That old maxim about defences winning championships was being spread on pretty heavily during Super Bowl week. By the Broncos, of all teams. Yes, the very same AFC champions who tore up the league with a record 606 points, 55 touchdowns coming off Peyton Mannings arm, have been touting how strong their defence has become. Measure it against Seattles unit, which allowed a very miserly 231 points and ranked first against the pass and in overall D, and the Broncos would seem to be whistling a hollow tune. But linebacker Danny Trevathan, a breakout player in his second NFL season, sees plenty of greatness in his defence, too. "Oh yeah. You are supposed to have that attitude," Trevathan said. "On defence youre not supposed to let guys push you over. You are supposed to be the aggressor on defence and you are supposed to have that attitude. I think that is what makes playing defence so passionate to me. "I think this game was meant for tough guys. You cant be soft out here." No one is soft on either of these teams, of course. On the contrary, its only the second time in 20 years that the top seed in each conference got this far. Its also that classic matchup that so excites fans, media and, yes, players. The Seahawks cant wait for the chance to test themselves against Manning, seeking his second ring in an almost-certain Hall of Fame career. "Its going to be a great challenge," middle linebacker Bobby Wagner said. "Theyre talented all across the board. They protect Peyton well and they run the ball well. Hes definitely passed the ball well. Its up to us to do our jobs and make sure that we come ready to play." Expect both sides to be very ready. Denver (15-3, No. 2 in the AP Pro32) is a 2 1-2-point favourite over Seattle (also 15-3, but top-ranked in the AP Pro32). The main reason for that spread: In the points-crazed NFL, fans who bet early dive headfirst into the offence. With their wallets open. Plus, the biggest star in this game, and pretty much any time he is in uniform, is Manning. That draws more support for the Broncos. But not here. Pro Picks sees the Seahawks quick, relentless and heady defence putting more pressure on Manning than he has seen all season. Yes, hes been sacked only 20 times, and he might not go down a whole bunch in the Jersey Meadowlands on Sunday. But he will be forced to throw before he wants to or before his four outstanding receivers -- Demaryius Thomas, Wes Welker, Eric Decker and tight end Julius Thomas -- shake free from the tight coverage of the NFLs best secondary led by All-Pros Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas. Seattle also brings the heat with the deepest rotation of linemen in the league, and some savvy, versatile linebackers. The Seahawks dont take their foot off the gas, either. For the Broncos to prosper, theyll need a huge contribution from Knowshon Moreno and the running game. It could happen, particularly if the Seahawks are overly protective of not letting Manning get on track. But hardly anyone dominates on the ground against Seattle. For those who believe the Seahawks will need to light up the scoreboard to beat the Broncos, we think a couple of touchdowns and a few field goals will do the job. Silent man Marshawn Lynch running the ball in Beast Mode, and some improvisation from quarterback Russell Wilson -- along with the best defence since the 2000 Ravens -- will be enough. Chris Bosh Jersey . -- Ken Appleby made 32 saves for his first shutout of the season to lead the Oshawa Generals to a 2-0 win over the Belleville Bulls on Wednesday in Ontario Hockey League action. Ha... Whiteside Swingman Jersey . Thats not a comment on the suspension that banished the Portland Winterhawks general manager and coach from his Western Hockey League teams bench for most of the 2012-13 season. http://www.nbaheatsonline.com/Cus... . -- Arizona knocked off some quality opponents, rolled over a few overmatched ones and grinded out victories even when things didnt go so well. [url=http://www.nbaheatsonline.com/womens-luol-deng-basketball-jersey/]Luol Deng Swingman Jersey . -- Eastern Kentucky thrives off creating havoc for others. Am... Stoudemire Heat Jersey . 8 Iowa State on Saturday, sending the Cyclones to their third consecutive loss. The Longhorns (14-4, 3-2) got their biggest win of the season with their third in the row in the Big 12. BALTIMORE -- Miguel Gonzalez spent time on the disabled list in May with a blister, went a month without a victory after the All-Star break and endured a span late this summer in which he earned only three wins in 11 starts. If the Baltimore Orioles right-hander wants something positive to ponder this winter, he can think back to his final outing of the 2013 season. Gonzalez pitched seven innings of two-hit ball and Matt Wieters homered as the Orioles beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 on Thursday night. Gonzalez (11-8) allowed one unearned run, struck out five and walked one. The only hits were a single by Kevin Pillar in the third inning and a double by J.P. Arencibia in the seventh. "It was great," Gonzalez said. "I was commanding my fastball and my splitty. I threw enough off-speed for strikes for them swing at and we finished strong." Gonzalez retired 13 straight batters before Arencibias double. It was the first game this season in which Gonzalez didnt give up a run. "That was vintage Miggy," said Wieters, who had an excellent view behind the plate. "When hes on, hes able to mix in his off-speed stuff and locate his fastball. He was able to do that tonight and he actually had a good curveball and good slider to go with his splitty tonight." Despite his injury and second-half slump, Gonzalez worked 171 1-3 innings and closed with a 3.78 ERA over 30 games, 28 of them starts. "I thought it was great," he said. "I had a couple of up and downs, a couple of struggles, but its a part of baseball." Nick Markakis had two hits and an RBI for the Orioles, who won the season series 10-9. Baltimore is 13-5 at Camden Yards against the Blue Jays since the start of the 2012 season. After Gonzalez left, Tommy Hunter took over in the eighth and yielded two singles before Brett Lawrie snapped an 0-for-18 skid with an RBI double. Hunter then struck out Moises Sierra and Anthony Gose with runners on second and third. "We had a shot," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "If we get a little contact there, theyre playing the infield back and that gives us that run. At least we tie it anyway. But that didnt happen." Jim Johnson got threee outs for his AL-leading 48th save.dddddddddddd Blue Jays starter Mark Buehrle (12-10) left the game with a bruised right calf after being struck by a line drive off the bat of Steve Pearce. Buehrle allowed three runs and eight hits in 3 1-3 innings, his shortest outing since Sept. 4, 2011, against Detroit. It was Buehrles 429th consecutive start without going on the disabled list. This injury was not serious, and his next start wont come until 2014. "Got six months to recover so it doesnt really matter," he said. "It got me in the calf. I told him to at least let me finish off the inning. He said theres no reason, just get me out of there. Im sure itll tighten up and feel a little sore, but theres nothing." The Blue Jays turned three double plays and Chad Jenkins allowed just one hit in 3 1-3 innings of relief. But it wasnt enough to prevent Toronto from absorbing its sixth loss in nine games. Toronto got a first-inning run without benefit of a hit. Munenori Kawasaki walked and hustled around the bases to score from first on a dropped fly ball by left fielder Jason Pridie. Wieters tied it in the second, hitting a curveball into the seats in left field for his 22nd home run. In the Baltimore third, Brian Roberts singled and scored on a double by Markakis, who moved up on an infield hit and came home on a fly ball by Wieters. NOTES: Major league home run leader Chris Davis was ill and given the night off by Orioles manager Buck Showalter. ... The Blue Jays played without 1B Adam Lind, whose "back locked up on him" Wednesday night, according to Gibbons. Lind was replaced at 1B by Ryan Langerhans, whose contract was purchased from Triple-A Buffalo before the game. Toronto moved LHP Brett Cecil (elbow) to the 60-day DL. ... Baltimore will be without OF Chris Dickerson (right hamstring) and 2B Alexi Casilla (thumb) for the rest of the season. ... The Blue Jays close out the season with a home series against the Tampa Bay Rays, and Baltimore will host the Boston Red Sox for a three-game set. The Orioles plan to start Scott Feldman, Wei-Yin Chen and Chris Tillman. ... Buehrle is 2-8 against the AL East and 10-2 against everyone else. cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '