HBO’s Hard Knocks to feature Atlanta Falcons?

Rumors are floating around that the Falcons have been offered the role as featured team in the popular HBO series ‘Hard Knocks’.  Many pundits think that the Falcons would be an good team to be featured in the documentary. I am not a pundit who shares in their enthusiasm.

For those not familiar with the series, Hard Knocks features an NFL team throughout its training camp, the roster decisions, and all things about that team in the weeks immediately before the season starts. It gives an in-depth look at one team, and a perspective on what that team will do in the coming season. Finding a team who is willing to be the subject of the documentary is difficult, so the series doesn’t have a season every year. But when the series does air, it is very popular.

The drawbacks of the documentary are obvious. A team with a lot of young players may become distracted, or lose some focus during training camp due to all of the cameras and media attention that has all of a sudden descended upon them. In 201o the New York Jets were highlighted in the show. They had a lot of young players, and a lot of players who tended to be locker room problems or trouble. Their Head Coach was constantly telling anyone who would listen that the Jets were going to win the Super Bowl.

I don’t think the Falcons have any huge lockerroom cancers or concerns, or anyone who would be horribly distracted by the documentary. A guy like Roddy White may become a clown on the show, but for the most part key veteran leadership would keep the players in line and the team focused on its goals. But that’s the problem. Why take that risk? Why invite a media circus to town when you haven’t won a postseason game since the 2004 season? Why not focus solely on the task at hand, focus on perfecting your craft and getting your cohesiveness as good as it can be for the coming season.

I can honestly not see anything positive about the documentary. Sure it is fun to see the Falcons on a nationally televised series, but is that worth potentially risking distractions from the ultimate prize? I think not, and I think guys like Arthur Blank, Thomas Dimitroff, and Mike Smith will make the ultimate decision to not allow the Falcons to participate in this. There was some talk about the Falcons potentially being in the running for Hard Knocks last season, but between the lockout and other things that didn’t materialize, and I was very happy about that.

I think it would be a huge mistake for the Falcons to be on Hard Knocks, but what are your thoughts on the Falcons possibly being on it?