Pollard said he doesn't care what people think of him in the New England region.
Baltimore Ravens strong safety Bernard Pollard (31) reaches for New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez (81) during the second half of the AFC Championship NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012, in Foxborough, Mass. You probably won't be shocked to learn that Baltimore Ravens safety Bernard Pollard hates the Patriots.
Fresh off a disheartening 23-20 loss to the New England in Sunday’s AFC Championship game, Pollard is hoping that the New York Giants administer a painful beating on the “dinking and dunking” Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI.
“I really hope the Giants – I just hope they put a thrashing on the Patriots,” he told KILT radio station in Houston (hat tip to SportsRadioInterviews.com).
Pollard likes the matchup for the Giants and doesn’t see the Patirots’ offense working against New York’s various weapons on defense.
“You've got to look at what do the Giants have?” he said. “They've got a front four that is relentless. They've got a secondary that is really, really good. They've got a linebacking core that has been with them. The dinking and the dunking man? It’s just not going to happen. They are going to have to take shots down the field. I think the Giants watch our film and watch the film of the season. They've got to take away their big-time players."
Over the years, Pollard has come to be known as a “Patriot killer” after previously injuring Tom Brady and Wes Welker, and is back in New England fans’ crosshairs after injuring Rob Gronkowski’s left ankle Sunday. Asked about his reputation in this region, he said he doesn’t care what fans think of him.
“Oh man, that is fine and dandy," Pollard said of his . "Like I said to a lot of people, it is part of the game and this is what happens. If you don’t like it? So what. I am going to go out there and I am going to play me.”