Nothing better to do: Gronk and Micah Parsons pour gasoline on their social media beef

Both Rob Gronkowski and Micah Parsons exchanged words over the Dallas Cowboys linebacker's criticism of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy.
Philadelphia Eagles v Dallas Cowboys
Philadelphia Eagles v Dallas Cowboys / Richard Rodriguez/GettyImages
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Game-managing quarterbacks became the topic of discussion this past week, with former 2015 NFL MVP Cam Newton being critical of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. Newton called Purdy a "game manager," alongside Tua Tagovailoa, Dak Prescott, and Jared Goff.

With Purdy getting NFL MVP considerations heading into Week 16, he was under the microscope. In San Francisco's game against the Baltimore Ravens, Purdy threw four interceptions in the 33-19 loss.

During the 49ers vs. Ravens game, Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parson critiqued Purdy's play, saying there were "no shots or development throws," while saying that it "should tell you all you need to know."

During a recent appearance on FanDuel TV's Up and Adams with host Kay Adams, former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski was approached with Parson's tweet above. Gronkowski called the tweet "really weird" that Parsons would be so focused on Purdy.

Rob Gronkowski, Micah Parson exchange words over Cowboys LB's Brock Purdy criticism

"First there's a saying out there, losers focus on winners, and winners focus on winning. And if you want to be a winner, you've just got to focus on winning," said Gronkowski. "It's really, really weird because in this case, Micah Parsons is one of the best defensive players in the league. He might win Defensive Player of the Year this year. But on top of it, it's a team game. It doesn't matter how good you are as an individual, it matters about a team.

"And it's weird that he's tweeting that after a loss vs. Miami in Miami, and he's tweeting that about a team that absolutely dismantled the Cowboys when they played them this year. So it's just weird to me, because he's an outstanding player and he's doing his thing this year. But you're worried about the San Francisco 49ers, and you're tweeting about them? I really don't know what else to say besides it's a weird situation and I really don't know how to break it down from there.

Dallas is coming off of a disappointing showing in Week 16, in which they lost 22-20 to the Miami Dolphins on a walk-off field goal by Jason Sanders. In that game, Parsons recorded seven total tackles (two solo), three quarterback hits, one tackle for loss, and 0.5 sacks.

Parsons heard Gronkowski's comments and responded on Twitter in a matter of minutes. The Cowboys linebacker called Gronkowski's criticism a "prime example of let's attack the person rather than addressing the topic." Parsons called out Gronkowski, saying "Yeah because it's so weird a football player is talking about football on a website where you can write your own thoughts and opinions."

Adams brought Parsons' comments to Gronkowski's attention during his appearance on the show. When reading back the Cowboys' star's post, Gronkowski joked that it didn't take long for a response before doubling down on his earlier comments.

"That's not weird, everyone has their own opinion, I've got to agree with that. Everyone has their own channel now with social media, but I still think it's weird you're worried about another team, man," said Gronkowski. "You just got to worry about what you can control, not what the other team is doing. Especially a team that you're not even playing, a team that absolutely dismantled you. That's all I got for that situation."

The Cowboys and 49ers met back in Week 5 in a highly-anticipated game. It was the then-undefeated 49ers who picked up the victory by the score of 42-10. San Francisco's offense put up 421 yards on 67 plays against the Cowboys' defense, 251 of which came from Purdy. As for the Cowboys' offense, they could only muster 197 yards on 49 plays.

Entering Week 17, the 49ers can secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC with a win over the Washington Commanders and losses and ties by the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles to the Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals, respectively. That's right, the Cowboys could help the 49ers clinch home-field advantage this week. Coincidentally, Dallas needs to win that game to keep their NFC East championship hopes alive.

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