Round Table: Who are you rooting for in the Super Bowl?

Most Pats fans hate both these guys, so who are we rooting for?

Super Bowl Sunday will feature two teams that Patriots fans have some pretty decent reasons to hate.

Peyton Manning's Denver Broncos are the most obvious one. The rivalry between the Patriots and Manning goes back over a decade, so it'll be rare to find a Patriots fan rooting for the man with a giant forehead to win. To add insult to injury, the Broncos just knocked the Patriots out of the playoffs in the AFC Championship game.

Seattle inspires their own flavor of hate for Pats fans, though much less severe. Talkative cornerback Richard Sherman made his name known around the NFL when he taunted Tom Brady on twitter after the Seahawks beat the Patriots last season. It's left the unforgiving Boston fanbase still feeling bitter over that defeat, and Sherman's boastful words.

So, that begs the question, who are Patriots fans rooting for this Sunday? Our writers weigh in with their opinions. Feel free to share yours in the comments.

Ned Brady: It may be sacrilege, and I'll have to hold my nose while doing it, but I'll be slightly rooting for Denver in Super Bowl XLVIII. Don't get me wrong, I won't enjoy the sight of Peyton Manning holding up his second Lombardi with a smug look on his fetushead face. Actually, scratch that, I'm not rooting for Denver. I'm just rooting against them slightly less than Seattle.

The Seahawks are the NFC's Jets, except maybe even more hate-worthy because they are actually good. I hate Pete "pumped and jacked" Carroll. I hate, hate, hate Golden Tate. I hate Richard Sherman, even though calling him a "thug" is silly. I hate how most commentators brush over how the Seahawks so-called "legion of boom" get away with holding on every play, instead praising them for their "physical play". I hate their bandwagon fanbase, who actually think that they contribute to the teams success (ignoring the fact that QuestField was meticulously designed to artificially enhance decibel levels). Seriously, anyone who buys a jersey and puts "12 Man" on the back is an a-hole. I hate how Russell Wilson is seemingly too perfect to hate. I hate Marshawn Lyn...ok, Beast Mode is kinda awesome, but seriously, screw the Seahawks. Go Broncos. #puke

Michael Hamm: As a fan that absolutely despises teams that sign high-profile free agents in order to buy a championship, I detest the Denver Broncos.

The Seahawks have done it right, building through the draft and depth level free agents who they have developed through their system, and while an argument can be made that the Broncos have done the same thing, there is the presence of Peyton Manning due to the arrogant presumption of John Elway.

Manning is personable and comes off as a regular Joe in most settings, but his tour of the country in a private jet, being whined and dined by as many as a half dozen potential suitors waxed of Lebron James' unbridled megalo-maniacal whoring of himself a few years back with all of the griping drama of O.J. Simpson's white Ford Bronco slow-speed chase after he slaughtered his ex-wife and her friend years ago.

And although the Seahawks were briefly in the Manning sweepstakes - story is that Manning heard tale of Pete Carrol's interest in signing him and called to let his old friend down gently - they have instead built a monstrous roster, utilizing cap-friendly free agents and deft drafting - and that alone makes them a far more compelling story, and any fan of old-school, fundamental football should be rooting for the Seahawks.

And while it's easy to hate on Richard Sherman and his cohorts on that defense, the fact remains that it is one of the best units assembled since the mid-1980's Bears' teams, and with Marshawn Lynch being unduly stomped in the media because he won't talk to them (why would anyone want to talk to those goons?) the Seahawks' offense has become sort of the underdog story of the Super Bowl.

Brendan Annely: I'm definitely rooting for Seattle in this one. I probably should hate Richard Sherman, but I love a guy who can walk the walk in the biggest moments. Also how can you not love BeastMode? The guy's... Well, a beast.

However, the main reason for me supporting Seattle is I just wouldn't be able to stand the sight of Peyton Manning holding the Lombardi trophy. Or Wes Welker. Especially Wes Welker. He could fit that whole trophy in his new helmet.

I hate pretty much everything about the Broncos, mainly because I don't actually think they're that good. Consider me a member of the 12th man on Sunday!

Conor Frederick: This was a tough one, as there aspects about both teams that I really don't like. For Seattle, it's the fact that Richard Sherman's interview after the NFC Championship game really ticked me off. As for Denver, I would be really depressed if Welker won a championship with the Broncos after leaving Patriots fans with a bitter taster.I was originally going to root for Denver because of Sherman's antics, but I thought about it more and I switched to Seattle because I really don't want Welker to win a championship. I must be one of the few Pats fans who isn't on the "I hate Peyton" bandwagon - sure, I would like to believe that Brady's better, but it's born out of hating Peyton as it just liking the guy who plays for you more than the other guy.

Picking Seattle is about not wanting to see Wes Welker win a championship more than hating Peyton.

Pete Rogers: I wasn't a fan of either team heading into this weekend so I have been doing a lot of research and a lot of soul searching trying to figure out who I should be rooting for. I made flowcharts, read stats, looked at breakdowns and even watched Richard Sherman's rant probably one hundred times. But then it hit me. I knew who I was going to root for and why.

The Seattle Seahawks for one very simple reason: I don't want to experience the rest of February if Peyton Manning wins another championship. It's that simple. If Manning wins his second ring, there will be a media onslaught of constant debates: is he now the best ever? Will he retire? Should we start up Manning Watch? It'll be a constant bombardment of every football media going crazy for Peyton Manning, and I don't want to live in that world.

So, I pick the Seahawks. Russell Wilson is about as great a guy as there is in the NFL and I kinda want to hear Sherman's post game interview after a victory. While this ultimately will be letting the hipsters destroy everything I love and giving the 12th man more fuel for their sudden football orgies, I'd much rather have to deal with all that then hear Heath Evans rambling on on NFL TV about how great Manning is. Ugh.

Joshua Powers: I personally am rooting for the Seattle Seahawks to win the Super Bowl this Sunday. Not only is my decision influenced by the fact that I do not want to see the Bronco’s win this week, but also because I love where Seattle has come from. Up until the past few years, Seattle was nothing special, and they certainly were not a threat to go to the playoffs, let alone the Super Bowl. Every year when the polls came out, the odds against the Seahawks would make a gambler in Vegas run for cover. But they have turned it around. They have spent the time and money to build a strong core group of players that have the talent and the ability to compete against the leagues toughest teams. That is why I want the Seahawks to walk away with the title, it will be the perfect ending to a long awaited story…

Mike Saver: Is Peyton Manning playing in it? Yes? Ok, I'm rooting for whoever's playing against him.

That has at least been my mantra for the past 10 years or so, and I see no reason to change it now. Really the only card that Tom Brady holds over Manning in the "Best Quarterback of their Generation" debate (one that's ultimately meaningless but I still care about for some reason) is that Brady has three super bowls to Manning's one. If Manning gets a second ring, plus the 5 MVP trophies he'll carry, it'll become more difficult for Pats fans to argue against Manning being the greater QB. We still will fight for Brady, of course, but 2 Super Bowl rings and 5 MVPs would be a pretty fucking amazing accomplishment.

The only person I want to win on the Broncos is Wes Welker (Yes, I don't hate him because his agents possibly fucked up in free-agency or because he ran a totally legal pick play that knocked out Talib). Other than that, I'm all in on the Seahawks, and it has nothing to do with Seattle. I just can't stand to see Manning hoisting that trophy again.