Who has had a more impressive recovery (1 Viewer)

[Carter_Can_Fly]

I happen to think what both of these guys have accomplished this year is miraculous. These guys should split come back players of the year. Two amazing hard working athletes doing something that defys logic. However if you did have to choose just one who would it be? This will be close and interesting I think.

Manning...

Manning was forced to miss a year of action and had 3 or 4 neck surgeries in that time. It is assumed that he had to re-learn how to throw a football and retrain his muscles. He is traded to a new team and he has not taken a hit for over a year. Many thought his career was in jeoprady and if he did come back he would be a shell of his former self. The Broncos take a huge risk by giving him the starting gig and a lot of money and how does Manning reward them....

He has six 300 yard games and has thrown for 2,975 yards with 24 tds to 7 ints. He is on pace for 3,670 yards passing with 38 td's to 11 ints.

Peterson...

Peterson has a gross knee injury cutting his season short at the end of last year. Peterson has surgery to fix both his ACL and MCL. It is said that it would be impossible for Peterson to be back in time to start week 1 and many were questioning if he would ever regain the form that made him a beast. Peterson was getting passed over in many fantasy drafts and lasting till round 3 or 4 due to the injury concerns. What does Peterson do in week 1? 17 carries for 84 yards and 2 tds adding 1 reception for 3 yards.

Peterson has five 100 plus yard games. He has rushed for 1128 yards with 7 td's adding 29 receptions for 155 yareds to date. He is on pace for 1804 yards, 11 tds, 46 receptions for 248 yards.

 

[Chazzhawk]

Peterson and it isn't even close

 

[PlasmaDogPlasma]

Both amazing but given the nature of Peterson's injury and the position he plays I have to go with him.

 

[dahabi]

Peterson and it isn't even close

...BECAUSE we really didn't hear much of the specifics of Peyton's injury...it wasn't viewed as being THAT bad. AP, on the other hand, tore his ACL deep in last season. Even my mother could elaborate on his typical timetable for a return to action. Peyton sat an entire season, then got back to what he does every Sunday, while AP tore his ACL (pretty badly IIRC), then scored 2 touchdowns his first game back 9 months later.

 

[purestrength]

Fans and NFL officials didn't know if Peyton would ever play again, let alone at a Hall of Fame level.

Everyone knew Peterson would play again, just not as soon or as effectively as he did.

To me, it's Peyton. But I would not argue against co-winners of Comeback Player of the Year.

 

[Coeur de Lion]

Jamaal Charles deserves an honorable mention. He picked up exactly where he left off in 2010 - the team surrounding him has just gotten much, much worse.

ETA voted AP - he's still less than a calendar year out from his injury...

 

[nb009]

Fans and NFL officials didn't know if Peyton would ever play again, let alone at a Hall of Fame level.

Everyone knew Peterson would play again, just not as soon or as effectively as he did.

To me, it's Peyton. But I would not argue against co-winners of Comeback Player of the Year.

I don't know man, a 5-year $96 million contact (more than the contract he last signed with the Colts) begs to differ with your assessment here. I think people are engaging in pure hyperbole anytime they say Peyton was not expected to play again. Said who (and please don't give me Adam Schefter, Stephen A. Smith or any other person with no medical knowledge on Peyton's specific condition)?From a contract perspective, do you think the Vikings would have ever considered giving Peterson anything close to the 7-year $96 million contract he signed in 2011?

The biggest concern for Peyton was what would happen if he gets hit the wrong way. With Peterson, it was whether he could run as effective as in the past.

 

[SSOG]

Peterson's recovery has been more impressive. Peyton is more deserving of Comeback Player of the Year.

 

[Jules Winnfield]

Peterson's recovery has been more impressive. Peyton is more deserving of Comeback Player of the Year.

Racist!

 

[SSOG]

Peterson's recovery has been more impressive. Peyton is more deserving of Comeback Player of the Year.

Racist!

Comeback player of the year doesn't go to the guy with the most impressive recovery. If Kevin Everett got signed as a 5th string TE next year, played a dozen snaps, and finished the season with one reception for 8 yards, that would be the most impressive recovery I have ever witnessed in my entire life. If Brian Banks got signed, was a game day inactive for 12 weeks, and finished the year with two special teams tackles, he would have overcome more adverse conditions than I ever would have imagined possible. And yet, I wouldn't give CPoY to either of them. In my mind, CPoY has a performance element to it in addition to the adversity element. In terms of sheer physical adversity overcome, Peterson gets the nod, but Peyton is an MVP front runner who took over a mediocre team and turned them into SB contenders overnight. Besides, it's not like Manning is light in the adversity department. He had a major injury and missed an entire season. Many people thought his career was over. His former team cut him outright despite him putting up first ballot HoF numbers for them. The fact that he's putting up MVP numbers for a brand new team is, in my opinion, more impressive than the fact that Peterson is putting up first team AP All Pro numbers for Minnesota. Hence my claim that Peterson's physical recovery was more impressive, but Peyton was more deserving of CPoY.

 

[Proximo]

Manning had a fusion of a vertebrae; much more dangerous and serious. Thus, manning's resurgence is more impressive.

 

[DesmondBishop]

Manning, and it isn't even close.

Peterson had an ACL injury, guys come back from that every year, hell you wanna be impressed with a guy coming back from an ACL injury Thomas Davis has had THREE on the same knee and is starting again. Welker tore his in Jan and started the next season and pretty sure he caught a 100+ passes. Peterson without question has been awesome, but at no point was his career in jeopardy, he is having a great season, which we have all come to expect from him. Manning's career was in jeopardy, MANY thought he would never play again. Not only did he come back, but he has been damn good and so much so if the season ended today he would be in the MVP discussion. I think he has over 106 QB rating right now, not sure how this comparison can be made between these 2 great players, when the recoveries aren't even close.

 

[Spanky24]

Peterson's recovery has been more impressive. Peyton is more deserving of Comeback Player of the Year.

Racist!

Comeback player of the year doesn't go to the guy with the most impressive recovery. If Kevin Everett got signed as a 5th string TE next year, played a dozen snaps, and finished the season with one reception for 8 yards, that would be the most impressive recovery I have ever witnessed in my entire life. If Brian Banks got signed, was a game day inactive for 12 weeks, and finished the year with two special teams tackles, he would have overcome more adverse conditions than I ever would have imagined possible. And yet, I wouldn't give CPoY to either of them. In my mind, CPoY has a performance element to it in addition to the adversity element. In terms of sheer physical adversity overcome, Peterson gets the nod, but Peyton is an MVP front runner who took over a mediocre team and turned them into SB contenders overnight. Besides, it's not like Manning is light in the adversity department. He had a major injury and missed an entire season. Many people thought his career was over. His former team cut him outright despite him putting up first ballot HoF numbers for them. The fact that he's putting up MVP numbers for a brand new team is, in my opinion, more impressive than the fact that Peterson is putting up first team AP All Pro numbers for Minnesota. Hence my claim that Peterson's physical recovery was more impressive, but Peyton was more deserving of CPoY.

Holy crap

 

[ens189]

Neck>>>>Knee. It's that simple.

 

[William Munny]

Peterson and it isn't even close

No words to describe what AP has done this season.

 

[Sea Duck]

Hundreds of guys have come back from torn ACLs. Some of them have even come back sooner than Peterson did (Jerry Rice anyone??)

But no one has ever come back from what happened to Peyton Manning.

Everyone knew that Peterson would be back. You can't say the same about Manning.

 

[Chazzhawk]

Hundreds of guys have come back from torn ACLs. Some of them have even come back sooner than Peterson did (Jerry Rice anyone??)But no one has ever come back from what happened to Peyton Manning.Everyone knew that Peterson would be back. You can't say the same about Manning.

Manning had 19 months between games in the NFL (roughly) Peterson had 9 months on an injury that usually takes a year to come back and another year to feel fully recovered.There are 3 to 5 other quarterbacks that are performing as well or better than Manning this year, no one is doing what Peterson is and even he has said he isn't completely healthy yet.If Manning would have been hurt last season during a game I would agree that it is Manning, but with the medical treatment they receive and the amount of time to recover it is Peterson all the way.

 

[Carter_Can_Fly]

This is extremely surprising to me. 39 votes for Peterson and only 14 for Manning.

Manning's age should play a factor as well. He is 9 years older than Peterson. Manning who is now 36 years of age did not play a down of football last year and returned to All pro form after 4 neck surgeries.

Peterson at 27 years of age came back earlier than most athletes (which is amazing) from ACL/MCL tears but this is an injury that several thousands of athletes recover from.

 

[SSOG]

This is extremely surprising to me. 39 votes for Peterson and only 14 for Manning.Manning's age should play a factor as well. He is 9 years older than Peterson. Manning who is now 36 years of age did not play a down of football last year and returned to All pro form after 4 neck surgeries. Peterson at 27 years of age came back earlier than most athletes (which is amazing) from ACL/MCL tears but this is an injury that several thousands of athletes recover from.

I think your wording of the question might have had something to do with it. As I said, in my opinion, Peterson's physical recovery was more impressive given the shorter timeframe. Peyton had other adversity to overcome (missing a year, getting cut, switching teams, more potentially serious injury), but all you asked was which recovery was more impressive from a strictly physical standpoint, so I voted Peterson.

 

[Carter_Can_Fly]

This is extremely surprising to me. 39 votes for Peterson and only 14 for Manning.Manning's age should play a factor as well. He is 9 years older than Peterson. Manning who is now 36 years of age did not play a down of football last year and returned to All pro form after 4 neck surgeries. Peterson at 27 years of age came back earlier than most athletes (which is amazing) from ACL/MCL tears but this is an injury that several thousands of athletes recover from.

I think your wording of the question might have had something to do with it. As I said, in my opinion, Peterson's physical recovery was more impressive given the shorter timeframe. Peyton had other adversity to overcome (missing a year, getting cut, switching teams, more potentially serious injury), but all you asked was which recovery was more impressive from a strictly physical standpoint, so I voted Peterson.

Fair enough. However, since we have little to no idea what is a speedy recovery for Manning since it is much more rare, perhaps his recovery is quicker than the norm etc.When Dr. Andrews did surgery on Peterson, he said his knee looked like a new born for the fact that it had little to no wear and tear on it which was amazing as he plays football for a living and runs and cuts so much on it. Peterson is a genetic freak, and his recovery was amazing but I don't think it trumps Manning.

 

[10tihwj]

This is really two questions.

Speed of recovery? Peterson by a long shot.

Impressiveness of recovery? Manning and it's not close. People come back from ACL injuries all the time. Manning's injury plus his age is way more impressive.

 

[Sea Duck]

Manning had 19 months between games in the NFL (roughly) Peterson had 9 months on an injury that usually takes a year to come back and another year to feel fully recovered.

That actually makes Manning's recovery even more impressive!! It's not like Manning was rehabbing during that entire 19 month period. He was actually having setback after setback. His final surgery was 9 months before he started playing again, the same recovery time as Peterson.Besides, why should we be so impressed with Peterson's 9 month ACL recovery when Jerry Rice was able to do the same thing in half the time?Adrian Peterson recovered from a common injury about 25% sooner than most people have done. That's not exactly a medical miracle.

 

[Jules Winnfield]

Hundreds of guys have come back from torn ACLs. Some of them have even come back sooner than Peterson did (Jerry Rice anyone??)But no one has ever come back from what happened to Peyton Manning.Everyone knew that Peterson would be back. You can't say the same about Manning.

No one?How about a wrestler who qualified for the Olympic team with a severe neck injury when he fractured two of his cervical vertebrae, herniated two discs, and pulled four muscles. Nonetheless, Angle won the trials and eventually won a gold medal at the '96 Olympics

 

[ninerfanatic492000]

I've seen Thomas Davis and Terrell suggs recoveries added in this discussion in other threads and while peyton leads the popularity and MVP votes their own stories are nonetheless just as impressive. Nobody has came back from 3acl surgeries on 1 knee before ,and like peyton, seems to be getting better and stronger every week

 

[Jules Winnfield]

Manning had 19 months between games in the NFL (roughly) Peterson had 9 months on an injury that usually takes a year to come back and another year to feel fully recovered.

That actually makes Manning's recovery even more impressive!! It's not like Manning was rehabbing during that entire 19 month period. He was actually having setback after setback. His final surgery was 9 months before he started playing again, the same recovery time as Peterson.Besides, why should we be so impressed with Peterson's 9 month ACL recovery when Jerry Rice was able to do the same thing in half the time?

Adrian Peterson recovered from a common injury about 25% sooner than most people have done. That's not exactly a medical miracle.

Not that I don't believe you but link to this number?

 

[Lash]

Peyton

Peterson was still going in the late second and 3rd rounds

Peyton wasnt even mentioned as a QB1

/disclaimer ... i own both

 

[Lash]

No to Suggs

He is a non factor in these games that i have watched

 

[Chazzhawk]

Manning had 19 months between games in the NFL (roughly) Peterson had 9 months on an injury that usually takes a year to come back and another year to feel fully recovered.

That actually makes Manning's recovery even more impressive!! It's not like Manning was rehabbing during that entire 19 month period. He was actually having setback after setback. His final surgery was 9 months before he started playing again, the same recovery time as Peterson.Besides, why should we be so impressed with Peterson's 9 month ACL recovery when Jerry Rice was able to do the same thing in half the time?Adrian Peterson recovered from a common injury about 25% sooner than most people have done. That's not exactly a medical miracle.

He was rehabbing the whole time, that is why the Colts never IR'ed him, they thought he might come back, and even early in the season Peyton Manning didn't look like Peyton Manning. Peterson came back about 25% percent sooner than most players but most players don't come back to peak performance until the second year. Look at Brady, Charles, Javon Walker, Wes Welker and others. They all came back that first year but they weren't the same and you could see it.

 

[Detroit Revival]

Peterson and it isn't even close

This. Why are we still discussing this after it was answered in the 2nd post?

 

[The Flying Elvis]

Peyton

Peterson was still going in the late second and 3rd rounds

Peyton wasnt even mentioned as a QB1

/disclaimer ... i own both

Pretty sure he was being drafted as QB1 this year, guy.

 

[mr roboto]

Manning, because he's older, had an injury that no one really knew whether he could ever make a full comeback, and then switched teams, and the QB position involves so much more.

Petersons recovery is very impressive, but only because he did it sooner than people expected. I don't think anyone ever really doubted whether he would, at some point, come back all the way.

 

[packseasontix]

So lets get a couple things straight:

The Colts cut Manning because they are starting over, they would have kept him for a pay cut but Manning wasn't taking that. They had the 1.01 and they needed to take Luck to secure their future and saw their chance to remove Manning from the picture is a peaceful way as he was just out a year.

Manning is playing as a top 5 QB, which is better than a lot of people thought he would at the start of the season. Sure he is doing great but while he had to possibly "relearn" how to throw a ball he still had his head on his shoulders. Manning has always been about being a field general and controlling everything about what is going to happen. He doesn't rely on his athleticism or a pin-point accuracy, he just needs to outthink the defense and go to work.

A.P on the other hand can't simply say okay now we are going to put a block here and here and I will have a 20 yard run... He has to run and cut and pound to get his yardage and TDs. There is a reason why it takes RBs a year or more to get back after ACL because they have to rely on their physical prowess.

When you compare the two you have to remember that Manning is about thinking and controlling while AP is about his body (speed, cutting, power).

 

[Ryan99]

Kind of an absurd comparison. One guy comes back from what has become a normal injury, the other guy comes back from spinal fusion.

You need to seriously recalibrate your estimations of the seriousness of knee injuries. Haven't the "amazing" comebacks of Welker, Charles, Peterson, etc. taught you that knee injuries are simply not as devastating as they once were? This is now a routine injury, like a pitcher getting Tommy John surgery. So Peterson came back a little sooner than most (but all) other players and is performing at the level we've come to expect from him, whoop de friggin do.

It's amazing to me that Peyton even decided to try to play again. The dude is 36, has a ring and is a first ballot HoF and top 5 QB all time. He came back from multiple neck / spine surgeries, which has much less precedent and much more serious long term risk. I don't think his numbers are that impressive (it's impressive because he's on a new team, not because he's coming back from injury) because that's what he's done his whole career. What's impressive is that he's playing football at all.

 

[Ryan99]

Another gauge: What would you have thought if each player had retired as a result of the injury?

Peterson: "Wow, guys come back from that all the time. Weird. Maybe he just didn't want to play anymore and this is his out."

Peyton: "Probably for the best. He has nothing to prove and everything to lose by coming back. It sucks that we won't get to see him play, but he has to think about his health."

 

[SSOG]

So lets get a couple things straight:The Colts cut Manning because they are starting over, they would have kept him for a pay cut but Manning wasn't taking that. They had the 1.01 and they needed to take Luck to secure their future and saw their chance to remove Manning from the picture is a peaceful way as he was just out a year.Manning is playing as a top 5 QB, which is better than a lot of people thought he would at the start of the season. Sure he is doing great but while he had to possibly "relearn" how to throw a ball he still had his head on his shoulders. Manning has always been about being a field general and controlling everything about what is going to happen. He doesn't rely on his athleticism or a pin-point accuracy, he just needs to outthink the defense and go to work.A.P on the other hand can't simply say okay now we are going to put a block here and here and I will have a 20 yard run... He has to run and cut and pound to get his yardage and TDs. There is a reason why it takes RBs a year or more to get back after ACL because they have to rely on their physical prowess.When you compare the two you have to remember that Manning is about thinking and controlling while AP is about his body (speed, cutting, power).

So, Peterson's ability is 0% about his head and 100% about his knee, while Manning's ability is 100% about his head and 0% about his shoulder. Seriously, Peyton Manning doesn't even need shoulders- you could totally just amputate his arm and he'd just propel the ball 40 yards downfield through telekinesis. And Peterson is basically just Forrest Gump- he doesn't even know why he's running or even which direction to go, he just waits for someone to hand him the ball and point the way, and then he runs that direction in a straight line until someone tackles him or yells at him to stop. No vision, no patience, no balance or proprioception, rubbish in pass protection because he doesn't even know the plays, easily the most uncreative back in the league. Glad we got that straight. I'm sure that characterization would not be the slightest bit insulting to either player involved.

 

[mr roboto]

Another gauge: What would you have thought if each player had retired as a result of the injury?Peterson: "Wow, guys come back from that all the time. Weird. Maybe he just didn't want to play anymore and this is his out."Peyton: "Probably for the best. He has nothing to prove and everything to lose by coming back. It sucks that we won't get to see him play, but he has to think about his health."

 

[steveski]

Both of what these guys have done is extremely impressive, but to me, it's impossible to compare them because the situations are so different. AP is still young and there was no doubt he'd return to being a great RB, it's just mind blowing how quickly he returned. Throughout the years, we've seen many people struggle to return after this injury, whether they didn't have the strength or the confidence to make the same cuts, it's a scary injury to return from.

Peyton's injury is very different. The only real concern was whether or not his arm would be strong enough again to throw deep enough or hard enough. Also, his age threw a question into the mix. I never doubted his ability to return and be a good QB. He's one of the best game managing QB's ever to play. Even if he couldn't throw deep or throw that hard, he would still be top 10 in the league today. What's impressive is that people didn't expect him to return to being (possibly) the best QB in the league again so soon.

I guess I'd say that in the short term, AP's comeback was far more impressive, but in the long term, I'm more impressed with Manning, if that makes any sense....

 

[Ketamine Dreams]

Peterson and it isn't even close

This. Why are we still discussing this after it was answered in the 2nd post?

Because it's wrong...

 

[mr roboto]

'Hey Peyton, sound like you and I are both in the conversation for Comeback Player. What happened to you?'

'Well,I had multiple surgeries on my neck, lost partial feeling and range of motion for months, and as of this spring, didn't know if I'd have the arm strength to throw to the right side of the field. You?'

'Uh,I came back from an ACL injury about 3 months faster than expected.'

'Oh. Well that's great!'

'Yea...'

 

[Carter_Can_Fly]

'Hey Peyton, sound like you and I are both in the conversation for Comeback Player. What happened to you?''Well,I had multiple surgeries on my neck, lost partial feeling and range of motion for months, and as of this spring, didn't know if I'd have the arm strength to throw to the right side of the field. You?''Uh,I came back from an ACL injury about 3 months faster than expected.''Oh. Well that's great!''Yea...'

Well said.

 

[SSOG]

I will say this about ADP- it's not just that he came back so much faster than most players, it's that he came back so much BETTER. Yes, Welker came back in a similar timeframe, but Welker also had the worst season of his career, averaging 1.5 fewer receptions, 1.2 fewer yards per reception, and 25 fewer yards per game below his New England average. In the seasons immediately before and after, he averaged 40 more receptions and 600 more receiving yards. He was back, but nowhere near himself. Jerry Rice came back in 15 weeks, but he shattered his patella in his first game back and later admitted his injury resulted from rushing back too soon. Adrian Peterson, on the other hand, is posting career highs in yards per carry and yards per game. He's a full yard per carry over his pre-2012 career average. People are going way too far to minimize his recovery in this thread.

 

[mr roboto]

SSOG, I agree. ADP is fully back, and more, which is very impressive.

The trump card for me is the severity of a spinal injury. It's less rehab but the implications for long term health with a neck injury are, no pun intended, head and shoulders above a knee.

 

[packseasontix]

So lets get a couple things straight:The Colts cut Manning because they are starting over, they would have kept him for a pay cut but Manning wasn't taking that. They had the 1.01 and they needed to take Luck to secure their future and saw their chance to remove Manning from the picture is a peaceful way as he was just out a year.Manning is playing as a top 5 QB, which is better than a lot of people thought he would at the start of the season. Sure he is doing great but while he had to possibly "relearn" how to throw a ball he still had his head on his shoulders. Manning has always been about being a field general and controlling everything about what is going to happen. He doesn't rely on his athleticism or a pin-point accuracy, he just needs to outthink the defense and go to work.A.P on the other hand can't simply say okay now we are going to put a block here and here and I will have a 20 yard run... He has to run and cut and pound to get his yardage and TDs. There is a reason why it takes RBs a year or more to get back after ACL because they have to rely on their physical prowess.When you compare the two you have to remember that Manning is about thinking and controlling while AP is about his body (speed, cutting, power).

So, Peterson's ability is 0% about his head and 100% about his knee, while Manning's ability is 100% about his head and 0% about his shoulder. Seriously, Peyton Manning doesn't even need shoulders- you could totally just amputate his arm and he'd just propel the ball 40 yards downfield through telekinesis. And Peterson is basically just Forrest Gump- he doesn't even know why he's running or even which direction to go, he just waits for someone to hand him the ball and point the way, and then he runs that direction in a straight line until someone tackles him or yells at him to stop. No vision, no patience, no balance or proprioception, rubbish in pass protection because he doesn't even know the plays, easily the most uncreative back in the league. Glad we got that straight. I'm sure that characterization would not be the slightest bit insulting to either player involved.

I remember one of the great things people were saying about Manning at the start of this year is he was adjusting to what his body could do. He was making the throws he knew he could make.You are way overblowing my comparison as Manning while needing to throw has complete control over the field. He is also considered one of the best every QB Field Generals that have played the game. He can pick a defense apart if just given a little time in the pocket. His injury while server did not hamper his ability to study game tape, think of new game plans for on the fly hot routes, and get prepared mentally for the game.Again the difference between a QB and RBQB = Thinking and Preparation (Manning is one of the best)RB = AthleticismAlso about the Tommy John surgery, you didn't see Stasburg for another year+ from that surgery and that is the normal turn around. The normal turn around for a NFL player on this injury is 1 year and AP not only came back in 9 months but also came back almost better than he left. He is for sure a top 3 RB if not the best in the league this year and is a huge surprise.

 

[Sea Duck]

I wonder if we'll be as impressed with Peterson's recovery when Revis, Lardarius Webb and Brian Cushing all come back strong next season.