Super Bowl 2012: 5 Players from the New York Giants To Watch

Tonight the New York Giants will take on the New England Patriots, but who are the top five players on the Giants to keep an eye on?

The New York Giants, or Big Blue, are members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League. The team plays at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

The Giants joined the NFL in 1925. Out of the five teams that joined that year, they are the only team that still exists. When the Giants joined in 1925, the first Super Bowl was 40 years in the future. This is far from the Giants' first trip to the big game. The Giants won four NFL titles before the Super Bowl (1927, 1934, 1938 and 1956). Once the Super Bowl was created, the New York Giants won Super Bowl XXI in 1986, XXV in 1990 and XLII in 2007.

The team currently has 53 active players. Out of those players, here are the top five to watch during tonight's Super Bowl XLVI game.

Eli Manning: Quarterback

Quarterback Eli Manning, is one of the most notable players on the New York Giants. Manning comes from a line of football players, including his father who played with New Orleans, Houston and Minnesota in the 1970's, and his brother Peyton, a four time NFL Most Valuable Player.

Manning joined the New York Giants in 2004 through a trade. The 6-foot, 4-inch quarterback has been with the Giants for eight years. In 2007 he was named the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XLII. During that game Manning completed 19 of 34 passes for 255 yards, along with two touchdowns.

With the Giants, Manning has started the last 103 regular season games. According to the New York Giants, he is the first quarterback to throw more than 3,000 yards in six consecutive seasons. He is also the first to throw at least 20 touchdown passes for six years in a row.

Victor Cruz: Wide Receiver

Wide receiver Victor Cruzy signed with the New York Giants as a rookie free agent in 2010. According to the New York Giants, in the 2010 preseason Cruz had a total of 15 receptions for 297 yards, as well as four touchdowns. Originally from New Jersey, Cruz is known for his salsa dancing on the field. The 6-foot, 1-inch, 204-pound wide receiver is only in his second year with the Giants, but looks to have a promising career.

Antrel Rolle: Safety

Playing his seventh year in the NFL, and second with the Giants, safety Antrel Rolle signed with the Giants in March 2010. For the last two seasons he was part of the Pro Bowl selection. According to the New York Giants he has had four career touchdowns on interception returns. As of 2011, his total of career tackles was 435, 378 of those being solo. He has also had 13 interceptions, 38 passes defended, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

Michael Boley: Linebacker

Michael Boley, linebacker, is in his seventh year playing in the NFL, with his third on the New York Giants. He signed as an unrestricted free agent in February 2009. Originally a strong-side linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons, Boley became the weak-side linebacker for the Giants. In November 2009 the linebacker was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week after recording nine tackles (eight being solo), one sack, two tackles for losses, and two quarterback hits in a game against Atlanta. As of 2011, Boley has 505 tackles, 364 of them being solo. According to the New York Giants, the 6-foot, 3-inch player also has career totals of 8.0 sacks, seven forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, 34 passes defensed and five interceptions.

Ahmad Bradshaw: Running Back

Running back, Ahmad Bradshaw is in his fifth year playing for the New York Giants. The 5-foot, 9-inch running back was a seventh round draft pick in 2007. Bradshaw has a running list of 529 carries for 2,558 yards, making him twelfth on the Giants' career running list. The 25-year-old played in 58 regular season games and five postseason games, in which he has scored 17 rushing touchdowns.

Big Blue won the XLII Super Bowl game against the New England Patriots in 2007, under head coach Tom Coughlin. Coughlin, in his eighth year leading the Giants, will once again be leading the team as they try to take home their eighth NFL title.