Super Bowl 2012: The Unsung Heroes of Super Bowl XLVI

In the coming years, we will see thousands of clips of Eli Manning from Super Bowl XLVI, and Mario Manningham will be the new David Tyree.

Too often in football, it is the players at the skill positions that get most, if not all, of the credit. The guys that do the dirty work, who lay their bodies most on the line, are way too easily forgotten. Every champion has its unsung heroes, and there are even some on the losing end that deserve credit, too.

Here is a list of players that will be quickly forgotten by everyone except their teammates but made a huge impact on Super Bowl XLVI. 

Steve Weatherford

Steve Weatherford is the excitable New York Giants punter, and on Sunday he could have been named the MVP. 

Three of Weatherford's four punts pinned the New England Patriots within their own 20.

The safety that gave the Giants their first points of Super Bowl XLVI and set the tone for the rest of the game? You can thank Weatherford for that.

His punt placed the Patriots on their own 6-yard line. One play later, pressure from Justin Tuck forced Brady into an errant pass that was called intentional grounding in the end zone. 

By the way—had the Giants not scored that safety, the Patriots would have only needed a field goal to tie the game and send it to overtime on their final drive. 

Vince Wilfork

Vince Wilfork is the mammoth nose tackle of the New England Patriots and the lone constant from the team's championship era. 

On Sunday, the Pro Bowl lineman showed me a new wrinkle in his game.

The Giants backs love to bounce the ball to the outside. It is usually a safe way to pick up some yards, but if a hole develops, Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs are more than capable of turning a few yards into a big play. 

On numerous running plays, Wilfork could be seen on the outside of the defensive line, rather than his usual job of clogging up the middle, and for the most part, it worked.

For more than three quarters, Ahmad Bradshaw, who received the bulk of the carries, spent the night tiptoeing behind the line, searching for a hole but seeing nothing but Wilfork. 

Wilfork only accounted for three tackles on the night, but his impact on the Patriots defense is always felt more than a box score can describe. 

Henry Hynoski

Fullbacks never get due credit, and Henry Hynoski is no exception.

The "Hynoserous" is a total blue-collar player and a fan favorite for the New York Giants.

On Sunday, he brought his game to a new level. 

First, the Giants' second tight end, Travis Beckham, went down with a knee injury. Then their top dog, Jake Ballard, dropped out of the picture.

Hynoski had to couple his lead blocking duties with tight end responsibilities, and he chipped in with two catches for 19 yards. 

His biggest play, however, has most likely already been forgotten. With the Giants driving, Hynoski pounced on a Hakeem Nicks fumble.

New York would end up getting a key field goal, responding to the Patriots touchdown on the previous possession. 

Chris Snee

Chris Snee has spent his entire eight-year career as the New York Giants center and, until Sunday, had probably never touched the ball except for when snapping it to Eli Manning.

Early in the fourth quarter, Ahmad Bradshaw fumbled the ball deep in the Giants' own territory, and the Patriots certainly would have added to their two-point lead.

Except Chris Snee pounced on the ball, and the Giants kept on moving.

They didn't score on the drive, but they reversed field position with another clutch Steve Weatherford punt that pinned New England deep in their own territory.

If Snee does not recover Bradshaw's fumble, we could be looking at a different Super Bowl champion.   

Brandon Jacobs

Brandon Jacobs is one of the most frustrating players to watch.

At 265 pounds, he should be dragging tacklers left and right. 

On Sunday, he finally did it.

I only noticed one time when Jacobs tried to juke a player from the secondary, making it easier for him to be tackled. The rest of the night, the big back put his nose down and carried linemen and linebackers for hard-nosed first downs. 

Jacobs only picked up 37 yards, but ran for more than four yards per carry, and his first downs kept drives alive.

Also, he devastated some oncoming blitzers in some jaw-rattling shots that will not show up in a box score.  

Brandon Spikes

Had a couple of plays gone another way, it would have been Brandon Spikes, not Eli Manning or Tom Brady, that was the true MVP of Super Bowl XLVI. 

In the first quarter, Spikes recovered Victor Cruz's fumble that would have thwarted the Giants' first touchdown drive.

The only problem was the Patriots had too many men on the field.

Spikes also forced the fumble in the fourth quarter on Ahmad Bradshaw, only to see his teammates muff an attempt to pick it up and run instead of just diving on the loose ball.

On the night, Spikes would come up with 11 tackles and should have had two momentum-swinging plays that would have switched the outcome of Super Bowl XLVI. 

Alexander is a featured columnist for bleacherreport.com You can follow Alexander on Twitter @thesportsdude7 or become a fan on his Bleacher Report profile.