The Giants will carry three quarterbacks this season.
- MICHAEL EISEN: Fiction - The Giants have too many return specialists – plus a kicker, punter and long-snapper - they'd like to retain, so a third quarterback is a luxury they won't be able to indulge in this year.
- DAN SALOMONE: Fiction -Last year was somewhat of a blip when the Giants carried Curtis Painter and Ryan Nassib behind Eli Manning. It surely wasn't Tom Coughlin's preference, but they couldn't risk letting go of Nassib. Now the second-year quarterback looks like he will be given every opportunity to earn the backup role and has so far shown growth from year one to year two. The roster spot is too valuable. Someone will have to win it.
Defensive end Robert Ayers will have a career-high number of sacks with his new team.
- MICHAEL EISEN: Fact -Ayers set his career-high with 5.5 sacks with Denver in 2013. With his ability, and Giants opponents preoccupation with Jason Pierre-Paul, he should be able to top that this year.
- DAN SALOMONE: Fact -Changing teams for the first time can spark veterans like Ayers, who spent the first five seasons of his career in Denver. It's not that he necessarily needs rejuvenation -- he's been productive on a winning team -- but he has an opportunity for more with the Giants. The team needs pass rushers, and Ayers' ability to move around the defensive line will have him seeing plenty of snaps.
Richard Sherman will be named No. 1 on the "Top 100 Players of 2014" as voted on by current players.
- MICHAEL EISEN: Fiction -I just don't see a cornerback receiving that honor. I'll go with Peyton Manning or Adrian Peterson.
- DAN SALOMONE: Fact -It should be Peyton Manning, but we've seen that the hottest players get the nod in these polls. True, the last three have also been reigning MVPs (Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Adrian Peterson), and Manning is the current one. But the dismal performance by the Denver Broncos and the dominance of the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl stick in people's minds in the short term.
In the spirit of the World Cup, Victor Cruz's touchdown celebration is better than any soccer player.
- MICHAEL EISEN: Fiction -If Cruz celebrated as some of these soccer players do, he'd receive an automatic 15-yard penalty every time he scored.
- DAN SALOMONE: Fiction -But it comes at the price of the rules. You can't even dunk anymore in the NFL. Meanwhile, soccer celebrations are like silent films complete with plot lines.
