Don Pierson

There is no brief list of candidates for comeback player of the year. Almost every team has a player they are counting on to rebound from injury, suspension or just poor play.

The winner ordinarily is somebody who overcomes unusual adversity, such as Carolina linebacker Mark Fields playing in 2004 after missing 2003 for cancer treatments. But there is no official criteria. Jon Kitna won once in Cincinnati just by having a better season than he had the year before. That would make him a candidate again this season with Detroit because he sat on the bench last season.

Ben Roethlisberger could be a candidate because his face survived a run-in with a windshield. Randy Moss could be a candidate because his eight touchdown catches in his first season in Oakland paled by comparison to his 13 in Minnesota in 2004, which was considered an off-year for him.

Cleveland tight end Kellen Winslow Jr., could be considered by some a comeback candidate, but from what? He suffered a knee injury in his second game as a rookie in 2004, then missed his sophomore season after a motorcycle accident. Winslow hasn’t done anything yet. If he does, maybe he should get rookie of the year consideration three years removed.

Same with San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers, who finally gets a chance after giving Roethlisberger and Eli Manning a two-year head start.

Here are the top dozen possibilities for comeback player of the year for 2006:

12. Bertrand Berry, defensive end, Arizona. After leading the NFC in sacks with 14.5 in 2004, Berry suffered a chest injury and played only eight games last season, getting six sacks. The Cardinals were unable to take full advantage of the pairing of Berry and end Chike Okeafor, acquired from Seattle.

Although the addition of running back Edgerrin James is considered the main ingredient to the Cardinals’ hopes for dramatic improvement, it will be up to the defense to determine just how far coach Denny Green’s team can get. And Berry is a key element.

11. Takeo Spikes, linebacker, Buffalo. He never missed a game in his first seven seasons, but tore an Achilles’ in Game 3 last season. The Bills’ defense plummeted from No. 2 in the league to No. 29.

Angelo Crowell replaced Spikes and played well enough to deserve a role in new coach Dick Jauron’s revamped scheme, but Spikes also will be prominent if healthy.

10. Michael Clayton, receiver, Tampa Bay. As a rookie in 2004, Clayton caught 80 passes and established himself as the foremost receiver in a good crop.

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Last season, Clayton caught only 32 passes and was a nonfactor. He showed up for last year’s training camp overweight after offseason knee surgery. Embarrassed by the precipitous dropoff in production, Clayton has been the hardest worker in Tampa Bay’s offseason program and appears eager to prove his rookie numbers were not a fluke.

9. Ken Hamlin, safety, Seattle. The hard-hitting Hamlin was knocked out of last season after six games when he suffered a skull fracture in a nightclub incident.

The injury threatened his career, and he must still prove he has fully recovered. After losing replacement Marquand Manuel to Green Bay in free agency, the Seahawks need Hamlin to rebound.

8. Deuce McAllister, running back, New Orleans. If McAllister comes back as strongly as hoped after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament in Game 5, the Saints and their fans might wonder why they drafted Reggie Bush No. 1.

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A healthy McAllister is a more than capable running back, having gained over 1,000 yards three years in a row. New Saints’ coach Sean Payton will try to design plays to take advantage of both McAllister and Bush, but McAllister didn’t need Ricky Williams’ help when the Saints had him.

7. Chad Pennington, quarterback, New York Jets. Just suiting up for the opening game, or any game, might qualify Pennington for a comeback award. His shoulder was damaged when he struggled through the 2004 playoffs. Surgery limited him to three games last season before if became apparent he had lost big league arm strength.

The Jets had to use four quarterbacks after Pennington went on injured reserve. They traded for Patrick Ramsey from Washington and drafted Kellen Clemens from Oregon just in case Pennington can’t recover.

6. Javon Walker, wide receiver, Denver. Walker’s knee injury in last season’s opener was the beginning of the end for the Green Bay Packers, who watched 13 players go on injured reserve, including three receivers.

Upset that the injury prevented the Packers from offering Walker the kind of contract extension he felt he deserved, he demanded a trade and got one to the Broncos. If Walker is healthy, he will complement aging Rod Smith as Jake Plummer’s primary target.