If there's one thing that Boston sports fans hate, it's the Yankees. If there's a second thing that Boston sports fans hate, it's Yankee fans. If there's a third thing they hate, it's probably the Canadiens.
But still very high on that list are the New York Jets. This year, with all the media coverage, with all the talking and with all the snacking, they may have catapulted into one of the top spots.
Make no mistake — just because the Yankees are higher on the hatred list doesn't mean the Jets are regarded fondly in New England. The bad blood goes back decades, and it's only intensified in the past 15 years. The situation took a sharp turn for the negative in 1997, when Bill Parcells jumped ship from his Super Bowl team in New England to take over at the Meadowlands, taking with him some key players (Curtis Martin in his prime, anyone?).
A few years later, it was Bill Belichick who was the turncoat, jumping from New York to New England by way of scribbled-on-a-napkin resignation.
Since then, there's nothing Patriots fans love more than beating the Jets.
This year, thanks in part to the boisterous ways of head coach Rex Ryan and the team's appearance on Hard Knocks, there's an extra level of dislike that's blossoming in New England. Asking Patriots fans for their least favorite Jet is like asking a kid for their favorite candy — but here are some that are sure to top the list.
There's Ryan himself. He's big, he's loud, and as he made perfectly clear, he's looking for his team to beat the [bad word] out of ya.
The quarterback is always the most-scrutinized player on the field, and Mark Sanchez is no exception. Though he hasn't done anything directly to upset the New England fan base, he is the quarterback of the New York Jets and the former media darling at USC. That's enough to make any Boston native dislike you, fair or not.
Pats fans have also spent at least the past five years hating LaDainian Tomlinson with all their heart. A lot of that can be attributed to Tomlinson's "I am classy, but Bill Belichick is not" speech after his Chargers lost to the Patriots in the playoffs. The following January, Patriots fans got to laugh at Tomlinson in person when he stood all mopily on the sidelines, refusing to play through pain while his quarterback, Phillip Rivers, was playing with a torn ACL. The Chargers lost that game, too, and Tomlinson cemented his role as a bad guy in New England.
We can make a quick run-through of some other contenders:
Darrelle Revis called Randy Moss a "slouch." That wasn't very nice.
Bart Scott went on and on and on about how great that win over the Patriots was last year.
Santonio Holmes won't be in uniform for a while, but telling people on Twitter to "kill urself" might inspire enough dislike in the region.
John "The Terminator" Conner was just so damn awesome all summer on Hard Knocks that New England fans might hate him just for not being on the Patriots.
Jason Taylor has been a Patriot rival for years as a member of the Dolphins since 1997 (with that slight hiccup in Washington in '08). He's one of the most likable personalities in football, and the Patriots were reportedly interested in him last year, but still, being on a division rival for so long takes its toll after a while.
Antonio Cromartie — well, the people who get on Tom Brady for having a child out of wedlock likely don't think much of Cromartie's eight children with six women.
Maybe you could even hate Nick Folk. The guy's a kicker! Nobody likes kickers!
Which member of the Jets do you dislike the most? Share your thoughts below.
