Before I get to my Super Bowl run down, I must reveal my totals of extracurricular activity in the Seahawk-49er game. I must say I was a little disappointed by both teams as I expected a lot more jawing and shoving.

My final tallies for the 49ers – trash talk plays: 7; physical plays after the whistle: 6; flags after the whistle: 1; total: 14

My final tallies for the Seahawks – trash talk plays: 25; physical plays after the whistle: 5; flags after the whistle: 1; total: 31

Of the course Richard Sherman drew a lot of media attention for his awesome interview where he was on cloud nine after helping his team clinch a Super Bowl berth against a team that it pretty much hates. I couldn’t believe the fallout on social media and the national media after Sherman’s interview. People were calling him a thug and a moron and the national media was acting like he had broken the law.

He simply said he thought he was the best at his position and he thought Michael Crabtree was a ‘sorry’ receiver. What’s so bad about that? I’m all for sportsmanship at the high school and college levels of sports, but these guys in the pros are getting paid big bucks. I love some trash talk and wish more players would do it.

Sherman also knew what he was doing because he became a household name overnight and he has been the most talked about guy in a Super Bowl that features Peyton Manning.

The media is also up in arms because Marshawn Lynch didn’t say enough for them. I feel no sympathy for them. There are plenty of players on the Seahawks and Broncos who are willing to talk about the game. It’s the media’s job to write stories and find angles, not the players. If one player doesn’t comply, you simply find one who will.

I also loved Lynch’s interview with Deion Sanders, where he basically said talk doesn’t accomplish anything and he’s just waiting to play.

As for the Broncos, media day went as well as it could for them. Nobody said anything dumb and nobody made headlines. Manning was ready for all of the legacy questions and he handled them with ease. Denver will be ready to play on Sunday.

Here is the pick:

The Seahawks have looked phenomenal on defense all season, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be beaten. Manning is the smartest quarterback in the game and with all of the weapons he has, he will be attacking Seattle’s third and fourth corners. Manning will make sure that Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor have very little to do with the outcome of this game.

Seattle has shut down a lot of teams, but they’ve only played a couple of teams that have offenses similar to the Broncos. They beat the Saints 34-7 in the regular season and 23-15 in the playoffs and they lost 34-28 to the Colts. I think Denver’s offense is significantly better than New Orleans and Indianapolis, so I expect them to be able to move the ball.

Seattle is obviously a very confident squad, but what happens to that confidence if Manning takes his team down the field for a flawless TD drive to open the game and the Seahawks have a quick three-and-out with their possession?

Denver’s run defense is legitimate and the Seahawks live on the ground. I just don’t see Seattle moving the ball much unless Russell Wilson can make some plays. As much as I like Wilson, he’s a second year quarterback and this game might be a little big for him.

Everything I’ve seen so far in coverage tells me that the Seahawks are the team that is happy to be there and the Broncos are there to win a Super Bowl.

I don’t expect this game to be a blowout by any means, but history tells me to take the team that has an all-time great at quarterback and not a second year guy who is still coming into his own.

BRONCOS 24, SEAHAWKS 17

Playoff: 6-4; overall: 158-101