Where does Henderson rank among comeback candidates?

In the Vikings' locker room today, I asked players who don't avoid reporters during the media access period random players who they would pick for NFL offensive and defensive players of the year, rookie of the year and comeback player of the year.

I said they couldn't pick anyone on their own team, which ruled out teammate E.J. Henderson, who I think should win the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award given the severity of his injury and how quickly he returned. The popular pick for the comeback player winner was Michael Vick with some voting for Wes Welker.

Here's my own short list of players to be considered for comeback player of the year:

8, Mike Williams, Seahawks WR
The guy ate his way out of the league, missed the 2008 and 2009 seasons and could have disappeared. But he got back in shape, came back and has rejuvenated his career in Seattle. He has 52 catches for 654 yards and a TD.

7. Troy Polamalu, Steeers S
He played only five games last year, and it was no coincidence the Steelers missed the playoffs. Polamalu is back and the Steelers are once again a team to beat because of their defense.

6. LaDainian Tomlinson, Jets RB
We all assumed LT was finished after posting the worst numbers of his career in 2009. But he's proven in New York that there's life left in those old legs. He already has more yards rushing this year (788) than he had last year. And his average (4.5) is a more LT-like than last year's 3.3.

5. Michael Turner, Falcons RB
Turner's ankle problems made last year the lost season. And the Falcons paid the price by missing the playoffs. This year, Turner is healthy, and the Falcons have the best record in the NFC (10-2) and are tied for the best record overall. Turner has 1,062 yards and eight TDs.

4. Michael Vick, Falcons QB
He'll probably win the thing since he's A, a quarterback; B, he's having a great season; and C, he's a full-time starter for the first time since 2006. He's thrown 15 TDs, two INTs and has a 105.7 passer rating. But there's something that doesn't feel right about rewarding a guy for coming back from a bad situation based on dumb decisions that he made in his past. But there are no restrictions on who can win the comeback player, so look for Vick to have a real shot.

3. Brian Urlacher, Bears LB
It's no coincidence that the Bears were a 7-9 team with him missing 15 1/2 games last year, and now they're a 9-3 team with him healthy and playing exceptionally well. I thought the guy was done. I was wrong. He's still the key to that defense.

2. Wes Welker, Patriots WR
If Vick doesn't win it, I think Welker will. Defensive players rarely win this award. Only five have won it since 1972. We all saw what happened to the Patriots in the playoffs after Welker blew out his knee in Week 17. Welker, who has three consecutive seasons with at least 112 catches, returned in time for the preaseason. He has 72 catches and seven TDs on a 10-2 team.

1. E.J. Henderson, Vikings LB
No other player came back from a more serious injury than Henderson's broken femur, which came in early December a year ago. His career was thought to be over. It was thought that it would take him 12 to 15 months before he could start playing. But he hasn't missed a game this year. He had 10 tackles in the season opener, and is second on the team with 110 tackles. He's also got three interceptions. No, he's not Ray Lewis or Urlacher. But he came back from an injury that was worse than any other player's injury.