanted to unretire after he was charged of murdering two human beings, the NFL wouldn’t have let him, even though he was acquitted.

by Coach Owens on Feb 6, 2011 9:58 AM PST up reply actions

Yes they would

by Thomas Beekers on Feb 6, 2011 10:07 AM PST up reply actions

Don't kid yourself.

If OJ was still a 2000 yard rusher, they would have let him back in in a heartbeat.

by Johnny Slick on Feb 6, 2011 10:21 AM PST up reply actions

I don't agree at all.

He was guilty in civil court, not criminal. That simply means there wasn’t enough evidence to convict him. Goodell gave Big Ben a suspension on far far less.

You think there was controversy when Vick came back?!? Imagine what would have happened if OJ was let back in. Women’s groups are a lot more vocal than animal rights activists.

There’s no way.

"Life does not cease to be funny when people die, anymore than it ceases to be serious when people laugh." - George Bernard Shaw

by Tyler Jorgensen on Feb 6, 2011 11:19 AM PST up reply actions

Money money money!!!

by MT Olson on Feb 6, 2011 10:37 AM PST up reply actions

He said it himself, Leon should have been pushed hard for the award.

If it weren’t for Vick I think both of them could have been contenders.

by thebyron on Feb 7, 2011 7:55 AM PST up reply actions

These people who vote for NFL-related things never stop pissing me off.

by DetectiveM on Feb 5, 2011 7:09 PM PST reply actions

Vick? So fucking lame.

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by Nick Andron on Feb 5, 2011 8:06 PM PST via mobile reply actions

Bullshit

That vick won the award, I’m a huge fan of vick and I do feel he paid his debt to society as well, but that being said he “came back” last year. Mike Williams came back this year from 2 years of sitting on his ass, and started for an NFL team and at points appeared dominant. Mike Williams’ story I believe is nothing short of amazing, and I could honestly see it being a movie someday.

by Matt509 on Feb 5, 2011 8:51 PM PST via mobile reply actions

Agreed fully

As someone who has struggled with weight my entire life, what Mike Williams did was absolutely amazing.

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by Hancock.Brett on Feb 6, 2011 2:41 AM PST up reply actions

Disapointing, but tough to argue.

Vick may have “come back” last season in the sense that he was on an NFL roster last year, but the award isn’t about who is the best player who wasn’t on a roster last year its about the guy who was bad and then got good again. Vick went from being a backup/ wildcat qb last season to the best qb in the NFC this year, that’s pretty impressive, and only gets more so when you add in that he was out of the league before that. BMW’s story may be better in that he turned himself around without killing dogs or having to go to prison, but Vick went from irrelevant last year to best player in the conference this year, and even though the Seahawk fan in me wanted BMW to win I think Vick deserved this.

by wetzelcoal on Feb 6, 2011 7:26 AM PST reply actions 1 recs

This is rationality

Perfectly stated

by CMoney87 on Feb 6, 2011 12:16 PM PST via mobile up reply actions

This is rationality

Perfectly stated

by CMoney87 on Feb 6, 2011 12:16 PM PST via mobile up reply actions

I could be wrong but I think MLB used to have this award but got rid of it because it basically just highlighted how many guys' careers were ruined by drug abuse.

That being said, my issue with Michael Vick winning the award is that he went to jail because he electrocuted dogs. The fact that he was able to come back from jail time to play football well does not, to me, mean he ought to win some sort of award. If, say, 20 years from now he still wasn’t electrocuting dogs and had done other things to make peace with his past (I don’t know, set up an animal rights humanitarian fund or something) I could see giving him some sort of award, but this? Vick seems to be slightly better than he was before his incarceration – for one, he’s not throwing the ball on the run nearly as much – but there was never any evidence of any drop-off in the first place.

BMW OTOH is exactly what this award is about: a guy who was a great football player at one poiint in his career (albeit at the college level) who actually ended up outside of the game due to lack of ability, and who has now come back to be a very solid player. I think you have to come back from something to be a comeback player.

by Johnny Slick on Feb 6, 2011 7:40 AM PST reply actions

I don't think Vick was ever outside the game due to lack of ability.

He went to three Pro Bowls before the dogfighting stuff came out, and was the Falcons’ unquestioned starter…but his numbers this year are leaps and bounds better than any of his previous seasons.

by thebyron on Feb 7, 2011 8:09 AM PST up reply actions

Way too much homerism going on here

Am I alone in thinking the Mike Williams story isn’t all that interesting?

I’m glad he’s playing good football again, and I’m glad it’s for the Seahawks, but a lazy entitled USC superstar eating himself out of the league for a couple of seasons then coming back and putting up okay numbers in the South Alaska TV market doesn’t come anywhere close to “most electric quarterback of all time goes to prison for masterminding dogfighting ring, comes back to NFL and leads Philadelphia Eagles to playoffs, puts on greatest MNF performance of all time in process”

by jhmg16 on Feb 6, 2011 10:51 AM PST reply actions 3 recs

Probably.

I value BMW more than Vick because Vick had already had success in the league and only had legal issues stopping him from being a superstar. He already knew he could succeed- he had before.

BMW meanwhile never experienced any actual success in the NFL. He was on an uphill climb from the beginning and failed so spectacularly that he gave up after a few years, only to pick himself up and battle himself into the #1 WR position for a coach willing to give him a chance.

I think they’re both inspirational, of course, but I like seeing a lazy entitled USC star eating himself out of the league transform into a much more humble player with an excellent work ethic.

by MT Olson on Feb 6, 2011 11:11 AM PST up reply actions