At the NFL owners’ meetings last week, the collection of 32 team owners decided to change the eligibility rules for which NFL teams can be featured on the HBO documentary series Hard Knocks. Entering this offseason, NFL Films still does not have a team selected for the upcoming season of the program, following a failed discussion with the University of North Carolina and former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
With the new rules, the number of teams eligible has expanded from four teams to a possible twenty teams being available for filming. Although Belichick turned out to not be featured, that didn’t stop 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Scott Zolak and Marc Bertrand from pondering whether the New England Patriots would be a good option for the NFL Films docuseries.
“If the Patriots raised their hand and said we want Hard Knocks, I think that could only benefit them,” said Bertrand on Tuesday’s program. “I think they’ve got a coaching staff, and they’ve got some players now that would be very appealing. That would only make them look like a better place to play.”
Furthermore, with the new rules in place following the NFL owners’ meetings, the Patriots would not be one of the teams eligible for the NFL Films program. Since the Patriots have a first-year head coach in Mike Vrabel, they would be exempt from being selected for the training camp edition of the show. However, Hard Knocks does have an in-season version of the program, which will feature an entire division. Consequently, that version could land at least some access to the Patriots on the HBO series.
“If I was an owner, I’d worry about if my coach is a freaking moron,” said Zolak, thinking about the possible perils of being featured on the show. “They’re exempt; it’s not going to happen. But it would create a buzz.”
Notably, the Patriots are one of seven teams in the NFL to never be featured on Hard Knocks.
“If they don’t make the playoffs this year, they’re on it,” noted Bertrand. “They’re on the show next year. They are absolutely the pick; they will call up and say you’re it.”
At this time, HBO and NFL Films have no timetable to announce which team will be featured for the upcoming season.
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