Hard Knocks owns a special place in football fans hearts. It’s our first taste of football leading up to the season and fills a void on Tuesday nights in August. There is no doubt that fans love it. Even if it is not your favorite team being featured most fans still watch. But in recent years the NFL is having a harder and harder time finding a team open to being on the program. This year there are 3 teams the NFL could force on the show Hard Knocks. The 3 teams the NFL could force on Hard Knocks are the Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, and New Orleans Saints. League rules state that teams who made the playoffs the previous 2 season, have a new head coach, or have been featured in the last 10 years.
Last year the NFL had to force the New York Jets to be the featured team. Most players did not enjoy the extra attention. The league and HBO have also started airing an in-season version of the program. That too has been met with hesitation from players and coaches. Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard didn’t hold back when speaking with reporters. The former Pro-Bowler called it “Bull S—” and went on to say that he did not like cameras throughout the facility. So the players and coaches aren’t fans of being filmed. Big whoop. The content is too good for the NFL to move on from Hard Knocks. I believe of the 3 teams the NFL could force onto Hard Knocks there are two that would be great entertainment. Here are the teams listed in order of their entertainment factor looking ahead to next season.
1. Chicago Bears
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I think the Bears should stick with Fields. However I think they will end up drafting Caleb Williams #1 and trading Justin Field elsewhere. Williams is the highest rated QB prospect coming out of college in a few years. Would love to see how he leads behind the scenes and how the coaching staff tries to set him up for success.
2. Denver Broncos
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If Russell Wilson is still with the Broncos then they become #1 on this list. The way Russ was benched this season and the news about the teams asking him to restructure his deal that would make him easier to cut or else he would be benched made waves around the league. Sean Payton called the 2022 Denver Broncos the worst coached team in league history. His version lost by 50 to the Dolphins in week 3.
3. New Orleans Saints
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The Saints are stuck in mediocrity, and I don’t really care to see how they operate during training camp. We’ve seen Derek Carr on Hard Knocks when he was with the Raiders… I don’t need to see him again. And Dennis Allen might be the most blah coach in the NFL. It would be tough to sell the Saints to a national audience. Unless something drastically changes with their roster I don’t want to see them on Hard Knocks.
