At this time last year, there was a vocal segment of Chicago Bears fans hoping they’d see Justin Fields on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” series.
One year later, they’ll get their wish.
Kinda.
The HBO cameras will follow all four teams in the AFC North as part of their of the “Hard Knocks” television show. Yes, that means Justin Fields and the Pittsburgh Steelers will be in the limelight. Same for Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns, reigning MVP Lamar Jackson and his Baltimore Ravens Bunch, and the Joe Burrow-led Cincinnati Bengals gang.
HBO is making history by taking “Hard Knocks” in a different direction
When I first saw the announcement, I thought it was only the Browns participating. To which my initial reaction was that’s neat. The Browns have a bunch of storylines worth taking a microscope to and telling in a different way. But getting the Browns, Steelers, Bengals, and Ravens on the “Hard Knocks” program has the potential to be special. This is the first time the show is going to be dedicated to an entire division. Could you have picked a better group of teams than the ones in the AFC North this year? After all, each of those four finished above .500 last year. Could you imagine what they have in store for 2024?
There is so much star power and pot꧅ential storytelling in the AFC North:
Those are just the stories from the top of my head. This doesn’t even account for those four teams playing with the type of ruthless aggression that reminds me of old-school football. Each of those rivalries is bitter and fierce. If ever there was a division that demanded extra attention, it would be the AFC North. So I’m glad the folks at HBO and NFL Films are doing this. I think this is the type of thing casual football fans might tune in to watch.
In the meantime, football fans will get the Bears on the “Hard Knocks” HBO training camp coverage. That figures to be a treat in its own right. And if that isn’t enough, the New York Giants’ offseason will be the subject of HBO’s football storytelling. I’ve not been super big on watching HBO for football things, but this year might be different.
