| | Maddox first Steeler voted comeback player of year
Associated Press
Some good came out of the XFL, after all. Just ask the Pittsburgh Steelers, who found their quarterback and The Associated
Press NFL Comeback Player of the Year: Tommy Maddox.
|  | | One chapter in Tommy Maddox's comeback story to NFL prominence includes a several-years stint selling insurance. |
Maddox easily beat Miami running back Robert Edwards in voting
conducted by the AP and announced Thursday.
A flop as a first-round draft pick who became an insurance
salesman before resurrecting his career in Arena Football and the
one-season XFL, Maddox earned 24 votes from a panel of 48 sports
writers and broadcasters who cover the NFL.
"I'm very excited about the opportunity Pittsburgh's given me,
not only to be a part of their organization but to go out there and
play," Maddox said as he prepared for Sunday's playoff game against Cleveland. "It's been a good year, but we still have a lot of work to do."
Not only did the 31-year-old Maddox come back from past failures
to replace Kordell Stewart as the starting quarterback on a
division champion, but he returned from one of the season's
scariest injuries.
On Nov. 17, in a 31-23 loss at Tennessee, Maddox went down from
a seemingly normal hit by linebacker Keith Bulluck. But the
quarterback struck his head on the ground and was knocked
unconscious. He had no movement in his limbs for more than 30
minutes.
Taken to a hospital, Maddox quickly recovered. And by the Dec. 8
game against Houston, he was back in the lineup.
Asked about the potential for further injury, he said: "If
you're worried about that, you shouldn't be playing."
There were many who said Maddox shouldn't be in the NFL after
his early struggles. Selected by Denver as the 25th overall
selection in the 1992 draft after just two seasons at UCLA, Maddox
had little impact in two seasons with the Broncos. He didn't do
much for the Rams in 1994 or the Giants in 1995.
The next four seasons included more time selling insurance than
playing football. When he did return, it was to the New Jersey Red
Dogs of Arena Football, and then to the Los Angeles Xtreme of the
XFL.
Maddox was the MVP of that failed league, which got several NFL
teams interested in him as a backup.
"I don't know how many opportunities he has had," Steelers
coach Bill Cowher said. "It is a great story based on where he had
been. The thing I like about him is he has a good perspective on
things. He doesn't get caught up in it -- maybe because of where he
has come from."
The Steelers were 0-2 and trailing Cleveland in the fourth
quarter of their third game when Maddox replaced Stewart with the
Steelers. He quickly led them to a tying touchdown and an overtime
field goal, and Cowher made him the starter. Maddox quickly showed
instant rapport with receivers Hines Ward and Plaxico Burress, who
each had more than 1,300 yards receiving this year.
Maddox completed a team-record 62.1 percent of his passes, with
20 touchdowns and an 85.2 rating. He was 7-3-1 as a starter,
including winning the final three games to capture the AFC North.
Edwards, returning from three seasons out of the NFL after
tearing up his left knee in a beach football game at the February
1999 Pro Bowl, was a backup to Ricky Williams with the Dolphins. He
rushed only 20 times for 107 yards, but he had 18 receptions and
scored two touchdowns.
Just his being back in the NFL after such a long rehabilitation
impressed voters.
Edwards had 14 votes, nine more than Buffalo quarterback Drew
Bledsoe. Baltimore running back Jamal Lewis had two. Getting one
vote each were Carolina QB Rodney Peete, Indianapolis RB Edgerrin James, and Jacksonville RB Fred Taylor.
Maddox is the first Steelers player to win the award, which went
to San Francisco RB Garrison Hearst last year.
|
|
|
Let The Games Begin
