he lid has been lifted a little on the cost of Toronto FCs re

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. Custom Seattle Seahawks Jerseys . PETERSBURG, Fla. Barkevious Mingo Jersey . Louis Cardinals. He was 48. The commissioners office said Bell died in his home state of Ohio. Bell had not been feeling well over the weekend and had been scheduled to see doctors later Monday at the Cleveland Clinic. http://www.authenticseahawksstoreonline.com/Black-78-Dj-Fluker-Womens-Jersey/ . Cruz set the tone with a two-run homer in the first inning, and Baltimore scored eight times in the eighth to pull away for a 12-3 victory in Game 1. The major league leader with 40 homers during the regular season, Cruz added an RBI single to his early blast off Max Scherzer. Shaquem Griffin Jersey . Only it wasnt the extended right pad of his old teammate Jonathan Bernier early in the final frame, it was James Reimer, who stole a night that was supposed to belong to the former King. Will Dissly Jersey . Roma has a game in hand but now second place is even at risk for the capital side as Napoli moved to within three points with the win. "The result is not always fair," Roma coach Rudi Garcia said. "If we play like this until the end we will win many matches. TORONTO -- The lid has been lifted a little on the cost of Toronto FCs rebirth, with a 2014 player payroll almost quadrupled from last season. Figures released Thursday by the MLS Players Union show that Toronto is home to three of the 12 players in the league making million-dollar-plus salaries in 2014. Seattle Sounders striker Clint Dempsey is the leagues highest-paid player at $6.695 million (all figures U.S.). Two Toronto players are next with U.S. midfielder Michael Bradley at $6.5 million and England striker Jermain Defoe at $6.18 million. Los Angeles Galaxy players ranked fourth and fifth with forward Landon Donovan listed at $4.583 million and Irish striker Robbie Keane at $4.5 million. Two New York Red Bulls are next: French striker Thierry Henry at $4.35 million and Australian midfielder Tim Cahill at $3.625. Montreal forward Marco Di Vaio is the highest-paid Impact player at $2.6 million (eighth in the league) while midfielder Pedro Morales leads the Vancouver Whitecaps at $1.41 million (10th). Torontos Brazilian striker Gilberto earns $1.2 million (12th), making for a total TFC payroll of $16.65 million. That compares to a team total of $4.35 million last season, according to the unions September 2013 numbers. The TFC spending spree is paying dividends with Toronto (3-1-0) currently second in the Eastern Conference standings. The team managed only six wins in 2013 when it went 6-17-11. Tim Leiweke, CEO and president of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, has said the soccer club will lose money this season because of the outlay, however. The other million-dollar-plus earners are Seattle forward Obafemi Martins ($1.753 million, ninth) and Los Angeles defender Omar Gonzalez ($125 million, 11th). All 12 are designated players, meaning that only $387,500 of their pay counts against their clubs $3.1-million salary cap. The union figures do not include performance bonuses. Not do they show instances where players are provided accommodations, which an union spokesman said was rare but can happen. And its safe to assume that Julio Cesar, the Brazilian international goalkeeper on loan with Toronto from Queens Park Rangers, is not having to scrape by on a mere $202,000. QPR is no doubt topping up his bank account big-time. Thanks to the leagues complicated rules, player salaries may be larger than listed by the union. Teams can used so-called allocation money to buy down player salaries, including the cap hit of DPs. MLS rules state:: "Clubs have the option of buying down the budget charge of a designated player with allocation money.dddddddddddd The reduced charge may not be less than $150,000." Still the union salary figures offer a look at a league of haves and have nots. Mark Bloom, a 26-year-old fullback who has played every minute of Torontos first four games, is listed as making $48,825. On the plus side, Blooms salary was $46,500 last season. The extra money will come in handy now that Blooms wife is expecting their first child. To put Bradleys and Defoes $6-million-plus 2014 salaries in perspective, Toronto Maple Leafs stars Phil Kessel and Dion Phaneuf signed eight-year, $64-million and seven year, $49-million contract extensions, respectively, earlier this season. Phaneuf is making $5.5 million this season while Kessel is getting $5.4 million. Raptors forward Amir Johnson, another member of the MLSE family, reportedly makes the same money as Bradley at $6.5 million. Thats some $6 million more than Toronto Argonauts quarterback Ricky Ray reportedly will make this season and hes the highest-paid player in the CFL. Veteran Canadian international Dwayne De Rosario, who rejoined Toronto FC during the off-season, is listed at $173,000. Thats down from the $645,333 he got last year with D.C. United. Toronto captain Steven Caldwells listed salary is $364,167 while Vancouver skipper Jay DeMerit is at $2457,500 and Montreal captain Patrice Bernier makes $205,000. Canadian international midfielder Will Johnson, who captains the Portland Timbers, is listed at $325,000. Newly acquired Impact striker Jack McInerney is making $294,167 while Vancouver forward Kenny Miller is at $940,000, down from $1.25 million a year ago. Toronto midfielder Jonathan Osorio got a healthy raise, moving to $142,600 from $46,500. Goalie Joe Bendik went to $147,375 from $46,500, only to lose his starting job to Cesar. U.S. international midfielder Graham Zusi, at $398,250, is the highest-paid member of defending champion Sporting Kansas City. But he is also one of six players making more than $200,000 on the roster. Toronto has five players above $200,000. MLS has a ways to go to catch other leagues. Barcelona pays Argentine star Lionel Messi more than $21 million a year, according to Forbes magazine. The MLS union numbers include the players base salary and all signing and guaranteed bonuses annualized over the term of the players contract, including option years. 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