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Super Bowl XLII against the Patriots was a more exciting game than Giants vs. Bills in Super Bowl XXV.**
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JOHN SCHMEELK: Fact -Game-winning touchdown in the final minute beats a missed potential game-winning field goal in the final minute.
DAN SALOMONE: Fact -I'm a prisoner of my age and wasn't old enough to appreciate Super Bowl XXV in the moment. All I have are replays and what fans, coaches, players, and pundits from the time say about it. But Super Bowl XLII is one of the great games regardless of sport or era. The Patriots' bid for perfection and immortality came to an end there, and David Tyree, of course, made the catch of all catches. It's also remembered for what the Giants did and not what the opponent failed to do, like "wide right."
Out of the four major sports leagues, the NFL is the toughest to repeat as champions.
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JOHN SCHMEELK: Fiction - **I would have to say it's baseball only because it is a such a long season and injuries can derail any baseball season from year to year. There's a reason no one has repeated as MLB champions since the Yankees of the late '90s. The NFL is a very close second, since there is so much turnover on these teams from year to year and injuries can be so prevalent.
DAN SALOMONE: Fiction -It's the most difficult to sustain a dynasty because of, to name a few reasons, the salary cap, free agency, injuries, and the single-elimination format of the postseason. But in terms of repeating, it's the NHL. Hockey has such a long regular season before the playoffs, which are the most grueling of them all. You have to be the best team 16 times and could play up to 28 games to capture the Stanley Cup. It's the toughest test of will in all of sports.
Zack Martin is the biggest challenger to Odell Beckham Jr. winning AP Offensive Rookie of the Year.
JOHN SCHMEELK: Fact -Fairly or unfairly, offensive linemen aren't generally given the rookie of the year award. However, since Beckham knocks all the other skill position rookies out of the water, he is the next best challenger.
DAN SALOMONE: Fact -The Dallas offensive lineman is the only rookie to earn All-Pro honors in 2014. His unit was one of the most improved in the league and was a major reason why the Cowboys advanced as far as they did. But Beckham had one of those special seasons that doesn't come around often. Even Giants president and chief executive officer John Mara said he hasn't been this excited about a rookie since 1981, the year the organization drafted the great Lawrence Taylor. Those words carry a lot of weight.
Super Bowl XLIX will be decided by fewer than seven points.
JOHN SCHMEELK: Fact -To me, the two best units on the field Sunday will be the two defenses. Both teams will have trouble scoring points and it will be a field goal game in the fourth quarter.
DAN SALOMONE: Fiction -It's been a strange buildup to the big game to say the least. But when it comes down to playing the game between the lines on Sunday, I think the Patriots are peaking and will go on to win somewhat decidedly. They won't coast to a fourth title by any means, but I could see them making a play late in the game that puts them over the top to defeat the Seahawks.
