People you didn't realize we should be thanking for getting us this far

Every time a team makes it to the final game of the year, whether it's the Super Bowl, World Series, or BCS Championship, you can always recall moments throughout the year that helped that team along the way. For the Giants, the obvious ones for this season would be the 99 yard TD by Cruz, the hail-mary to Nicks, the great read on his players by Jerry Reese, and Rex Ryan for spewing so much garbage that it made the Giants want to beat them to a pulp. But there are even more "unsung heroes" for the Giants this season that we need to thanks. Let's send these guys a big ol' thank you note courtesy of BBV. In no particular order:

1. Jerome Boger - You may not be familiar with the name, but you are very familiar with the call. The "was it a fumble, was it a give-up" play by Cruz in Week 4 at Arizona was a huge call as it pertains to the rest of the season. If Jerome rules it a fumble, Nicks doesn't score on the very next play, the Giants lose, fall to 2-2, and who knows what happens after that.
2. Miles Austin - We all know what happened in Week 14. Another 4th quarter comeback for Eli, and another win in the house that Jerry built. But thanks to the hamstring problems that have plagued Austin since his entry into the league, he was just a tad slow on the potential game-clinching pass from Romo. Had he been at full-strength and made the catch for the easy TD, the Giants comeback falls short, their record goes to 6-7, the Cowboys move to 8-5, have a two game lead with three to play, and Coughlin might be on his way out.
3. Steve Spagnuolo & Craig Dahl - Week 2 vs. the Rams. Domenik Hixon makes his crazy circus catch to make it a 21-6 game, but re-injures his ACL on the play because of crappy coverage by Dahl, who the Giants let walk in 2009. Thanks to Dahl for being horrible in coverage and to Spags for bringing him to the Rams. If Hixon doesn't injure his ACL, Cruz doesn't get the call as early as he did, and we are looking at a entirely different season.
4. The Philadelphia Eagles - Whether it's the "Dream Team" reference from Vince Young that put the target squarely on their backs, the defense that squandered five 4th quarter leads, Vick's inability to stay on the field and keep the offense rolling, DeSean Jackson's antics in the Seahawks game, Reid's total arrogance in thinking he could make an OL coach his DC, or Jason Babin's helmet that clearly affected Romo's throwing hand the final week of the season, the tumultuous season from the Eagles clearly opened the door for the Giants this year, and the Giants kicked it down.
5. Warren Sapp - No longer in the league, but a fixture on the NFL Network and Showtime's Inside the NFL, Sapp has had a beef with the Giants all season long. In every playoff game, he has picked against the Giants, and the Giants have proved him wrong. Let's hope he picks the Patriots this week.