Bill Simmons expanded his partnership with FanDuel TV for the NFL season. The longtime New England Patriots homer joined Rob Gronkowski and Kay Adams for an Up and Adams segment Wednesday, where he told Gronk he was just his second-favorite Patriot ever.
“Well, Steve Grogan from the ’70s and ’80s, he played with a neck brace,” Simmons explained. “He played quarterback with a neck brace.”
Even the oustpoken Gronkowski didn’t try to push back on Simmons’ favoritism.
“And I only played with an arm brace,” Gronkowski retorted. “I can’t argue with that. I’ll take number two.”
https://twitter.com/UpAndAdamsShow/status/1699474116103766418?s=20
Simmons, who got his start as the “Boston Sports Guy” nearly three decades ago, holds somewhat of a trump card debating all-time Patriots. But Grogan, despite the tough-guy imagery of that neck brace, had more interceptions than touchdowns in his career and only led New England to the playoffs four times in 15 seasons.
Gronkowski, on the other hand, retired sixth all-time among tight ends in receiving yards and third in touchdowns. He played in 22 playoffs games during the Patriots dynasty and went 3-2 in the Super Bowl. It seems like that should be enough to overcome not wearing a neck brace, but Gronk let Simmons make his point.
Reagrdless, it’s fascinating to see these two on FanDuel’s streaming service talking football. Simmons once featured on ESPN’s NBA studio show, and Gronkowski played in the Super Bowl two years ago. Both recently struck new deals with the operator as it attempts to make inroads in the content game.
Maybe if they pair up for more segments throughout the season, Gronk can eventually jump to the top of Simmons’ all-time list.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.