Super Bowl 2012: 4 Newcomers Who'll Have the Biggest Impact

When the New England Patriots and New York Giants meet again in Super Bowl XLVI, the game will feature several different players than when they kicked off in Super Bowl XLII four years ago.

With that, there will be new players who'll have a major impact in their first Super Bowl.

Here are two from each team, one from each side of the ball.

Rob Gronkowski: TE, Patriots

We all saw Rob Gronkowski get injured and then return in the AFC championship game. Thus, we have to expect that he'll play in what will be his first Super Bowl.

He is arguably the Patriots' best player not named Tom Brady. The Patriots need him to stretch the field, block in the ground game and take attention away from Brady's other receiving targets.

If anything, Gronk's presence will allow fellow tight end Aaron Hernandez and receiver Deion Branch to have big games. Without him, neither player gets open nearly as often. Without Gronkowski, the Giants would find it easier to limit Brady's production.

As for the ground game, New England must be able to run the ball to keep the New York defense honest.

Gronk is a proven run-blocker, so using him as the so-called sixth offensive lineman will be crucial in keeping the Giants' front four from controlling the line of scrimmage

As we saw in Super Bowl XLII, that can't happen if the Pats expect to be successful.

Jason Pierre-Paul: DE, Giants

Jason Pierre-Paul is basically replacing Michael Strahan as the Giants' next unstoppable pass-rusher.

That tradition first began with Lawrence Taylor, who retired after the 1993 season. The torch was then passed to Strahan in 1993, his rookie year. Strahan played through the 2007 season, and Pierre-Paul took the torch in 2010.

In hindsight, the Giants have had three great pass-rushers dating back to 1981. That's 20 years of dominance. The Patriots need to watch out.

This season Pierre-Paul recorded 16.5 sacks in 12 starts while forcing two fumbles, a performance that earned him Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections.

Alongside Osi Umenyiora, Chris Canty and Justin Tuck, Pierre-Paul is the most explosive of the Giants' pass-rushers and performed the best in 2011. As the leader of such an excellent front four, expect one of two things from Pierre-Paul in this game:

1. He completely dominates against the run and pass as he is blocked one-on-one.

2. He gets isolated by constant double-teams, which allows the rest of the front seven to make plays.

Either way, the Giants are going to have success. The question is how much?

Isolate Pierre-Paul or use his aggressiveness against him?

Pick your poison, New England. Just be wise about it.

Nate Solder: Tackle, Patriots

Nate Solder, the Patriots' rookie right tackle, is arguably the most vital of anyone on this list. At one point or another, he's going to have to block Jason Pierre-Paul or Justin Tuck one-on-one.

With veteran Matt Light walling off Tom Brady's blind side as he did against Elvis Dumervil of Denver and Terrell Suggs of Baltimore, the Giants will need to attack Solder. Even Suggs went away from Light to get pressure on Brady.

Why? Because Light is simply that great at left tackle.

Well, New York's front four is arguably the best in the game, so expect Solder to be challenged on every play. The good news is that we have to expect him to get help in pass protection from the tight ends or running backs to allow Brady more time in the pocket.

How Solder performs as a run-blocker, though, will be just as important, if not more so.

He must not give away where the play is designed to go, as well as execute flawlessly. Against a remarkable Giants front seven that does virtually everything well, Solder's A-minus game won't be enough.

The Giants will try to exploit him as much as possible since it's easier to fluster a rookie than a veteran. As a result, Super Bowl XLVI will tell us a lot about whether Solder is fit to be a reliable blindside tackle in the pros.

Victor Cruz: WR, Giants

Although he was shut down compared to his regular-season averages for most of New York's first two playoff games, Victor Cruz's presence in Super Bowl XLVI will be enormous.

Whether it's his actual numbers or lack thereof, blocking for the ground game or ability to sell a passing play when it's a run, Cruz's play will determine a lot.

In the NFC championship game, Cruz stepped up big, catching 10 passes for 142 yards, his most receptions in a game this season.

As for the Super Bowl, Cruz must anticipate the Pats gearing their coverage toward him. Whether it's a straight double-team, zone underneath with safety help over the top or consistent press coverage, Cruz will be attracting defenders. That said, we could see a big day from fellow receivers Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham.

Cruz was easily New York's most dominant receiver in 2011. His presence alone helped Nicks come of age in the postseason.

A lot will depend on which player the Pats game-plan more for.  Based on his résumé this season, expect Cruz to get more press coverage while Nicks gets more double-teams.

New England's best chance is to let Manningham and tight end Jake Ballard take over. Allowing  Cruz to literally cruise will give the Giants a big advantage.

John Rozum on Twitter.