Back in March of 2011, the Colts decided to cut ties with their franchise quarterback. The release appeared to be the right move financially, as they would save $28 million. The release entrenched Andrew Luck as the number 1 overall pick and the future of the Colts organization. Manning of course came with some risk after going under numerous surgeries on his neck. It seemed like a longshot for him to have the same impact on the Colts as he once did. Besides that, he was no guarantee to play football ever again. Regardless, he became a free agent and was highly sought after, despite uncertainties about his health. The Denver Broncos took a shot on him and it payed off remarkably. Manning has come back stronger than ever and has led the Broncos to an 11-3 record going into week 16. He has surpassed 4,000 yards for the 12th time in his 15 year career and has thrown 31 TD's with a 103.5 QB rating on top of that. Not many people could have guessed Manning would have had this type of season. Because of his strong play, the Broncos are looking like legitimate championship contenders.
Manning is making it awfully hard for Colts fans to forget about him
And then there was one of joke teams of the NFL in the Minnesota Vikings. The scariest player on the Vikings is and has always been Adrian Peterson. Fans held their breathe when he went down with a torn ACL in week 17 last season. This type of injury typically takes 9 months or more to heal. Peterson came back in 8 months. Peterson vowed to be ready for the opener and not only has he played every game so far his season, but he has a chance to break Eric Dickerson's rushing yards record. Dickerson of course had 2,105 yards back in 1984 with the L.A. Rams. With 294 rushing yards in the next two games, Peterson will break the record that stood for almost 30 years. In his last 8 games he has averaged 164 yards per game making this record possible. He is the reason that the Vikings currently stand at 8-6.
You could make the arguement that since Peterson didn't miss any games in the 2011 season he should not be in the running for such an award. Then again, this is one of the hardest injuries to overcome. Both these guys have came back stronger than ever. It's a tough call.
While Manning and Peterson appear to be the frontrunners for the award, Jon Gruden brought up a name that deserves some recognition as well. Carolina Panther's linebacker, Thomas Davis. Most of us most likely don't know much about Davis because he's not a household name. After coming off of three ACL tears to the same leg, he has quietly racked up 91 tackles this season for the Panthers. His three ACL surgeries have occured over the last 3 years. The fact that he is even playing in the NFL right now is a miracle. With his 4th chance he has put up a productive and injury-free season. Davis will not be able to beat out Manning or Peterson for the award, but it's another name that deserves some recognition.
Thomas Davis is having a productive season coming off his 3rd ACL tear in the last 3 years
For more information refer to the links below....
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/07/peyton-manning-released-colts-press-conference_n_1326939.html
http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/stats/_/id/1428/peyton-manning
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/football-insider/wp/2012/10/11/adrian-peterson-returns-to-fedex-field-10-months-after-tearing-acl-here/
http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-adrian-peterson-eric-dickerson-20121217,0,6097107.story
http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/gamelog/_/id/10452/adrian-peterson
I really miss Peyton Manning in that blue and white...
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