Would you want them getting that much exposure?
Before the end of the month, we should know which team will be featured on HBO’s popular series “Hard Knocks.” Last year HBO announced that the Cleveland Browns would be the team on May 17. That gives us a little more than a week. There are five teams that can’t say no.
The rule–which is admittedly odd– is you have to have a returning head coach, your team hasn’t made the playoffs the last two years, and haven’t been on the show in the last decade.
From a storyline point of view, I think we can eliminate the Lions. Nobody is rushing to see Matthew Stafford throw to a tight end you took in the top-10. Washington has a rookie QB that’s intriguing, but there are a lot of holes on that roster. The New York market alone puts the Giants in the mix. “Will Daniel Jones beat out Eli Manning?” and “How will the Giants replace Odell Beckham Jr.?” will sell, but not quite like the other two teams.
The Raiders are always a circus. Jon Gruden and Antonio Brown would get me to tune in. Oakland makes sense, but they are moving to Las Vegas in 2020. HBO would be wise to wait a year. That leaves us with the 49ers.
Richard Sherman, Dee Ford, and Nick Bosa on one side of the ball. Then you have the comeback story of Jimmy Garoppolo, Jerick McKinnon, and rising star in George Kittle. You could make a number of stories from this team. Even the most casual fan knows who Joe Staley is. Making a segment on whether this is his final year would most certainly be a thing. The Niners make sense.
The question now becomes does the team want that type of exposure? Usually teams that do Hard Knocks become America’s darling during the season. Look at what the show did for the Cleveland Browns. How about fans, how would you feel about the team being on Hard Knocks?
About the Author: Insidethe49
