A Gronk Goal Cowboys Jarwin Won't Achieve - Madden
FRISCO - I have no idea how seriously we're supposed to take the EA Sports' upcoming Madden NFL 21 video game ratings of players; I quit playing the game about 23 years ago, when my then-7-year-old started kicking my butt.
But even I recognize that - as it has been more than a year since Rob Gronkowski last played football, and that he wasn't an especially dominant player when we last saw him play in 2017 - a "95'' seems as high (on life) as the kooky Gronk himself often does.
The former New England Patriots tight end retired after the 2018 season, lost weight, dabbled in CBD sales and the WWE, and now is making a comeback, having decided to reunite with quarterback Tom Brady in Tampa Bay.
But suddenly Gronkowski is a 95, putting him behind only San Francisco 49ers’ George Kittle and the Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce.
To put this in perspective (and again, I do not pretend to understand all of this), a 95 means Gronk is tied as the 21st-best player in the NFL.
And Jarwin? While Dallas believes he can replicate the 2019 numbers of the man he's replacing (Jason Witten is now with the Raiders), Madden is not a believer, as Jarwin is given a "72.'' That ranks him as the No. 42 tight end in football, not only far behind Gronk, but also well behind none other than Witten ("77'') himself.