Earlier this week, long-awaited news broke in the world of football that the New York Jets would be the featured team on the preseason edition of the NFL Films and HBO Sports documentary series, Hard Knocks. The cameras will be on the team throughout training camp and preseason games as new quarterback Aaron Rodgers seeks to help a burgeoning young core compete for a Super Bowl championship. The Jets were one of just four teams eligible to appear on Hard Knocks against criteria set forth by the National Football League.
In order to be featured on the show, a team must not have been on the program in the last decade, not have a first-year head coach or have made the playoffs in the last two seasons. For reference, the Jets have not qualified for the postseason since the last time the team appeared on Hard Knocks in 2010 – the longest drought in football. As a result, WFAN morning tandem Boomer Esiason and Gregg Giannotti hope the franchise, which contained many key members hesitant towards the notion, embraces the attention in the No. 1 media market.
“Lean into it [and] have fun with it,” advised Giannotti on Thursday’s edition of Boomer & Gio. “Everybody assumes it’s going to screw up your season; it’s up to you to not let it. It’s not that big of a deal, and if anything look back at what happened in 2010. Jets players and [head coach] Rex Ryan became stars and they went to the AFC Championship Game that year.”
Esiason knew that the Hard Knocks appearance would ultimately be coerced on the Jets, especially since the widespread belief was that the team had the most interesting storyline. By acquiring Rodgers and signing a variety of dynamic talent, Esiasno believes the team decidedly won the offseason. From the Rodgers trade – which came after he took a four-night darkness retreat in the Cascade-Siskiyou Wilderness in southern Oregon – to the reigning NFL offensive and defensive rookies of the year, the storylines on the team are interminable to say the least.
“I’m sure that it took so long to make the announcement because I’m sure there was some kickback from the Jets not wanting to do this,” Esiason said. “….If you are a person who is in TV and resides in TV, you look for the most interesting story. They’re the most interesting story; they are on the top of everybody’s minds going into the season.”
Since Hard Knocks traditionally airs later in the day, Giannotti traditionally has watched the episode the next day. Now that the Jets will be on and he is hosting a morning radio show, watching the show each week will be an essential part of his preparation since it is likely to be a hot topic of discussion.
“For us, it’s going to be great because we’ll be able to talk about Hard Knocks because we’re going to want to watch it now,” Esiason remarked.
Speculation surrounding the Jets and Hard Knocks has been a frequent topic of discussion on Boomer & Gio over the last month. Now that the Jets are being featured on the show at the behest of head coach Robert Saleh, viewers will gain unique vantage points and perspectives regarding the action. The spotlight remains on the team in the regular season, as “Gang Green” is featured in six prime-time games, the maximum allowed under the current National Football League media rights agreement. Esiason and Giannotti will be attending Jets training camp and figure that they could make a Hard Knocks appearance themselves.
“They would be smart if they want us to promote it like we’re doing right now,” Esiason said. “Again, they had no choice – let’s just know that. I keep hearing people calling in [asking], ‘Why are the Jets doing this?’ They have no choice; they have to do it.”
Aaron Rodgers was officially traded to the New York Jets on April 26, two weeks before the NFL schedule was released. Esiason expressed on the air that the league needed the Rodgers situation to be resolved to ensure that the Jets would be prominently featured in primetime games.
“They needed to know that Aaron Rodgers was going to be on the team so they could set up the schedule the way that they did,” Esiason said. “This just goes – the Jets – it doesn’t matter because you have to win in the season.”
Esiason referenced how cameras followed Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to capture footage for the Netflix and Omaha Productions docuseries, Quarterbacks. At the end of the season, Mahomes was hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy and won the ESPY Award for “Best Male Athlete” at Wednesday night’s ceremony. Now as the Jets look to capture a Super Bowl title for the first time in 54 years, Giannotti genuinely hopes the team can stay focused and enjoy the notoriety.
“All this is going to do is fire up your fanbase even more for this team; to get a chance to see Aaron Rodgers behind the scenes doing what he’s doing with this young group,” Giannotti expressed. “This could only be a good thing in my eyes; just don’t let it distract you.”
