The third episode of HBO’s Hard Knocks gave a very unique behind-the-scenes look at the Detroit Lions.
The episode did put some focus back on subjects from earlier in the series, such as Malcolm Rodriguez and Aidan Hutchinson, while also turning its attention to some new players and stories.
Early on, the focus was on undrafted rookies Obinna Eze and Kalil Pimpleton. It’s no secret that undrafted players have a harder path to get to the league than any other player. Eze was able to talk about moving from Nigeria to America and falling in love with the sport of football. At the same time, the cameras showed that he has a long way to go to make the roster as he struggled in practice and was chewed out in meetings.
Pimpleton’s screentime had a much more positive feel to it. Whether it was him juggling in front of the team or him showing off his speed, it was clear that the Hard Knocks crew sees something in the young rookie out of Central Michigan.
The episode went on to give us a look at the Lions’ joint practice with the Indianapolis Colts.
The most electric part of that segment was the constant feud between running back Jamaal Williams and Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin. As the two continued to face off, the trash talk and tensions rose. It didn’t take long for the two to literally be at each other’s throats while coaches attempted to break them up.
The third act of the episode featured running back Craig Reynolds and rookie cornerback Chase Lucas during the preseason game against the Colts.
Throughout footage of the game, the Hard Knocks team was able to make it feel as though one was watching it for the first time and unaware of the outcome. We saw players in the heat of the battle and it made for quality television. To top it all off, Dan Campbell’s emotional locker room speech at the end wrapped up the theme of the episode perfectly.
Theres still two more episodes of Hard Knocks featuring the Lions to go and the bar has been set high after this week’s episode.