HBO’s “Hard Knocks” series focusing on the Chicago Bears and their 2024 training camp won’t begin until August 6. But that isn’t stopping HBO’s offseason off-shoot of the NFL program from being Bears-coded despite its central focus on the New York Giants.
Do you want to watch Caleb Williams draw up plays on a whiteboard? Well, you’re in luck. Because that is one of the Bears-adjacent things that came up in this week’s episode of Hard Knocks. Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll (who you might remember was a Bears head-coaching candidate before the team hired Matt Eberflus) chops it up with top quarterback prospects including Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye, and LSU’s Jayden Daniels. Check out the footage:
I have two primary takeaways from the clip above. Firstly, it was neat to see Caleb Williams operate on a whiteboard. This is the type of content that I wish the Bears would push out on their own channels. We shouldn’t have to wait for “Hard Knocks” to barge in with the HBO cameras to give us a glimpse at what Chicago’s QB1 has to offer. The second thing I can’t shake is how I almost feel bad for Daboll. He was digging deep with these quarterback prospects knowing damn well his team wasn’t going to be in range to get any of the top tier signal callers. Enjoy Daniel Jones, dude.
THE NFL AND HARD KNOCKS: Training Camp With the Bears | In-season With the AFC North
I don’t think it is a coincidence that the Bears keep showing up on Hard Knocks
In addition to a Caleb Williams sig𝔍hting, Epi🧜sode 2 of there is behind-the-scenes footage of the Giants linking up with wide receiver Rome Odunze ():
Even though Odunze was on the board when they went on the clock, the New York Football Giants ultimately chose LSU wideout Malik Nabers with their first-round selection. Their loss turned out to be the Bears’ gain, as General Manager Ryan Poles paired the selection of Caleb Williams with the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft with Odunze as the ninth overall choice. Williams and Odunze still have to sign their rookie deals to make things officially official. But I’m sure that time will come soon.
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Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants will air on Tuesdays in July on HBO. The show will run through July 30 and is available for streaming on MAX. By the time the end credits roll on the Giants’ time on HBO, it will almost be time for the Bears’ turn to dance. Except, we’re already getting a Bears-y season of “Hard Knocks” — not that I’m complaining. Heck, I’m thoroughly convinced that none of this is on accident. The way I see it, sprinkling a Bears nugget here and there serves as an appetizer. Keep ’em coming, HBO.
