Bill Simmons Gets Torched by NBC’s Cris Collinsworth Over Canceled HBO Show

Former “Any Given Wednesday” host criticizes analyst’s NFL coverage, gets “gently” reminded of his own recent failed TV talk show

Bill Simmons
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Cris Collinsworth 1, Bill Simmons 0.

During a Super Bowl XLIX rematch between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks Sunday night, former Grantland editor-in-chief Bill Simmons was critical of NBC Sports analyst Collinsworth’s commentary.

“Somebody needs to gently break the news to Collinsworth that the Pats have a weak front 7 and that’s why Seattle’s o-line looks good,” he tweeted.

Simmons was skating on thin ice considering that his HBO show “Any Given Wednesday” was canceled on Nov. 4 after just four months due to dire ratings, but Collinsworth was quick to remind him.

“Thanks Bill, we’ll look for you ‘gently’ breaking it down on that hit show of yours,” he replied in a tweet that has since been deleted (but was kindly screen grabbed by the likes of Sports Illustrated).

For those who are counting, NBC was first in ratings with a 5.5 rating/16 share in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic and in total viewers with an average of 16.4 million on Sunday night thanks to a very close NFL game.

The Patriots also lost to the Seahawks 31-24, so it was a bad night all round for the Boston Sports Guy.

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