Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco insists Damar Hamlin is a deserving recipient of the NFL’s Comeback of the Year award – even if it means he misses out! Flacco and Hamlin are two of the nominees for the award, which will be revealed at the NFL Honors night in Las Vegas ahead of the Super Bowl, and the Buffalo Bills safety is clear favorite to win after returning from his cardiac arrest.
Usually the award is reserved for on-field comebacks, but this year is set to be slightly different, with Hamlin having returned from a near-death experience to play for the Bills in the latter half of the 2023 season. And Flacco believes it would be the correct decision if he missed out and Hamlin was the man giving a speech in two weeks’ time. ‘For sure,’ he said when asked by CBS Sports Radio if Hamlin should win the award.
‘I just think mentally to get yourself back to the point where you feel comfortable doing that kind of thing, obviously the physical part doesn’t need any explanation, but the mental part, especially at his position, is pretty cool.’ Hamlin had to be revived on the field last January after suffering a cardiac arrest during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The game was suspended and Hamlin remained in hospital for nine days, before going on to make a full recovery.
He has since been involved in three games for the Bills this season, including last weekend’s AFC divisional round playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Hamlin was involved in one of the biggest moments of the game, too, when the ball was handed off to him on a fake punt, but he was unsuccessful in making the required yardage for a first down.
For Flacco, meanwhile, it has been an incredible couple of months on the field – despite him not having an offer to play for any team in the league until the Browns took him in December. He threw for 1,616 yards and 13 touchdowns in six games, leading the Browns to the playoffs – where they lost out 41-14 to the Houston Texans in the wildcard round. ‘I don’t necessarily know what I’m coming back from,’ Flacco said when asked about his own credentials to win the NFL award. ‘Most of the guys on that list, I don’t know what they’re coming back from. That’s probably my initial reaction.’
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