Top Five Opposing, Former Players Most Hated By Patriots Fans

Through the years, New England Patriots fans have built strong bonds with players who’ve sported both the Flying Elvis and Pat Patriot.

Then there’s the other side of the coin.

Having reached 11 Super Bowl appearances, featuring too many playoff battles to count, New England’s had plenty of time to grow and establish some neverending hatred for players as well — and it has. Now that’s not exclusive to just visiting players, as even some former Patriots trickled their way to the sharp side of New England’s raging anonymity.

Here’s that enemy list, ranked from least to most hated:

Chad Jackson
There’s an ongoing list of receivers who didn’t pan out in New England, but Chad Jackson might headline said bunch as the organization’s biggest failure.

One of the all-time busts of the Bill Belichick era, Jackson was selected 36th overall in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Fresh off leading the SEC with 88 receptions during his junior year at Florida, New England traded its No. 52 overall selection to the Green Bay Packers in order to move up and snag Jackson — which backfired.

Jackson never remained healthy, missing his first preseason with a hamstring injury which made his entire rookie campaign a dud — 19 targets, 152 yards, three touchdowns — and birthed a trend. Never was Jackson reliable while in a Patriots uniform, suffering a torn ACL in the AFC Championship Game before New England pulled the plug and released him in 2008.

By then, it was about time.

Cassius Marsh
It’s not usual for a home player to be hated by his own home crowd, but it’s not unheard of.

Former New England linebacker Cassius Marsh needed just nine games with the Patriots in 2017 to accomplish just that. Evidently, the “Patriot Way” motto that emphasizes work ethic over everything else, spoiled the “fun” for Marsh who ripped New England for operating like a warehouse rather than an amusement park.

“You don’t have a lunch period,” Mash revealed during an appearance on the “2 Bears, 1 Cave” podcast in 2021. “You get there and you have to make time to eat in between meetings. And they’re like five-to-10-minute periods where I would literally go scoop food and put it in a cup and just crush it real quick before I got to the next meeting. It’s just like, there’s no B.S. There’s no fun.”

Marsh added: “They also treat players like crap.”

Primadonna Marsh didn’t last in New England, getting released two days after Marsh reportedly raged in the locker room over playing time amid a 17-0 Patriots win over the then-Oakland Raiders. He hasn’t played since a four-game stint in 2021 stint with the Chicago Bears.

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Peyton Manning
The undisputed archrival quarterback during Tom Brady’s illustrious run in New England, Peyton Manning went toe-to-toe with the Patriots for some of the organization’s all-time playoff battles.

Whether it was during Manning’s elite years with the Indianapolis Colts or when his body regretted not getting hit with ‘The TB12 Method” during his time with the Denver Broncos, the hatred always followed. The must-watch playoff battles didn’t end, regardless of where Manning played.

In 2007, the Patriots fell to Manning in the AFC title game, costing New England a favorable Super Bowl XLI date with the Chicago Bears. That wasn’t the end, however.

Despite throwing a league-leading 36 touchdowns in 2015, Brady and the Patriots failed to surpass Manning’s foot injury which hampered him entirely. New England fell short of a Super Bowl appearance again to Manning, allowing Brady’s foe to capture a second and final ring.

David Tyree
Is an explanation even required?

Still haunting New England fans everywhere and forever ingrained in their memories is none other than David (bleepin’) Tyree.

Unlike others on the list who needed to undergo at least a multi-game span in order to earn the hatred of New Englanders, Tyree did so through one singular play. A play that cost the Patriots a shot at history in becoming the first-ever team to record a fully undefeated season in NFL history.

Rewinding the tape, Tyree, on third-and-5, made a ridiculous grab best known as the “Helmet Catch,” in order to help the New York Giants defeat the Patriots, 17-14, in Super Bowl XLII.

At the time, New England led the contest, 14-10, just 1:15 minutes away from doing what no other team had (or has) managed to accomplish.

Instead, Tyree soiled Brady and Belichick from another Super Bowl title along with a feat that would further boost both their respective legacies.

Eli Manning
Once again, no explanation is required.

Unlike big brother Peyton, who had the talent, Eli Manning was the mediocre quarterback who was always in the right place, at the right time. That helped him make a name for himself as the only blemish of the Brady-Belichick era.

Manning was New England’s part-time kryptonite, going 3-2 all-time against the Patriots, but coming out on top when it mattered most: In the Super Bowl.

Not once, but twice, Manning bested Brady in the Super Bowl. First in Super Bowl XLII, courtesy of Tyree’s helmet, then again in Super Bowl XLVI after then-New England wideout Wes Welker failed to hold onto a potentially game-seizing catch with 4:06 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

“It’s one of those things, it’s not something I ever say or ever think about a lot,” Manning told the New York Post in 2021. “I’ve been around Tom numerous times, and I’ve never brought up a Super Bowl or our games versus them. He actually brings it up. It still bothers him a little bit, especially the ’07 one when they had the chance to go down as the greatest team of all time.”

Diabolical modesty. The perfect enemy.