1. Bernard Pollard
Though certain players and teams have challenged the Patriots over the years, only one person has been destructive enough to derail at least four seasons for New England. Known as “The Patriot Killer”, safety Bernard Pollard wreaked havoc on the Patriots from 2008 to 2012.
It all began in Week 1 of 2008 when Tom Brady and the Patriots were eager to follow up their perfect regular season in 2007. Pollard fell to the ground while attempting to sack Brady and dove into his legs, smashing his helmet into Brady’s knee. That, of course, tore Brady’s ACL and caused him to miss the entire 2008 season, depriving Patriots fans of another season of Brady and Randy Moss.
That alone is enough to make Pollard a reviled figure in New England, but as fate would have it, he would go on to injure even more Patriots players. In 2009, Pollard caused wide receiver Wes Welker to make an awkward cut on the field, which resulted in Welker tearing his ACL and MCL. Welker missed the playoffs, and the Patriots lost in the Wild Card Round to the Baltimore Ravens.
Two years later, Pollard collided with Rob Gronkowski as he tackled him, and his thigh landed on Gronkowski’s ankle, resulting in a high ankle sprain. While Gronkowski did play in the Super Bowl, he was limited to two catches for 26 yards. Considering the impact Gronkowski had in every other Super Bowl appearance, it’s reasonable to imagine that this injury could have made a difference in the game.
Finally, in the 2012 AFC Championship game, Pollard initiated a helmet-to-helmet hit against Patriots running back Stevan Ridley, causing the concussed Ridley to lose consciousness and possession of the ball. The opposing Baltimore Ravens recovered the fumble and advanced to the Super Bowl, but beyond that, it derailed Ridley’s NFL career as a starting running back.
Several defensive players on the Steelers and Ravens made enemies of Patriots fans, but no individual negatively influenced Patriots history like Bernard Pollard.