PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) — Saturday saw how the dominoes fell for the NFL's major awards, and to little surprise, Alex Smith won the Comeback Player of the Year.
That might not be a huge shock, but the honor itself almost got lost in the wash because it wasn't a unanimous decision by the voters.
Smith only ended up receiving 49 of the 50 votes.
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The stray vote went to Ben Roethlisberger.
And for all intents and purposes, Roethlisberger is the probable winner of the award if not for Smith.
But it became almost universally yearned for and accepted that Alex Smith would be the Comeback Player of the Year, simply in virtue of taking an actual snap on the football field.
With Smith's injury and journey back onto the turf, it was hard not to root for him receiving the award.
With it being set in stone for so many fans and analysts for the months leading up, it seemed like a foreign concept for anyone else to have received recognition, leaving many flabbergasted by that singular vote.
Nevertheless, Alex Smith made the comeback.
And so did Ben Roethlisberger.
He even has the vote to prove it.