It has become a staple of summer football viewing. HBO’s Hard Knocks is not just your typical behind-the-scenes look at an NFL franchise and the characters that make up its roster. On the contrary, it’s become a culturally iconic rite of football passage.
While NFL Films has been around for decades showing us the grit and realism of NFL football, Hard Knocks has taken this to another level. It is not merely a sports television show; it is a star creator. Heretofore unknown players and coaches have become superstars via this program.
Middle or lower-end roster players have developed into fan favorites. This is the place where personalities like Tony Siragusa, Chad Johnson, Rex Ryan, Gerald McCoy, Mike Westoff, and dozens of others have emerged from their helmets or headsets and taken over the psyche of the summer football fan.
Traditional NFL game coverage gives us a myriad of camera angles, replays, and analysis. NFL Films has shown the icy cold breath of Minnesota and the sweaty hot sun of Miami, but Hard Knocks did something more.
It is where football becomes soap opera. Call it All My Linebackers, One Life to Kick, or The Large and the Restless. There is also a lot of General Hospital, focusing on players whose training camp injuries compromise their opportunities to make the team.
The week-to-week highs and lows of summer training camp are showcased in an incredibly entertaining manner. Hard Knocks follows the miniseries format that defines the NFL season itself. There is much anticipation leading into every episode, and the cliffhanger philosophy is used to the utmost degree.
Which players will be cut this week? Who will emerge from the roster cluster to become a star? What swear words will this coach use next? It’s the place where phrases like Rex Ryan’s 2010 memorable post-tirade line, “Let’s go eat a goddamn snack!” have forged their way into the lexicon of the NFL.
Hard Knocks is a buffet of joy for the football fan. It is entertaining in a most unique way with camera angles, candid conversations, microphones, soundbites, and video footage from the locker room and dormitories.
Moreover, at-home shots of the players with their wives and families have become a staple of this much-anticipated program. Tune in and you will meet moms, dads, brothers, sisters, girlfriends, wives, and an array of player entourages.
We are all suckers for a good story, and there are multiple stories and characters within every episode of Hard Knocks. Last year’s edition featuring the Detroit Lions was fraught with examples.
Who can forget running back Jamaal Williams’ tearful post-practice speech to teammates? Who can forget Head Coach Dan Campbell doing up/downs with his players or giving us quotes like, “Doesn’t matter if you have one ass cheek and three toes, I will beat your ass!”
It is clear that Hard Knocks is an absolute touchdown for viewers, but is it the best thing for a team to do when the ultimate goal should be the playoffs and Super Bowl?
2023 marks the 18th edition of the 18-time Sports Emmy-winning series. This summer, Hard Knocks features the new look and chic preseason playoff pick New York Jets. The team has a shiny new quarterback, well actually, a shiny old quarterback, perennial All-Pro Aaron Rodgers.
Their nosy camera crews will invade Jest Training Camp in Florham Park, N.J. to chronicle Robert Saleh’s quest to get the team back to the playoffs for the first time since 2010, the NFL’s current longest drought.
The first episode premieres August 8 on HBO. In addition to Rodgers, the Jets are loaded with characters who could become this year’s Hard Knocks darlings – Garrett Wilson, Sauce Gardner, C.J. Mosley, and Quinnen Williams just to name a few.
With more than 130 Emmy Awards, NFL Films remains the driving force behind the power of Hard Knocks. But remember, this is an NFL production. There will be no footage shown that Commissioner Roger Goodell does not want you to see. NFL Films is a part of NFL Media which also includes NFL Network, the NFL App, NFL.com and NFL RedZone.
Hard Knocks has expanded its reach with a multi-episode edition during the NFL season called Hard Knocks: In Season. The weekly series delivers the same all access coverage following a team throughout the grind of the season. Last year, the Arizona Cardinals were featured.
It has long been debated what impact Hard Knocks has on a featured NFL team. Is it a good move for a franchise? Certainly, many teams have thrived after being featured on the show. Others, not so much. In 2001, the Baltimore Ravens were coming off a Super Bowl winning season but lost in the Divisional round of the playoffs.
The 2002 Cowboys limped to a 5-11 season. In 2007, the Chiefs appeared on Hard Knocks and wound up with a 4-12 finish. The 2012 Dolphins were 7-9. Their stint on Hard Knocks featured the dramatic and unexpected release of WR Chad Johnson after being arrested for a domestic dispute. The 2016 Rams went 4-12. The 2017 Bucs went 5-11, and the 2020 Chargers finished 7-9.
The 2019 Raiders had that same 7-9 record, but their Hard Knocks stint was one of the most memorable.
Highlighted by the wacky behavior of wide receiver Antonio Brown, who was released and signed by New England during the series, the Raiders featured many characters including Johnathan Abram, Vontaze Burfict, Derek Carr, Maxx Crosby, Clelin Ferrell, Richie Incognito, and now-exiled head coach Jon Gruden.
One of the main constants in the ever changing world of Hard Knocks has been narrator Liev Schreiber. The multiple time Emmy-nominated actor brings drama to the proceedings.
A Screen Actors Guild Award winner, Schreiber’s stage and screen chops are vivid in his voice. He brings a level of anticipation, foreboding, joy, and anticipation to every frame and sequence. If you were to hire someone to narrate your life, Schreiber would be the guy.
Sadly, the 2023 edition of Hard Knocks will be unlike others. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Jets will not allow cameras to show players being released from the team. He said that the team felt that such footage is “inhumane.”
Schefter also reported that many members of the organization, including Rodgers and Saleh, were not thrilled with the team being featured on the show. Time will tell, but less footage and unhappy key individuals do not seem to be a good recipe for a supposedly all-access show.
In addition, Pat McAfee recently opined that with increased team social media platforms, there is no need for Hard Knocks. I see his point but tend to disagree with his assertion. NFL teams provide little insight or vital information on their social media sites. It is very closely regulated and controlled.
Despite the changes and criticisms, there is still something special about the weekly saga that Hard Knocks provides. Starting August 8, NFL fans will be able to check out the backrooms and back-biting that is inherent in the cutthroat world of professional football. Sit back, relax, and enjoy. Who knows, maybe Rex Ryan will bring you a snack.
John Molori is a weekly columnist for Barrett Sports Media. He has previously contributed to ESPNW, Patriots Football Weekly, Golf Content Network, Methuen Life Magazine, and wrote a syndicated Media Blitz column in the New England region, which was published by numerous outlets including The Boston Metro, Providence Journal, Lowell Sun, and the Eagle-Tribune. His career also includes fourteen years in television as a News and Sports Reporter, Host, Producer working for Continental Cablevision, MediaOne, and AT&T. He can be reached on Twitter @MoloriMedia.
