It’s mid-June and the NFL still has yet to announce the subject of this year’s Hard Knocks, the league’s annual preseason program on HBO that gives fans an embedded, inside look at one franchise’s training camp.
The lack of news at this point is pretty odd. The NFL usually announces which team will feature on Hard Knocks in the early spring.
So what’s the holdup? For context, let’s take a look at the league’s parameters for deciding the subject of the yearly summer program.
To be exempt from consideration for Hard Knocks, teams need to satisfy just one of the following three criteria:
- You have a head coach in his first season with the team
- You have made a playoff appearance within the past two seasons
- You have appeared on Hard Knocks within the past 10 seasons
Do the math, then, and it’ll show that there are just four teams who aren’t exempt from Hard Knocks this season:
- Chicago Bears
- New Orleans Saints
- New York Jets
- Washington Commanders
But that doesn’t necessarily mean this year’s Hard Knocks will feature one of those four franchises. There’s nothing stopping teams from volunteering to be on the show, although it seems extremely unlikely. And then there’s this: The NFL has reportedly made an overture to your Gridiron Heroes about a reprisal of their performance on the summertime program.
That’s right, the league wants the Detroit Lions back on Hard Knocks — for a second consecutive season.
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So whaddya think? Should the Lions do it?
With their 8-2 finish last season, missing the playoffs by a hair, the Lions are one of the hottest teams in the NFL. Considering that, plus Aaron Rodgers’ exit from the NFC North, expectations are sky high for Detroit in 2023. That hype would almost certainly result in ravenous Lions fans obsessively viewing Hard Knocks for a second straight summer.
Could it hurt? Admit it — as a Lions fan you’re scared you-know-what-less that even the slightest thing could jinx this and upend the only genuine hope you’ve had for this godforsaken franchise this side of the Clinton administration.
And maybe there’s something to the idea that Hard Knocks could become a distraction. After all, last year, following an offseason of hype that included marquee promotion on Hard Knocks, the Lions lost five of their first six games.
One thing’s for sure, though. This is just the latest evidence that the NFL isn’t out to get the Lions. Seriously. The league selected your team to be showcased in its highfalutin season kickoff matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, and now you might get prime real estate on Hard Knocks for a second straight year.
You can take your Detroit Vs. Everybody wardrobe to Goodwill now.
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The Lions’ meteoric rise has captivated their fans. It’s apparently captivated the NFL, as well.
The league has reportedly scheduled Detroit for five nationally televised games this coming season. The last time the Lions had even a single primetime game was in 2018.