The Pro Football Writers of America voted San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch as the executive of the year for 2019. Nick Bosa also won the rookie of the year. PFWA released its comeback player of the year award Friday, and Jimmy Garoppolo did not win. Tennesee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill was the winner. Garoppolo led the 49ers to the top seed in the NFC. Here are a few follow-up tweets on Tannehill from PFWA’s Twitter account:
traded to TEN from MIA in 2019, started the season as a backup and, after being elevated to starter after Titans opened 2-4, led TEN to the AFC playoffs, was selected as both 2019 NFL Comeback and the Most Improved Player of the Year by the PFWA.
Tannehill started 11G for MIA in ‘18 but missed five due to a shoulder injury. He threw for career-low 1,979 yards & had only 17 TDs, after missing the ‘17 season with a knee injury. TEN struggled to 2-4 start, and he became the starter in Week 7. TEN went 7-3 afterward.
The argument has been, “what did Tannehill come back from?” But the shoulder injury was enough to earn him recognition. Tannehill went 7-3 this season while completing 70% of his passes and throwing 22 touchdowns to only six interceptions. The Titans looked dead in the water until Tannehill took over in Week 6. Here are his stats side by side compared to Jimmy’s since Week 6:
Jimmy G: 69.1 completion percentage, 20/9 TD/INT, 8.4 yards per attempt
Tannehill: 70.3 completion percentage 22/6 TD/INT, 9.6 yards per attempt
Tannehill had a better passer rating and quarterback rating as well. I think how he helped transform that team is why he won, and, to me, he was deserving. I understand he didn’t miss as many games as Jimmy G, so the hold up could still be on Tannehill’s injury. Garoppolo overcame more adversity with what he had to deal with. That’s fair.
If we’re talking individual efforts, Oakland Raiders tight end Darren Waller battled substance abuse and thought of as a wasted talent. He finished the season with 1,145 yards and 90 receptions. That’s a great story after being signed off the Ravens practice squad in November of 2018 to the season Waller had in 2019.
Who gets your vote? Tannehill won Most Improved Player and Comeback Player, which feels greedy.