According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the Jets are “bracing for an involuntary ‘Hard Knocks’ assignment.” This is what most around the league assumed would happen. The feeling was that the NFL wanted to get the Jets on board. That does not appear to have happened, so the league instead forced the Jets’ hand.
It is understandable that the Jets do not want the cameras front and center. The last time they appeared on the show in 2010, showman Rex Ryan was the team’s head coach. Now, there’s another New York story that’s made for TV, with everyone’s favorite player to hate taking the New York center stage.
They just need to take the entire team to a darkness retreat. Then say that instead of going thru training camp, everyone is going to be in total darkness for the duration. Then when the crew is asleep, sneak out and go back to training camp.
I think part of it - or at least how I would look at it if I were an owner / GM / coach - is where is the team? Is it a team ready to take strides and improve? Or is it a team ready to try and win.
Not that the Lions wanted to lose last year; what I mean is I think even the FO in Allen Park would say that last year was more about improving on a 3-win team over the course of the season.
This year, everybody in AP would tell you this is a team ready to win-win.
To me that’s the difference of having a camera crew / distraction around or not. I don’t blame the Jets. They almost made the playoffs last year if their QB hadn’t lost his mind. I wouldn’t want it this year if I were either the Jets or the Lions.
As a fan, the fact the Lions only won 3 games the year before was the key to me being okay with them doing it last year.
I don’t even think it’s much a distraction. They focus most of the time on fringe roster players that often don’t even make the team. Like how much air time did Goff and Ben Johnson get last year!? Almost none that I can remember.
I’ve also read that teams can veto what goes on air. So, if they don’t like the way something looks, they can edit it out. It’s not like it’s a live stream, which would be must see TV by the way.
I agree that it’s not as much a distraction. Also I think being on HK ingratiated us to a whole new national fan base. One more season with us actually volunteering probably would have solidified that.
Having the Jets on Hard Knocks will be fascinating, if only to see how many iterations of stink-face Aaron Rodgers has mastered. I hope he doesn’t save any of them for the regular season. It would be a shame if he coasts with his standard resting bitch face for the preseason cameras.
