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What is Hard Knocks?
The NFL's Hard Knocks is a reality sports documentary series, arguably the first-ever sports-based reality series. The show is produced by NFL Films and HBO and airs on the HBO channel. Hard Knocks' premise is that the camera crew follows an NFL team throughout training camp and the preseason. It includes aspects and stories from the personal and professional lives of players and coaches. The main storylines often revolve around the team's top draft picks, as well as undrafted free agents and journeymen on the brink of being released. A popular segment on Hard Knocks is starting to see a player's live reaction to being released or securing a roster spot.
Creation of Hard Knocks
The show's first season aired in 2001 but then took a hiatus after the 2002 season and started again in 2007. (There was no season in 2011 due to no teams volunteering with the NFL's labor situation). Hard Knocks' creator is Marty Callner, who directed music videos for the likes of Aerosmith and ZZ Top. The narration of the show is done by Liev Schreiber, who is well-known for being the lead in Showtime's Ray Donovan. The 2007 season was narrated by actor Paul Rudd, a superfan of that season's team the Kansas City Chiefs.
Originally, teams who were selected for the Hard Knocks could decline the invitation and a different team would get the offer. The San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks, Houston Texans, and Washington have all declined an offer at some point. The Cincinnati Bengals and LA Rams have done the show twice and the Dallas Cowboys have been on the show three times, including in the upcoming 2021 season.
In 2013, the NFL enforced new rules that gave them the ability to force teams to participate in the show, if needed. A team is only exempt from being forced out if they appear on the show within the last 10 years, have a first-year head coach, or made it to the playoffs in the last two seasons.
Teams to have been on Hard Knocks
The Hard Knocks' next season will be their 16th overall and will feature the Dallas Cowboys. Here's a list of all the previous Hard Knocks seasons, what team it focused on, and one of the main storylines. The team's record for that year is also included because some coaches and players think being on the show is a distraction and hurts your season in the process.
- 2001- Baltimore Ravens- Attempting to win their seond-straight Super Bowl- 10-6
- 2002- Dallas Cowboys- Emmitt Smith's final year in Dallas and trying to become the all-time rushing yard leader- 5-11
- The show took a hiatus from 2003 to 2006
- 2007- Kansas City Chiefs- 1st round pick WR Dwayne Bowe's contract holdout- 4-12
- 2008- Dallas Cowboys- Adam "Pacman" Jones' reinstatement back into the NFL- 9-7
- 2009- Cincinnati Bengals- Chad Ochocinco's antics- 10-6 (this season won 2 Sports Emmys)
- 2010- New York Jets- 2nd year of QB Mark Sanchez- 11-5 (this season won another Sports Emmy in Outstanding Edited Sports Series)
- 2011- no season with no teams volunteering during the NFL's labor situation
- 2012- Miami Dolphins- 2nd year QB Ryan Tannehill's contract negotiations- 7-9
- 2013- Cincinnati Bengals- Rookie UDFA DL Larry Black's season-ending injury- 11-5
- 2014- Atlanta Falcons- Coming off a year with just 4 wins after making it to NFC Championship prior year- 6-10
- 2015- Houston Texans- Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer QB battle- 9-7
- 2016- LA Rams- #1 overall pick QB Jared Goff and team's move back to LA- 4-12
- 2017- Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Coming over 2nd year QB Jameis Winston's strong season- 5-11
- 2018- Cleveland Browns- #1 overall pick QB Baker Mayfield- 7-8-1
- 2019- Oakland Raiders- Antonio Brown's drama with frostbite and helmet issues- 7-9
- 2020- LA Rams and LA Chargers- releasing RB Todd Gurley/Chargers' first non-Rivers season- 10-6/7-9 (The Steelers were originally going to be forced to do this season before both LA teams volunteered and the show put them both in a single season. Pittsburgh has been vocal about not wanting to be on Hard Knocks).
The Dallas Cowboys are being followed by this year's Hard Knocks. A possible storyline would be Dak Prescott's rehab or the contract negotiations with Leighton Vander Esch. The Hard Knocks season premiere is Tuesday, August 10th, 2021 and you can watch on HBO. Each season has had five episodes in the past, each one 55 minutes long.
