Super Bowl 2012: Wes Welker and Stars That Need to Step Up

The Super Bowl is just two weeks away, but the excitement already has fans talking about which stars need to step up in order for their team to win.

With guys like Wes Welker, Vince Wilfork and Brandon Jacobs playing such a key part of what their teams do, the necessity for them to come up big is evident.

All of the following players will be under the microscope on Super Bowl Sunday, but they all will not do well. I know patience is a virtue, but I want this game now!

Wes Welker

The Patriots will need the Wes Welker that caught nine passes for 136 yards against the Giants the first time they came to Foxborough this season rather than the guy who had two straight games with just six catches and an average of 54 yards per game.

Tom Brady depends on Welker to get open and that has to happen this week. With star tight end Rob Gronkowski nursing an ankle injury that will limit his effectiveness, the Pats and Brady will need Welker to step up even more.

With the Giants secondary getting better but still not elite, Welker will have to use every trick in the book to make sure he gets open as often as possible. There is no time to hold back, so you better believe you will be getting 100 percent out of Welker next Sunday.

Brandon Jacobs

The New York Giants need to establish the run early if they want to keep Tom Brady and the New England offense on the sidelines for long enough to hold on to a win, just like they did in 2008.

For this plan to work again, though, the Giants will need powerful running back Brandon Jacobs to do something he is not accustomed to: Get first downs. With just 14 carries over the last two playoff games with a meager 2.5 yards per carry, Jacobs needs to step up if the Giants want a chance to win.

If Jacobs doesn’t step up and the run game gets bogged down again, this game will become a shootout between quarterbacks Eli Manning and Tom Brady. I’ll take Brady every time in that matchup.

Vince Wilfork

The New England Patriots will need their defense to step up if they want to take home another Super Bowl trophy. That means plenty of Vince Wilfork.

The huge defensive tackle is all about clogging the middle as a run stopper, but he doesn’t get enough credit for his athleticism and ability to pass rush. With six tackles and a sack against the Baltimore Ravens, Wilfork made sure that the middle of the field was off limits.

New England will need more of the same against a New York Giants team that will try to control the clock like they did in the 2008 Super Bowl. Wilfork knows this and will make it his personal mission to stifle Brandon Jacobs and the boys in blue.

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