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Super Bowl 2012: Who will be unsung hero?

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Chase Blackburn and Danny Woodhead

Sometimes obscure players steal Super Bowl spotlight

For every Drew Brees and Ray Lewis, there is a David Tyree or Larry Brown. Not only do superstars win Super Bowls, super nobodies are heroes, too.

Tom Brady and Eli Manning are headlining Super Bowl XLVI this Sunday, but will one of their more obscure teammates steal the spotlight?

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Two relative unknowns ended up winning Super Bowl MVP honors thanks to key interceptions. Tampa Bay free safety Dexter Jackson grabbed a pair of passes from Oakland's Rich Gannon, merely the league's 2002 MVP, in the Bucs' 48-21 romp that year. Dallas cornerback Larry Brown had two picks, returning one for the clinching touchdown, in the Cowboys' 27-17 Super Bowl victory over Pittsburgh in 1996. His teammates included Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin, and in the secondary alone, Deion Sanders and Darren Woodson.

Brown parlayed that performance into a big-money free agent deal with Oakland, and faded into obscurity soon after.

There are plenty of candidates to be an unlikely hero for Sunday's title game between the New York Giants and New England Patriots.

Click the scroll bar above to see who might be an unlikely hero in the big game.

Super Bowl 2012: Who will be unsung hero?

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Sterling Moore, cornerback, Patriots

A rookie free agent cut by the Raiders and picked up for New England's practice squad in October, Sterling Moore might have been best known for missing a tackle on Torrey Smith's 29-yard TD reception earlier in the AFC championship game.

That all changed when he stripped the ball in the end zone from Ravens receiver Lee Evans on what would have been a winning touchdown.

"Look at a guy like Sterling Moore," said Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich. "If Sterling doesn't make that play against Baltimore, we obviously would not be here. It's the play that got us to the Super Bowl."

As for Moore, he says he is more focused about Sunday's game than the crucial play he made in the AFC title game.

"Everybody else is tweeting me and texting me that I'm going to go down in history for that play," Moore said. "I don't think I understand. But we have another big game on Sunday, so if I come out here and screw this game up it means nothing."

Super Bowl 2012: Who will be unsung hero?

AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps
John Kuhn dives over Aaron Ross for a touchdown

Aaron Ross, cornerback, Giants

It's been a tough few seasons for cornerback Aaron Ross.

The 20th overall pick from Texas in the 2007 draft has struggled in coverage for much of his career, especially early this season and has even spent time at safety.

But Ross finished the 2011 regular season with a career-high 60 tackles and four interceptions. He bounced back after two disappointing seasons, including an injury-plagued 2009.

Still, considering the talent surrounding him in the New York secondary, Ross figures to be targeted by the Patriots in the passing game.

And being a target means he will have his opportunities to make a big play

Unheralded defensive backs - Tampa's Dexter Jackson in 2002 and Dallas' Larry Brown in 1996 - have been unlikely Super Bowl heroes, so who knows. Maybe Aaron Ross will intercept two Tom Brady passes and add his name to the list.

Super Bowl 2012: Who will be unsung hero?

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Danny Woodhead, running back, Patriots

It's safe to say no one would predict that a 5-foot-8-inch, 195-pound running back from little-known Chadron State College in Nebraska could be a Super Bowl hero.

But Danny Woodhead might just prove the naysayers wrong.

A versatile back who also returns kicks, Woodhead made it from the Division II school, where he was top player (Harlon Hill Award) in 2006 and 2007, to the NFL four years ago.

The Patriots pirated him away from division rival Jets and he became part of the offensive core. He has a good burst of speed and is an excellent receiver but has not played much this postseason (he lost a fumble on a kick return in the AFC title game.)

Woodhead managed 351 rushing yards and one touchdown for the Patriots this season. He is behind Stevan Ridley and BenJarvus Green-Ellis on the depth chart - but when he is on the field, he can make things happen.

Super Bowl 2012: Who will be unsung hero?

AP Photo/Julie Jacobson
Chris Culliver watches as Devin Thomas recovers a fumbled

Devin Thomas, wide receiver/special teams, Giants

In Giants lore, it's called "The Catch." David Tyree's remarkable reception — with the ball flush against his helmet — came on a desperation pass from Eli Manning on the winning drive in the 2008 Super Bowl, an upset that shattered the Patriots' unbeaten season.

Devin Thomas could very well be this season's David Tyree for Big Blue.

"David Tyree showed that anybody can play that role, you just need the opportunity to do it," said Thomas, who essentially has the same roles on special teams and offense that Tyree had four years ago. "For me, special teams might be the way to make that happen with a return, maybe a hit, a fumble."

Thomas recovered the muff and the fumble on punt returns by San Francisco's Kyle Williams in the NFC championship game. Before that, he was a bust for the Redskins after being drafted in the second round in 2008, and almost an afterthought in the Meadowlands for much of this season.

"Every play is my chance to be a hero," he said. "I think I always take that outlook onto the field, but it's also something I get the opportunity to share with my teammates: Any of them can be a hero, too."

Super Bowl 2012: Who will be unsung hero?

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Stephen Gostkowski, kicker, Patriots

Adam Vinatieri is a legend in New England for his clutch kicking - most notably for nailing the game-winning kicks in the final seconds of Super Bowls XXVI and XXXVIII.

So it must have been daunting for placekicker Stephen Gostkowski to step into the shoes of Vinatieri in 2006.

Well, he may have no championship rings, but Gostkowski has not allowed a dropoff from Vinatieri over the years. In fact, his regular season field goal percentage (.844) is better than Vinatieri's (.819) and his kickoffs usually soar through end zone

Just like during the Vinatieri years, the Patroits have been unafraid to ask Gostkowski to make clutch kicks - and he has responded, converting 28 of 33 field goals during the season. Gostkowski had at least one field goal in every game this season -- a remarkable feat considering how often the Patriots offense scores touchdowns.

The postseason has not rattled the kicker out of Memphis. Gostkowski went 3 for 3 on field goals in the AFC Championship victory over the Ravens.

Super Bowl 2012: Who will be unsung hero?

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Chase Blackburn, linebacker, Giants

A few months ago, Chase Blackburn surely didn't think he'd be playing in the Super Bowl, let alone the NFL. The middle linebacker spent most of the football season out of the league and contemplated a career as a middle school teacher.

Then he got a call from his old team - the Giants. He re-signed on November 30 and has started each postseason game.

Blackburn, a 6-foot-4-inch, 242-pound linebacker from Akron, excels on special teams and he plugged a big hole in middle of the defense when he rejoined team. He led the Giants with seven tackles in the NFC championship game against San Francisco and is second on the team with 19 postseason tackles.

So could he make the one crucial play that will alter the Super Bowl?

"Nah, it doesn't really come down to one play, or it shouldn't," Blackburn said. "Not even if it's one man taking on somebody and stopping him at the goal line. You can't say one guy won the game."

Still, being an unsung hero has lots of appeal for Blackburn.

"Sure," he said, "because it means we won the game."

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