Getting featured on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” is an incredibly double-edged sword for any NFL franchise.
Sure, the prospect of being front and center of HBO’s annual training camp docu-reality show offers your club free national exposure and the chance to make some new fans going into the upcoming season.
But the potential for “Hard Knocks” to turn into a disaster for your team can’t be overstated. Invariably, a player will shoot their mouth off on camera and have to apologize later. A disgruntled player’s disgruntledness will become a national conversation topic. And without doubt, an injury or a player cut or just an off-hand remark made by a preoccupied coach will make thousands of viewers think, “Damn, I could TOTALLY run this team better than those idiots.”
Since few NFL squads are really looking for that level of scrutiny as they prepare for a season, it’s not hard to see why so few teams want the “honor” of HBO crews taping everything that happens during their pre-season.
All of which makes us wonder how the Atlanta Falcons feel today following the announcement Thursday that’ll they’ll go under the microscope as the “Hard Knocks” 2014 team this August.
Oh sure, we already got the press release from Falcons owner Arthur Blank posted to Crave sports site NESN, discussing how thrilled he is to be the “Hard Knocks” team this season.
“We are excited about the opportunity to give our fans a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to prepare an NFL team for the rigors of a 16-game regular season and beyond…This marks the first time that our franchise will be featured on ‘Hard Knocks,’ and we look forward to showcasing our great players and coaches to football fans all across America.”
But amidst all of Blank’s excitement, we wonder how much behind-the-scenes arm-twisting had to happen before the Falcons would accept the “showcase.”
And no, the NFL didn’t force the Falcons to host “Hard Knocks” cameras. Under league rules, a team can be mandated by the NFL to serve as the “Hard Knocks” squad if they fit three criteria: a. no head coaching change; b. a playoff appearance in the past two seasons; or c. already appearing on the show in the past 10 years.
Only eight teams (the Bears, Bills, Cardinals, Giants, Jaguars, Raiders, Rams and Steelers) could be forced to appear on the show this season — and the Falcons weren’t one of them, thanks to their 2012 playoff run. But something obviously enticed them into saying yes. Of course, things couldn’t have gone much worse for the Dirty Birds last season as they collapsed to a 4-12 record after being an NFC title contender in 2012.
We’ll see if it was a good decision or not when “Hard Knocks” debuts on HBO Tues., Aug. 5 at 10 p.m.
