Football Critic
Footballguy
HBO, how are they feeling and what does everyone think of 3 teams turning it down.
Per ESPN First Take
Per ESPN First Take
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Detroit Lions turn down "Hard Knocks" (1 Viewer)
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Jason Wood
Zoo York
I'm surprised more teams haven't turned it down over the years, because I think -- at best -- it's intrusive and distracting. It takes a special brand of player to be able to shut all that out and just focus as though the cameras aren't there. In terms of this year, I'm merely speculating but I have to wonder if the labor uncertainty has added to people's apprehension. What would HBO be filming? How do you not worry that HBO won't turn it into a documentary about the labor strife and have players saying, and doing things they will regret in the heat of the moment? Or having coaches and personnel executives showing the stress and strain of the lulls followed by what will be a harried preseason.
The Real Hipster Doofus
Footballguy
I can certainly see why they would turn it down. At the same time, I think a show like that could go a long way towards the Lions national reputation. The national perception of the Lions to average fans (ie not FBG type savvy football fans) is that they are still a joke. It is clear to people who are playing attention though, that the Lions are on the way up, and are easily one of the most exciting young teams in the league at this point. So I can see both good and bad coming out of it.
I do think it would be interesting to see Stafford, Calvin, the Best/LeShoure battle, Suh/Fairley/Vandenbosch, etc.
I do think it would be interesting to see Stafford, Calvin, the Best/LeShoure battle, Suh/Fairley/Vandenbosch, etc.
Dexter Manley
Footballguy
I disagree with this. I think the cameras are a good thing as players are much more likely to be more focused rather than distracted when they know they're being filmed during practice. Vince Lombardi thought cameras at practice were a good thing largely for this reason.
Tampa Bay turned it down due to the lockout putting contraints on what they were/are able to accomplish with offseason programs, saying that they wanted to avoid any potential distractions that would take away from valuable time. I would assume that this is the reasoning for everyone.
beerbarron
Footballguy
anybody know who the second team to turn HBO down was.. TB said no.. now Detroit..
I just dont see Schwartz going for all that hollywood stuff. seems way to down to earth and blue collar.. except when watching javid best youtube highlights...
I just dont see Schwartz going for all that hollywood stuff. seems way to down to earth and blue collar.. except when watching javid best youtube highlights...
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Andrew Garda
Moderator
The Jets were so awesome that nobody wants to follow them!
YEAAAAHH
Let's go get a g*********d snack.
YEAAAAHH
Let's go get a g*********d snack.
Detroit Revival
Footballguy
I'm so glad that they turned it down. All I care about is football. The only Schwartz I need is on my TV on Sundays. This just affirms to me that the Lions as a team are continuing to go in the right direction. They have not arrived yet. Let them film the Lions after they have.
(edit:spelling)
(edit:spelling)
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No Way Jose
Footballguy
I would have liked to watch HK in Detroit. I don't see what the big deal is, I mean God forbid they only won 3 or 4 games because of the "distraction". what would everyone think?
The Lions are my second-favorite team, and I would have liked to see them on Hard Knocks. But if I were the GM of any NFL team, there's no way I'd let HBO into my training camp. Hard Knocks is good for the league, but let some other team sacrifice its focus for the good of the league.
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They would have won the Super Bowl without it. Mark it down.
belljr
Footballguy
From the other thread'Doug B said:
Mister CIA
Footballguy
Question: what is the penalty for teams where coaching staff interacts with players during the lock out? I assume there's much under the table communication between players and coaches today, and that Hard Knocks might elicit an undesirable comment or two along this vein.
Football Jones
Footballguy
These teams don't get it. If I'm the owner of the Lions, I do backflips when they ask me.
Fan base. It's a huge dynamic. JJ will do it again. He gets it. And they don't even have to do it to garner a large fan base. The Cowboys are probably America's favorite team.
Teams like the Bucs & Lions should jump at the chance. Don't give me the stuff about it interrupting your work. It's a poor excuse, IMO.
Fan base. It's a huge dynamic. JJ will do it again. He gets it. And they don't even have to do it to garner a large fan base. The Cowboys are probably America's favorite team.
Teams like the Bucs & Lions should jump at the chance. Don't give me the stuff about it interrupting your work. It's a poor excuse, IMO.
Iwannabeacowboybaby!
Footballguy
The Lions haven't done squat since Bobby Lane. Their fans haven't had anything of real substance to cheer for since prior to SB I. The Lions are still a year or two away from being serious contenders, this would have been the perfect time for HK to show the world who the Lions are. This would have been huge for Lions fans.
Football Jones
Footballguy
My sentiments exactly. The more I think about the Bucs & Lions passing on this, the more I'm flabbergasted. And people wonder why some teams typically always struggle.No offense to their fans, but this was an incredibly dumb decision. It's not like you do it every year. And this may have been their only chance to EVER do it. A perfect opportunity to increase & stabilize their fan base when people are starving for football after the lockout.
Badgers Fan
Footballguy
The Lions and Bucs are exactly the teams that should be passing on Hard Knocks (especially the Lions. At least the Bucs have a leader on the rise in Freeman) . They are young teams trying to come into their own, and don't need any extra distractions. A team like the Patriots would be interesting to watch, but Bill Belicheck would never do it. Let's be honest, the Jets are a cocky bunch of guys and loved the extra attention from the cameras. Some teams just don't want it. I think a couple of interesting teams to watch would be the Texans, Falcons, and the Chargers. All of them are playoff caliber teams who have failed to each their own extent (the Falcons losing their first playoff game, being their failure.) The Texans and Chargers head coaches have been under fire for seemingly years. It would be interesting for the fans, and the average fan, to see how these guys run their off seasons. Both teams have established quarterbacks and an awesome core team, so instead of a bunch of youngins' like the Bucs or Lions who don't need added pressure, the influence of the star leaders on SD and HOU would serve them well. Having the cameras there IS extra pressure, don't kid yourself thinking the Lions need to be on TV to get exposure. They need to worry about themselves and their team, and how they are going to continue their growth. I added the Falcons because they are a team close to superbowl contending, who just traded most of their draft to land one player (Julio Jones). I would like to see how Matt Ryan and the bunch implement him into the game plan. Those are my thoughts.
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Lombardi was a fan of the cameras.
Hard to tell without re-simulating the seasons without hard knocks. You compare them to nothing with this post apart from expectations - how many teams exceed those? About half.
Enraged Nerfball
Footballguy
Good post. Agree completely.
Enraged Nerfball
Footballguy
The Bucs have won their division 3 times in the last 10 years and a SB title. Not setting the league on fire but certainly not in the same league with the Lion's futility.
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Football Jones
Footballguy
You're right, but I included the word 'typically' because the Bucs have been a futile franchise for much of their existence & could certainly use a bigger fan base. BTW, I caught the tail end of a blurb on the radio today saying something about the Falcons agreeing to do the show. Or did I hear wrong?
No Way Jose
Footballguy
Three other NFL teams aren't interested, but Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said Friday that he hasn't ruled out letting his team be featured on HBO's "Hard Knocks," The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
"I truly believe that an organization has to be in the right spot to jump into something like 'Hard Knocks,'" Dimitroff said on SiriusXM NFL Radio. "I think it sheds a lot of light on our league. This is a league of entertainment. There are some traditionalists that struggle with it, but they have to work against the grain a little bit and see that this is about entertainment. 'Hard Knocks' is a good show for the fan base."
"I truly believe that an organization has to be in the right spot to jump into something like 'Hard Knocks,'" Dimitroff said on SiriusXM NFL Radio. "I think it sheds a lot of light on our league. This is a league of entertainment. There are some traditionalists that struggle with it, but they have to work against the grain a little bit and see that this is about entertainment. 'Hard Knocks' is a good show for the fan base."
