Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Brady's triumph over injury earns comeback nod
Tom Terrific led Pats back into post-season
GRETCHEN ERTL / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Enlarge Image
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is all smiles Wednesday after being named The Associated Press 2009 NFL Comeback Player of the Year
NEW YORK -- Tom Terrific is back.
Tom Brady has gone from record-setting MVP to injured superstar to The Associated Press 2009 NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
Brady's strong return from a left-knee injury that sidelined him for all but the first quarter of the 2008 opener earned the Patriots quarterback the award Wednesday. One of football's biggest stars, Brady has gone from NFL Most Valuable Player in 2007, when he set several passing records, to sidelined, to earning his second league award.
He received 19 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the NFL, beating Tampa Bay running back Carnell (Cadillac) Williams, who got 14.
A three-time Super Bowl winner and a finalist for AP Player of the Decade, Brady led New England to a 10-6 record and the AFC East title this season. He threw for 4,398 yards and 28 touchdowns.
Most significantly, he got the Patriots back into the playoffs, and he showed more than a few glimpses of the player who guided the Patriots to the first 16-0 regular season in NFL history, throwing a record 50 TDs that year.
"I think missing all of last season was a very challenging experience because I love to play the game," Brady said during the season. "I love to play the sport, and to not have the opportunity to be out there with my teammates in a season where we had some great opportunities to repeat what we had done in the 2007 season... things happen.
"It's a very physical sport, football is. I had an unfortunate injury, but I think it's really helped me grow in a lot of ways as a person, as a player, as a teammate. It really reinforces how much I enjoy playing the game and how much I love the game."
Savvy Harvin top rookie
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Unlike most rookie receivers, Percy Harvin never had much trouble adjusting to life in the NFL.
The cocksure former Florida Gator never flinched at the Minnesota Vikings' voluminous playbook, deftly made adjustments on the fly while running a route, and looked like a natural returning kickoffs for the first time in his career.
Harvin's unique combination of speed, intelligence and toughness made the transition from college to the pros startlingly smooth for the runaway winner of The Associated Press 2009 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
-- The Associated Press
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 7, 2010 C4
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