There are some awards you would rather not have to win, but not everything goes as planned in the NFL.
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"Comeback Player of the Year" falls into that category.
More than eight months removed from a season-ending knee injury, wide receiver Victor Cruz could be in the running for the honor in 2015 and was recently named on the short list by NFL.com. The sixth-year pro, who tore his right patellar tendon in the third quarter of the Giants' loss in Philadelphia on Oct. 12 of last season, was one of the site's top 10 candidates after tight end Rob Gronkowski of the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots took home the award in 2014 coming off ACL and MCL tears.
Now Cruz will try to do the same this season and become the second Giants player to be so honored. Two-time Super Bowl champion running back and Super Bowl XXV MVP Ottis Anderson was named the AP Comeback Player of the Year in 1989.
Here is a look at NFL.com’s top 10 “Comeback Player of the Year” candidates for 2015.
Limited this spring in organized team activities (OTAs) and minicamp, Cruz put himself at just above 80 percent in the rehab process as Week 1 remains the top priority.
Additionally, coach Tom Coughlin said that it is "not the intent" to start Cruz on the physically unable to perform (PUP) at training camp, which opens July 30 at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center.**>> WATCH CRUZ INTERVIEW**
"Obviously coming off an injury like the one I had, you want to be able to come back stronger and come back in tip-top shape," Cruz told Giants.com after minicamp. "And I think I'm headed there. I think I'm about a little over 80 percent. These six weeks will be huge for me to continue to build on that and continue to be the force that I was before. So [I'm] just taking it one day at a time."
Meanwhile, click on the gallery below to view some of the recent recipients of the award!
