Fan and media access to NFL training camps is a double-edged sword. On one side, access is fun. Fans seems to genuinely enjoy going to camp practices and reporting what they see on their social feeds. Media members know how voracious the fan hunger is for new NFL content and gets tons of mileage out of their analysis of 7-on-7s and late-practice red zone sessions. And if you have video?!?! Click click click click click click click click click.
But one must always remember that we are in an era, despite this unprecedented access, of intense franchise secrecy. The access is measured, controlled. Teams are not going to show a single supporter or reporter anything that could potentially put them at a competitive disadvantage when they start keeping score in September. And that is what makes the prospect of the Chicago Bears appearing on HBO’s now ubiquitous Hard Knocks series this summer a complicated endeavor.
Hard Knocks Schedule
- Episode 1 – Tuesday, August 6, 9 p.m. ET
- Episode 2 – Tuesday, August 13, 9 p.m. ET
- Episode 3 – Tuesday, August 20, 9 p.m. ET
- Episode 4 – Tuesday, August 27, 9 p.m. ET
- Episode 5 – Tuesday, September 3, 9 p.m. ET
Hard Knocks is reality television, and not since the days when Herm Edwards and Rex Ryan were involved has it been particularly good reality television (if such a thing exists). Reality television thrives on big personalities and fabricated drama. The ripped, Australian deckhand and the one-arm chef both like the busty second stew! But only one can make out with her in the hot tub! Which one will it be? (For those of you unfamiliar with Below Deck, those sentences will be gibberish.)
We know what we’re going to see from this season of Knocks. Caleb Williams is going to get his time. Tyson Bagent’s dad is going to get time. Kevin Warren is going to make his way into as many episodes as he possibly can, if only to highlight his rigorous pre-breakfast routine. And there will inevitably be a significant amount of airtime given to a white wide receiver with no chance of making the roster. (My vote for who that will be is Louisiana’s Peter LeBlanc, a player I had never heard of until just now when I looked up the team’s roster on their website.)
But the problems facing HBO are obvious. First, this is not a group with big personalities. The owner, GM and head coach of the Chicago Bears are low key guys. They’re not going to be giving fiery speeches (Herm Edwards) or comic sound bites (Rex Ryan). The best players on the team aren’t bankable TV stars either. Jaylon Johnson, Montez Sweat, DJ Moore, etc. are not going to be signing deals with Wondery for a new podcast come Labor Day. There are no Kelce brothers on this roster, and that’s not a bad thing.
Second, it is also going to be a rather drama-less summer. There might be a positional battle at center, but it’s more likely Ryan Bates solidifies that spot before the show’s first airing. There should be competition at the edge opposite Sweat. But neither of those things will translate to compelling television. (Can you imagine Liev Schreiber’s sultry tones being utilized to discuss Coleman Shelton’s leverage in pass protection?) This is a summer about developing the potential of an already good roster. Barring a catastrophic injury or some off-field shenanigans, it’s hard to imagine the American television audience being captivated by much of what they see in Lake Forest.
There will be fabrication. There will be forced drama. There will be producers running around the facility trying to find conflict where no conflict exists. But this is not an independent production. This is not journalism. The NFL owns Hard Knocks, and the Chicago Bears will have approval over every frame shown. If your expectations are for moments of revelation, those expectations should be tempered. You will be shown exactly what the Bears want you (and the rest of the league) to see. Nothing more.
Still, it’ll be a football fix. A quick toot in the toilet before the party starts. We’ll all get to see the Chicago Bears do football things before the real football begins. The only mistake, and it’ll be a mistake many make, would be confusing these episodes of television as anything close to reality.