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Hints keep getting dropped . . .
NFL.com, the league’s website, had a headline on Wednesday – “Who will be the best ‘Hard Knocks’ star from the New York Jets?”
This caught me by surprise because the Jets haven’t been announced for “Hard Knocks” yet.
The headline was a tad misleading because it was promoting a segment from an NFL Network Show called, “Total Access” and the host said during the segment nothing has been decided yet.
Green Bay Packers President Mark Murphy was asked by a fan about “Hard Knocks” the other day. The fan asked Murphy to never agree to do the show, and Murphy responded:
“‘Hard Knocks’ is a great show and gives fans an inside look at a team’s training camp,” Murphy wrote. “It also provides good publicity for the team. The downside is that it can be a distraction and teams are concerned that other teams can learn information from the show. The best thing to do if you don’t want to be on ‘Hard Knocks’ is to make the playoffs every year. The league (and HBO) can only require a team to appear on ‘Hard Knocks’ if they have failed to make the playoffs two years in a row. I’m anxious to see the Jets and the many ex-Packers on “Hard Knocks” this summer — should be very entertaining.”
So many assumed after Murphy said that, the Jets are a lock to be on “Hard Knocks.” Murphy is very plugged into the league office as the man who runs the Packer like an owner, since the team doesn’t have one, and is owned by the city of Green Bay and shareholders.
But as we sit here on July 6, still no official word on the Jets being the team on “Hard Knocks.”
Their head coach doesn’t want to do it:
“I know there are several teams that would love for ‘Hard Knocks’ to be in their building,” Saleh told reporters June 9.
I have a theory on what might happen.
Perhaps the Jets will do it, but it will be a watered down version of the show.
What I mean by that is the HBO cameras can still be at camp, however, not allowed in as many meetings, and such, as in the past.
Maybe the Jets let’s HBO do the show, but not allow them to overtake their complex, and let them do the show like the Jets inhouse production company, “1 Jets Drive,” does shows.
Yes, they get some special access to do those minidocumentaries you see on the team’s website and YouTube, but it’s very controlled, and not over-the-top.
So, you can do “Hard Knocks” here, but it’s going to be no different than a 1 Jets Drive production – a little special access, but not a typical “Hard Knocks” production, like with players getting cut on television.
Look, if you are creative, you can still do a heck of a show on an NFL team, even without being in meetings all the time.
There is a way to do it that is less intrusive, and my guess would be if the Jets finally agree to do that show, that is the compromise that is made.
July 6, 2023
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