Tag: HBO

Giants GM’s son wanted his dad to trade up for QB Jayden Daniels

Should the Giants GM have listened to his son?

The New York Giants selected former LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft. But if it had been up to Giants general manager Joe Schoen’s son, the team could have traded up and tried to land another LSU Tiger — quarterback Jayden Daniels.

On HBO’s “Hard Knocks” Schoen is seen polling his kids about who the Giants should draft in the first round. Schoen’s son had clearly done his homework and decides to throw some serious shade at current Giants quarterback Daniel Jones.

“Jayden Daniels. You only get this job once, you need to try to win”.

It’s pretty clear based on the series that the Giants don’t have an overwhelming level of confidence in Jones. However, instead of taking his son’s advice about trading up, Schoen got Jones a legitimate playmaker in Nabers at wide receiver. We will know fairly quickly if the Giants made the right decision or if they should have listened to the GM’s son.

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Steelers DT Cameron Heyward on hearing Pittsburgh was to be on ‘Hard Knocks’: ‘I hated it’

Multiple members of the Steelers are not excited about being on “Hard Knocks” this season.

The Pittsburgh Steelers had been able to avoid having to deal with HBO’s “Hard Knocks” since its inception all the way back in 2001. It was never something that felt like it meshed with the Steelers team philosophy and honestly would be far too intrusive.

But the time has run out for the Steelers. This season they, along with the rest of the AFC North will be on a special version of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” to kick off late in the season and follow them along with the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals.

This is something Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward is not at all excited about happening.

Heyward talked about it on his “Not Just Football” podcast and made it clear how he felt when it was announced. “I hated it, I don’t wanna be on this,” said Heyward.

Many NFL players love being the center of attention and so they relish the opportunity to be on camera as much as possible. Thankfully many of the core members of the Steelers like Heyward, T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick aren’t going to be among them.

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Giants were looking at Austin Ekeler as potential Saquon Barkley replacement

Barkley signed with the Eagles this offseason, while the Commanders signed Ekeler.

In case you missed it, the latest edition of “Hard Knocks” debuted on Tuesday night. It features the New York Giants’ offseason. The full name of the new version is “Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants.”

The series began in 2001, following a team through training camp and the preseason. “Hard Knocks” began an in-season version in 2021, and the latest edition follows an NFL franchise through the offseason for the first time.

“Hard Knocks” followed the Giants from January throughout the offseason as they made several critical decisions, such as letting star running back Saquon Barkley walk and making a huge trade for Carolina edge rusher Brian Burns. There was also the question of whether or not the Giants would draft a quarterback to replace Daniel Jones—one year after giving him a massive extension.

The Giants did let Barkley go but chose not to draft a quarterback. Instead, they gave Jones some help with the No. 6 overall pick — former LSU star wide receiver Malik Nabers.

It’s been an eventful offseason for the G-Men.

In the first episode of “Hard Knocks,” the show went behind the scenes as the Giants explored potential replacements for Barkley. One of those potential replacement was Austin Ekeler.

New York didn’t have the chance to sign Ekeler, as the Giants’ rival, Washington, prioritized Ekeler early in free agency, signing him to a two-year deal.

Others considered as possible replacements were Joe Mixon and Tony Pollard.

Ekeler figures to play a pivotal role in the Commanders’ new-look offense, led by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. The 29-year-old Ekeler is arguably the top pass-catching back in the NFL – an area where Barkley also excelled – and has 69 career touchdowns and 440 receptions.

The Giants settled on 26-year-old Devin Singletary, a 2019 third-round pick of the Buffalo Bills. New York general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll were with the Bills when they drafted Singletary.

If you’re interested in watching “Hard Knocks,” a new episode debuts every Tuesday through July 30 at 9:00 p.m. ET on HBO. You can also stream “Hard Knocks” on Max.

Flashback to the original HBO ‘Hard Knocks’ at Ravens training camp

With the Ravens back on the show, some football fans have been flashing back to that inaugural season.

Monday’s news cycle brought the exciting announcement that NFL Films and HBO’s Hard Knocks series will, for the first time, chronicle an entire NFL division. The AFC North was selected, and it will be covered during the reality series “In Season” portion.

This marks the Baltimore Ravens’ first appearance on the popular program since its inception in 2001.

The Ravens were coming off the franchise’s first Super Bowl win at the time.

Once again, the Ravens are making Hard Knocks history, as they become one of four teams to be in the first divisional edition, complementing their status as the series’ inaugural team selected. According to both NFL Films and HBO, the production was “the first sports-based reality series” in television history.

For the first twenty years of the series’ history, the focus was on the training camp portion of the season only. Then, in 2021, the Indianapolis Colts became the first team to participate in the in-season edition.

This year will mark the first time Hard Knocks has an offseason edition, with the New York Giants selected as the subject matter. With the Ravens back on the show, some football fans have been flashing back to that inaugural season.

The video below features arguably the most iconic clip from that first season: Tim Anderson bringing down the house with his hilarious lampoon of Shannon Sharpe at the rookie talent show.

Watching Sharpe’s reaction, as he loses his mind with laughter, makes the bit much funnier. In the same episode, Todd Heap did a spot-on impersonation of coach Brian Billick, which was pretty hilarious as well.

If you want to watch the first full episode of the entire series, it is embedded here below:

 

Did the NFL load the Steelers schedule intentionally for ‘Hard Knocks’?

The Steelers have a brutal stretch run this season, and it will all be televised on HBO’s “Hard Knocks.”

I am not a conspiracy theory guy, but sometimes things just don’t add up. When the NFL released the regular-season schedule, we were puzzled about why the league decided to backload it so much for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Steelers play all six of their AFC North matchups in the final eight games with showdowns against the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles thrown in for good measure.

Crazy, right?

Maybe not. Maybe it was all a plan. HBO is doing something unprecedented with their “Hard Knocks” docuseries as they will feature all of the AFC North, including the Pittsburgh Steelers, in the in-season version of the show. It begins on Dec. 3 and runs through the end of the season.

Why does this matter? This will mean the series will show the Steelers during the final five games of the season, which includes one game against each of Pittsburgh’s division foes, and those two games against the Eagles and Chiefs.

Was this all orchestrated so HBO gets one of the most popular teams in the NFL during what could be a spiral after a strong start? These shows are all about ratings, and it feels like a behind-the-scenes look at a struggling Steelers team would translate to huge viewership.

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Steelers to be included in HBO’s in-season Hard Knocks

The Steelers will finally be a part of Hard Knocks.

On Monday, the NFL announced their in-season edition of  HBO’s Hard Knocks will feature an entire division. That division is the AFC North which means we will get to see the Pittsburgh Steelers participate in the series for the first time.

Here is a portion of the statement from the league on the change:

“Hard Knocks: In Season with the AFC North” will document the battle for the AFC North crown during the final six weeks of the NFL season, as well as a playoff run for the division-winner and any AFC North Wild Card teams. The 18-time Emmy-winning series will deliver its signature all-access coverage as it follows the Mike Tomlin-coached Pittsburgh Steelers, who have never been featured on “Hard Knocks” in the history of the series, as well as coach John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens, coach Zac Taylor’s Cincinnati Bengals and coach Kevin Stefanski’s Cleveland Browns. Quarterbacks Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Deshaun Watson, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields will share the “Hard Knocks” spotlight with Derrick Henry, Ja’Marr Chase, Myles Garrett, TJ Watt and an array of other AFC North star players.

Hard Knocks never felt like something head coach Mike Tomlin or the Rooney’s would want to participate in but this season we will get an inside look at how Tomlin and his team do business during what promises to be one of the toughest schedules in the NFL.

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New Orleans Saints won’t be appearing on ‘Hard Knocks’ in 2024

The New Orleans Saints could have been forced into being on “Hard Knocks” again this year, but the Chicago Bears will be getting the documentary feature instead:

It’s been two years in a row where the New Orleans Saints could have been forced into hosting HBO and NFL Films’ “Hard Knocks” documentary, the famous live documentary following an NFL team each summer through training camp, preseason, and roster cuts. And it’s two years in a row where the Saints have not been chosen for the spotlight.

This time it will be the Chicago Bears going in front of cameras each week, as it was announced Thursday, following the New York Jets’ spotlight last year. NFL teams that have missed the playoffs in each of the last two years and not hired a new head coach, while having not been on “Hard Knocks” during the last decade, can be forced into hosting the feature. That’s in case there aren’t any volunteers, and the Saints met those qualifications.

But the Bears were presumably eager to show the world how different they are in 2024. Chicago selected quarterback Caleb Williams with the first pick in the NFL draft before adding wide receiver Rome Odunze a few picks later; the Bears also signed free agents like running back D’Andre Swift and tight end Gerald Everett while trading for longtime Los Angeles Chargers wideout Keenan Allen. That’s a lot of new faces, and their time in front of the cameras will give fans a lot of insight into who they’re cheering for on Sunday.

Dennis Allen and the Saints are probably happy to not have that distraction waiting for them in training camp. You can catch the five-episode series on HBO and Max when it premieres Tuesday, Aug. 6 at 8 p.m. CT.

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NFL fans were delighted to see Caleb Williams’ Bears finally get the Hard Knocks spotlight

The Bears are so back.

The Chicago Bears are back, baby! (For now)

At long last, the Bears could no longer avoid the documentary treatment. After years of giving the cold shoulder to HBO/Max and NFL Films, the Bears will finally be featured on the famed summer NFL training camp series, Hard Knocks. It’s their first time on the show. The news comes from a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Needless to say, this is a long time coming for pro football’s charter franchise. Now, why were the Bears picked for this year’s Hard Knocks?

The answer is simple: A magnetic rookie in Caleb Williams, the organization’s first real generational hope at quarterback in decades. Oh, and Rome Odunze. And D.J. Moore. And … Keenan Allen. And a defense filled with brash studs like Jaylon Johnson and Montez Sweat. Oh, and the dynamic between head coach Matt Eberflus and wheeling and dealing general manager Ryan Poles.

Need I say more?

https://twitter.com/ChicagoBears/status/1796286312904896712

The list goes on because these Bears are nowhere close to short on intrigue and potentially juicy storylines. It’s about time, folks.

You can catch these primetime Bears starting on Tuesday, August 6, at 9 p.m. ET on HBO/Max.

NFL fans were so excited about the Bears finally being picked for Hard Knocks

NFC East news: Giants to be featured on an offseason version of HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks’

HBO, NFL Films, Skydance Sports, and the New York Giants are set to release Hard Knocks: Offseason with the Giants.

HBO is headed to North Jersey to follow the Giants around, and we’re hoping the footage starts before Saquon Barkley heads down the New Jersey Turnpike for Philadelphia.

HBO, NFL Films, Skydance Sports, and the New York Giants are joining forces for “Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants,” a brand-new iteration of the groundbreaking franchise that will document the NFL offseason for the first time.

Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO and Max content, announced the deal today during the Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront presentation.

“Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants” will bring viewers inside the New York Giants organization as the team prepares for their highly anticipated 100th season. Camera crews will chronicle the team’s every move as general manager Joe Schoen and other members of the team’s front office and staff navigate the critical offseason period from January to July 2024, from the NFL Scouting Combine to free agency, to the NFL Draft and team minicamps.

“We are incredibly proud that ‘Hard Knocks’ is widely thought of as one of the most successful and entertaining unscripted sports franchises ever produced,” said Ross Ketover, senior executive, NFL Films. “To be able to expand on the ‘Hard Knocks’ universe, and with an elite franchise in the Giants while they celebrate their 100th season, is a privilege for all of us at NFL Films.”

The Giants did some good things this offseason, including drafting Malik Nabers. Still, all Philadelphia fans want to see is the reaction to Saquon Barkley exiting for a three-year deal with Philadelphia.

The five-part original series premieres Tuesday, July 2, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and will be available to stream on Max. New episodes will debut on subsequent Tuesdays through July 30.