New England Patriots: One Player on Each Team Who Pats Fans Hate to See

The New England Patriots have exhilarating rivalries, but is it possible we have a bone to pick with every team?

Of course we do.

While New York and the AFC East provide exciting matchups, I go beyond the more traditional New England foes to give you a look at a player on each NFL team that Patriots fans hate to see.

Buffalo Bills: Fred Jackson

Fred Jackson is one of the best players on the Buffalo Bills, which is an obvious reason for Pats' fans to dislike him.

While Jackson anchors Buffalo's ground game, his versatility makes him dangerous.

In their loss to the Bills, the Pats let Jackson amass 74 rushing yards and 87 receiving yards.

When New England beat the Bills later in the season, Jackson was out due to injury.

Miami Dolphins: Dan Marino

A testament to how far they've come since Dan Marino's retirement, the Dolphins have not given New England a single player to hate in the 12 years that followed.

Get on it, Miami.

You made me feature a guy wearing a lei as someone we hate.

In all seriousness, despite the immense rivalry between these two teams, no leader has emerged in Miami who Pats fans can rally around to rag on.

New York Jets: Darrelle Revis

Pats fans love watching Mark Sanchez flounder around on the field.

But we loathe Darrelle Revis.

Revis Island can and has shut down New England's best receivers. At the Meadowlands in 2009, he held Randy Moss to 4 receptions for 24 yards, picked Tom Brady and helped prevent the Pats from scoring a single touchdown.

When the Pats play the Jets, Darrelle Revis puts up a no-fly zone on the field against a quarterback who soars in the air. And we Pats fans can't stand that.

Baltimore Ravens: Bernard Pollard

Don't let Bernard Pollard anywhere near a New England player.

Seriously.

Every Patriot this safety touches winds up injured.

Playing for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2008, Pollard took out Tom Brady.

No. 12 went down with a torn ACL and was out for the remainder of the season.

While playing safety for the Houston Texans during the 2009 season, Pollard shredded Wes Welker's ACL, sidelining him for the playoffs.

And in this year's AFC Championship game, Pollard left Rob Gronkowski with a memorable party favor: a high ankle sprain that limited him to just two receptions for 26 yards in Super Bowl XLVI.

I don't know what the Pats fans did to Pollard in another life, but this guy certainly makes our hit list.

Cincinnati Bengals: Cedric Benson

Free agent Cedric Benson scares me. He's exactly the kind of guy I don't want on the Patriots and yet he fits Bill Belichick's recruiting profile to a tee.

The running back is a behavioral liability. Prior to the 2011 season, Benson was sentenced to 20 days in jail on assault charges.

But despite his transgressions, Benson is a solid running back. In fact, Profootballfocus.com ranks him among the top 50 free agents this season.

So while he possesses skill, Benson comes with just enough baggage to make teams wary of picking him up. Which means Belichick can easily grab him for under market value.

That's Belichick's signature move: swoop in to rescue aging players and pump them for remaining life.

But with two big failures in Chad Ochocinco and Albert Haynesworth last season, I would hate to see Benson entice the leadership in New England.

He would be too much of a distraction to add anything positive to this Patriots team.

Cleveland Browns: Peyton Hillis

When the Patriots met the Browns on November 7, 2010, Peyton Hillis dismantled New England's defense.

Hillis managed two touchdowns and 184 yards on 29 carries.

The Madden curse got the better of Hillis during the 2011 season, when a nagging hamstring injury mixed with other misfortunes caused the back to miss six games.

But even though he didn't make a splash this past year, it's still hard for Pats fans to look Hillis in the eyes after the shellacking he doled in 2010.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Troy Polamalu

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a host of elite defenders, but Troy Polamalu is the glue that holds them together.

When the nine-year veteran is on the field, Pittsburgh's D is the menacing force the Pats have come to fear.

But when Polamalu is forced to sit out a game, the Steelers transform into a softer version of themselves.

Hence why Pats fans hate on the safety.

Houston Texans: Mario Williams

I get jealous when I see Mario Williams donning a Houston Texans jersey and Pats fans should join me in this.

The defensive end became a free agent at the conclusion of the 2011 season.

Williams is exactly the type of player the Patriots could use in 2012. He is versatile, slipping easily between the 3-4 and 4-3 while creating pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

Pats fans should hate seeing Williams in a red, white and blue uniform that's not their own.

Tennessee Titans: Jason McCourty

Throughout Devin McCourty's sophomore slump, it was hard for Pats fans to see his twin brother playing so well for the Tennessee Titans.

The pair seemed to have swapped spots.

Jason McCourty ended the 2011 season with 105 tackles, 13 passes defended, a sack a forced fumble and two picks.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Drew Coleman

Let's be honest, the Patriots don't have much against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

But fans may hold a grudge against former Jet Drew Coleman.

In 2010, New England embarrassed the Jets, handing them a 45-3 regular season loss, which only served to fire up New York's D.

When the Pats met the Jets in the playoffs later that year, cornerback Drew Coleman was an integral part of a spectacular defensive effort to overthrow the AFC East champs.

Coleman came at Brady from his blindside and came up with a big sack.

Indianapolis Colts: Peyton Manning

Peyton Manning is Tom Brady's archenemy.

The two have duked it out for over a decade, attempting to prove who is the greatest quarterback of their generation.

Both are worthy to be emblems of their shared era of football—and both will be.

But the drama has been exhilarating. Both quarterbacks have laid rightful claim to the throne throughout their tenure.

And Pats fans have come to despise Peyton as the pendulum of power has repeatedly shifted over the years.

In 12 meetings with Peyton Manning, Brady has beaten him eight times, including two playoff wins.

But Brady has suffered humiliation at the hands of Peyton.

In a 2005 Monday Night Football game, the Manning-led Colts dropped 40 points on the Patriots in Foxborough.

In 2009, Brady and Belichick made the infamous 4th-and-2 decision. On fourth down, the Patriots were up six with just over two minutes on the clock on their own 28-yard line. Rather than punt, New England attempted to gain the first down, failed and ultimately lost the game.

As a result of moments like this, Patriots fans loathe to see No. 18 under center for Indianapolis.

Denver Broncos: Elvis Dumervil

In their regular season meeting last year, the Pats were lashing the Broncos 34-16 in the fourth quarter.

But that did not slow Elvis Dumervil.

The defensive end got in one of those "last laugh" style hits on Brady, mauling our quarterback.

You can watch the hit here.

Kansas City Chiefs: Matt Cassel

Matt Cassel is a likable guy and when the Patriots win, I can root for him.

But Pats fans hate to see their former backup succeed when their team is losing.

He's like our little brother.

Oakland Raiders: Sebastian Janikowski

I love Stephen Gostkowski and I wouldn't trade him for the world.

But you've got to admire Sebastian Janikowski. Even though he looks like a drunken slob in this photo.

Last season, Janikowski banged in a 63-yard field goal to tie a league record.

We're lucky it wasn't Janikowski who got the opportunity for a game-winning kick in the "Snow Bowl."

San Diego Chargers: Philip Rivers

Philip Rivers is just one of those guys that Patriots fans hate.

It actually has more to do with his arrogance than his actual skill-level.

But our hatred of Rivers keeps our rivalry with San Diego interesting at least.

Dallas Cowboys: Rob Ryan

Rex's evil twin. Enough said.

New York Giants: Eli Manning

By now, Pats fans hate every Giants player equally, but Eli Manning is the unequivocal choice for this list.

Unlike Peyton, Eli has gotten the better of Brady in three of their last three meetings—two of which were in Super Bowls.

Eli refused to back down from his assertion that he belonged in the same elite quarterback class as Brady.

And then he shoved that notion down our throats in Super Bowl XLVI.

Pats fans are brimming with hatred for Eli Manning.

Philadelphia Eagles: Ronnie Brown

Is anyone else still shell-shocked from New England's loss to Miami in September of 2008?

The Miami Dolphins released the Wildcat offense in Foxborough, allowing Ronnie Brown to stun the reining AFC Champions.

The running back led the Dolphins in yards on the ground with 113. Four of those runs were for touchdowns.

Brown also got a fifth touchdown by throwing a 19-yard pass to tight end Anthony Fasano.

If this guy were still with Miami, he would have been the poster child for the Dolphins slide.

Washington Redskins: LaRon Landry

It wasn't enough for LaRon Landry to be one of the best safeties in the league.

He had to go and get huge. Scary huge.

If he's still this size the next time the Pats play the Redskins, that alone is reason enough for him to make this list.

Detroit Lions: Calvin Johnson

Last year, Calvin Johnson boasted the league's most receiving yards, edging out Wes Welker for the title in Week 17.

In the final standings, Johnson amassed 112 yards more than Welker with 1,681.

But that was due to an incredible comeback by the Lions' wideout.

In the final game of the season, Johnson notched 244 receiving yards against the Green Bay Packers.

Week 17 was host to a meager performance by Welker, who only managed 51 yards in the air against the Buffalo Bills.

Chicago Bears: Devin Hester

I have to put Devin Hester here because he is such a game-changer.

Arguably the best punt-returner in the history of the NFL, Hester is electric on the field.

He ranks first in the NFL for punt return average.

You can be outplaying the Bears and Devin Hester will change all of that in one play. And while we don't play Chicago often, that's still scary for Pats fans.

Green Bay Packers: Aaron Rodgers

This one comes from a place of admitted bitterness: Aaron Rodgers stole Tom Brady's thunder.

Rodgers followed up his 2010 Super Bowl win with a near-perfect 2011 season.

While the Packers remained undefeated throughout the first 14 games of last year, it was popular to draw comparisons between Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady.

And as Green Bay inched toward perfect, Pats fans became nervous that their perfect season would be one-upped.

Imagine if Aaron Rodgers went 16-0 and then accomplished in the playoffs what Tom Brady could not?

Rodgers made it easy for us to root against him.

Minnesota Vikings: Adrian Peterson

It would be nice if the Patriots could possess the ground game that Adrian Peterson brings to the table.

He has rushed for over 1,000 yards in every season of his NFL career (except for this most recent one, when an injury made him sit out a quarter of the year).

Peterson is one of those players who's incredible to watch. And while I'm sure he's great to cheer for, we just can't when he's not on our team.

Atlanta Falcons: Dunta Robinson

Dunta Robinson gets nasty on the field.

In the 2010 season, he took out a defenseless DeSean Jackson with a hit that changed league rules.

Last year, he performed an encore, going helmet-to-helmet to flatten Jeremy Maclin.

The Patriots are well-served avoiding dirty players. Keep Robinson away from our receivers, thank you very much.

Carolina Panthers: Jeremy Shockey

Dislike for Jeremy Shockey is probably more of a league-wide phenomenon than Patriot-specific, but it's fair to assume that Pats fans will join me in hating the Carolina Panthers tight end.

Shockey's words drip with bravado and bombast. And if the tight end gets beat on the field, it only fuels his post-game banter.

Last season against the Texans, the Shockey endured a less-than-flattering hit laid on him by DeMeco Ryans.

In a post-game interview, the Carolina tight end pretended not to remember Ryans' name, referencing the linebacker only to detail a play in which he evaded Ryan to get into the end zone.

Oh, and Shockey also made the bizarre choice to accuse Houston's bench of disrespecting America by not standing at attention while the Star-Spangled Banner was playing.

Was it really Houston's National Anthem etiquette that peeved the tight end? Or was he still fuming over the embarrassing blow he took?

New Orleans Saints: Jimmy Graham

Jimmy Graham ranked second in the NFL last season for receiving yards by a tight end with 1,310.

Rob Gronkowski just managed to edge him out, hauling in 1,327.

With the Gronk on our team, we've got to hate Graham.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Albert Haynesworth

There's a lot to dislike about Albert Haynesworth.

His baggage includes arrest warrants, sexual assault charges and a nasty attitude.

In 2006, Haynesworth stripped Andre Gurode of his helmet right before intentionally stomping on his face. The Dallas center needed 30 stitches to close up seven lacerations.

But Bill Belichick took a leap of faith last season, signing the washed-up defensive lineman to a two-year deal despite his reputation and declining performance.

Haynesworth produced little for the Pats and was cut in early November of last year.

To New England, Haynesworth is nothing but a disappointing investment and we hate to see him.

San Francisco 49ers: Kyle Williams

If only Kyle Williams had superglue hands like David Tyree in Super Bowl XLII.

The San Francisco punt returner fumbled an overtime punt against the Giants in this year's NFC Championship, giving them the ball just four yards outside of the red zone.

Why, Kyle Williams, why?

Pats fans will forever be flustered by their two Super Bowl losses at the hands of New York. And we can find the perfect scapegoat in Kyle Williams.

Arizona Cardinals: Larry Fitzgerald

Not only is Larry Fitzgerald one of the best wide receivers in the league, but there are few Pats in our secondary who can stop him.

That's enough to put the wide receiver up on this list.

Seattle Seahawks: Marshawn Lynch

It's tough to warm up to old AFC rivals.

Despite wearing a Seahawks jersey, Pats fans still can't wash the bitter taste from their mouths when seeing former Buffalo Bill Marshawn Lynch play.

St. Louis Rams: Brandon Lloyd

Don't get me wrong, Patriots fans have nothing against Brandon Lloyd. We just hate to see him in a St. Louis jersey.

Pats fans have good reason to covet the unrestricted free agent.

Lloyd would add a much-needed deep threat to the Patriots' offense.

Further, Lloyd has achieved success under New England offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels. With McDaniels as his coach, Lloyd led the NFL in receiving yards in 2010.

Lloyd followed McDaniels from the Broncos to the Rams, so it would only be natural for the wide receiver to jump ship to the Pats.