The Knocks Bum

This is the seventh season of one of my favorite shows on television. Hard Knocks gives you a rare in depth look at an NFL team’s training camp. In previous years they have peeked in on the Ravens (the year after they won the super bowl), as well as the Jaguars, Cheifs, and the Cowboys twice. Not since the first season (Ravens) has HBO had the opportunity to cover a team that has a legitimate shot at winning the super bowl.

The New York Jets and their gregarious head coach Rex Ryan are front and center, and as of the first episode they do not disappoint.

In the past the series has been reverted to teams that really had no personality or any shot at any success in any of their respective seasons. The Jets have both, personality and promise. A flashy young quarterback, a veteran pro bowl running back, the drama of their biggest star holding out, and plenty of other characters. However the best part of the whole three ring circus is head coach Rex Ryan.

Ryan is a member of an old school football family. His dad Buddy Ryan was instrumental in some of the best defenses in NFL history. The Jets defense that held the Colts to seven points in Super Bowl III, earned Buddy his first ring. He was also the defensive coordinator for the Vikings infamous “Purple People Eaters” of the 1970s, as well as, the defensive coordinator for what some consider being arguably the best NFL defense ever, the 1985 Chicago Bears. That’s where Buddy got his second ring. Buddy was always a tumultuous guy; he even got into a fist fight with Mike Ditka in ’85, at halftime of the Bears only loss of the season to the Dolphins. It looks as if Rex is an apple that hasn’t fallen far from the tree.

It’s great watching Ryan deal with his players and personnel, especially seeing how the whole organization is trying to help him stay on his well needed diet. He is fined every time he cheats.

This season will focus on some of the stars like Mark Sanchez, Jason Taylor, Bart Scott, Kris Jenkins (returning from injury), and of coarse the biggest question of all. Will Darrelle Revis report to training camp?

Then there are the players we never even know about. There are plenty of undrafted free agents that are battling for a spot on the team. It’s great to see them competing for their positions, but it’s heart breaking when you have to watch to coaches sit down the players down to explain why they are getting cut.

There are also the rookies that are thrown into a brand new world and seeing how they are learning all about how the NFL can be so much different then college ball.
Seeing all these athletes in this environment is a rare treat. For me it’s kind of like getting to go into the batcave. Before this type of show came about, training camp was pretty much a mystery for most of us. Now we get to see what an organization has to do to put together a solid foundation, and see if that groundwork can hold up all of the pressure of being winners and eventually champions.