NFL Playoff Predictions: Predicting the Biggest Heroes of Super Bowl 2012

There is no shortage of hype surrounding the rematch of the New York Giants and New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI. However, the biggest issue to determine is which players will have the biggest impact on the outcome.

The Giants fulfilled their prophecy of being the team that nobody wanted to face. Timely contributions from Eli Manning and Victor Cruz, combined with the efforts of the defensive line, have culminated in Tom Coughlin buying another year of job security.

Tom Brady and the Patriots did exactly what they were supposed to do too, dominating the Denver Broncos and outlasting the Baltimore Ravens at home.

While there are still two weeks to wait, the excitement is already palpable.

Tom Brady

Any Super Bowl including Tom Brady means his fingerprints will be all over the result.

His offensive scheme is stocked with the perfect pieces, save for a legitimate deep threat. Regardless, the New England Patriots will attack the seams with their tight end duo—Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.

Discussion will swirl around Brady gutting out the win against the Baltimore Ravens, as opposed to pulling the strings of a high-powered offense. However, it should be noted that the Ravens constantly frustrate opposing offenses.

Brady's Super Bowl heroics are well known and don't need to be rehashed here. Judging by the emotion and determination he played with in the AFC Championship game, he will be locked in after two weeks of preparation.

Eli Manning

In Peyton Manning's house, Eli Manning will attempt to pass his brother in Lombardi trophies. 

An efficient game from Eli will give the New York Giants a chance. A monster effort will put them over the top.

Against a decent New England Patriots rush defense, the Baltimore Ravens' intimidating attack was only able to muster a mediocre 3.7 yards per carry. Therefore, Eli is vital as New York may not be able to rely on running the ball. 

New York obviously has the better defense between the two teams. If the Giants offense can play at a high level, this game is theirs to lose.

Stephen Gostkowski

Tom Brady rightly receives many accolades for his dramatic Super Bowl performances, yet so does former New England Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri, who kicked game-winning field goals in the waning seconds of two of the three championship games.

Stephen Gostkowski was drafted to replace Vinatieri after he signed with the Indianapolis Colts. Gostkowski has done quite well, a fact evidenced by the lack of competition that the Pats have brought in for him.

In addition, he was the hero of the AFC Championship game, since New England struggled mightily in the red zone. Gostkowski converted all three of his field-goal attempts.

Considering the playoff history between these two teams, a close game is expected. If given the opportunity, Gostkowski will deliver.

Victor Cruz

Victor Cruz does it all for the New York Giants offense.

He possesses the hands necessary to be a possession receiver. In addition, he has the type of burst required to make big plays, like his 99-yard touchdown against the New York Jets.

Hakeem Nicks is arguably as vital, considering he has four touchdowns to Cruz's zero this postseason.

However, Cruz has been responsible for numerous third-down conversions. Eli will go to his main weapon against the New England Patriots, which is Victor Cruz.

Kyle Arrington

Against a shaky New England secondary, Eli Manning will be able to find the holes that Tim Tebow and Joe Flacco couldn't.

However, like most quarterbacks, Manning is known for making inadvisable throws.

The key for the Patriots will be converting those throws into turnovers. The San Francisco 49ers weren't able to do so, and therefore lost.

Enter Kyle Arrington. The third-year cornerback from Hofstra had a career year with seven interceptions.

If he can get his hands on just one of those errant throws, the New England offense will likely take advantage.

Ahmad Bradshaw

The New York Giants will depend on their running game to set up the play-action pass and keep Tom Brady off the field. The defense will need the rest to recover from chasing around all of the New England Patriots playmakers.

The Giants are blessed to have two solid options in their running game—Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs.

Bradshaw is the more reliable selection. He has the ability to bang away at a defense but with the added benefit of an explosive burst.

In addition, Bradshaw is more adept at catching the ball than his counterpart.

The Pats were able to contain Ray Rice, which allowed them to get the win. If the Giants are going to avoid the same fate, Bradshaw must shine.

Wes Welker

The New England Patriots have a New Orleans Saints-like quality to their offense. With all the options available to the quarterback, the open man is going to get the ball.

Wes Welker has had a relatively quiet postseason. His total playoff numbers of 12 receptions for 108 yards and a touchdown usually constitute a regular game for him.

However, there is a good chance he will be provided the openings to have a larger role in the Super Bowl.

With all the attention that will be paid to the tight ends, Welker may be able to fly under the radar and have a big game.

Corey Webster

As highlighted in the previous slide, Wes Welker is primed to have a huge impact in the Super Bowl. Thus, the New York Giants need to steal a page from the Pittsburgh Steelers' defensive playbook.

Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor was able to stymie Welker during the Steelers' 25-17 win over the New England Patriots. It is imperative that Corey Webster impersonate Taylor, so the rest of the Giants defense can focus on the tight ends and running backs.

In addition, it certainly wouldn't hurt if Webster could also continue his recent two-year trend of grabbing interceptions. 

Vince Wilfork

The big man in the middle for the New England Patriots was dominant against the Baltimore Ravens. Vince Wilfork recorded six tackles and one sack, making key plays toward the end of the game.

Despite the Ravens' rushing attack gaining effectiveness in the second half, Wilfork did not wear down. His fourth-quarter tackle for a loss forced head coach John Harbaugh into the difficult decision of going for it on the Pats 35, instead of kicking the long field goal.

The New York Giants love to run the ball with Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs. If New England wins, Wilfork will have a large hand in the victory.

The New York Giants Defensive Line

Much like Super Bowl XLII, this rematch will be determined in the trenches between the New England Patriots offensive line and the New York Giants defensive line.

If the Giants are going to repeat their former championship effort, they will need all of their standouts to make plays.

It is impossible to select one possible hero between Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora and Jason Pierre-Paul.

Each has the capability to take over a game individually. However, if all three get going, the Giants defense is unstoppable.

The Giants can rotate those three to keep them fresh, but the Pats better prepare to see all of them simultaneously. 

Lastly, if the Pats worry too much about the defensive ends, Chris Canty is more than capable of making the play himself.