NFL: The candidates for HBO's Hard Knocks

Every year, HBO puts on a series called Hard Knocks, a documentary in which the HBO cameras follow a franchise for the entire pre-season, from the head coach and general manager to the undrafted free agents. The programme shows everything from how practices are conducted to how players are cut from the team. It is a widely popular show for football fans and this year should be no different, with a number of excellent candidates to be profiled this pre-season. Here, I take a look at some of the franchises that HBO should be coveting most.

San Francisco 49ers

Personally, I really hope that Hard Knocks goes to San Francisco this season. The Niners have just drafted Florida State’s Tank Carradine and South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore, two of the biggest medical question marks in the entire draft class. Lattimore especially has had substantial media coverage during his rehabilitation from one of the more infamous sporting injuries in recent history. The former Gamecock running back dislocated his right knee during a game against Tennessee in October. This was following a knee ligament injury in the previous season.

If he can return to what he was before the injury, Lattimore is without a doubt the most talented running back in this year’s draft class, and would have the opportunity to become one of the premier running backs in the NFL.

This season’s most famous undrafted free agent, British former Discuss Champion Lawrence Okoye, is trying to make it in the NFL after having never played the game before. It would be unprecedented if the British track and field star could actually make the roster, and most NFL fans around the world would be fascinated to see whether he could do it. The ratings boost should be substantial.

Finally, this team is the Superbowl loser from only a few months ago. They have an exciting new quarterback in Colin Kaepernick and one of the more entertaining Head Coaches in Jim Harbaugh. How will Kaepernick respond after his impressive first season? What will Harbaugh do to pick up his team and recapture some of the fire they had last season? Hopefully, Hard Knocks will have all the answers.

San Diego Chargers

Two words: Manti Te’o.

The most famous NFL rookie in the world right now, the promise of Te’o is sure to boost the ratings of the popular show. Everyone wants to see what kind of man Te’o will be in an NFL locker room, and what kind of effect his presence will have on the team. Even more importantly, football people want to know if he can be the player that everybody expected him to be before the doubts of the Alabama game crept in.

However, the Chargers would be stupid to let this happen. The last thing Te’o needs is yet another camera pointed at his face. He declined an invitation to the NFL draft and instead stayed inside his home in Hawaii, celebrating privately with his family. This is a kid who has become very camera shy in the last few months, and with good reason. He wants to forget about the media and just concentrate on playing football. If the Chargers are half-smart, they’ll resist HBO and let him do just that.

Buffalo Bills

The public can’t get enough of rookie quarterbacks at the moment. EJ Manuel was one of the surprises of the draft this year when the Bills made him the 16th overall pick and the only quarterback taken in the first round. It would be interesting to see how he fits in to the Buffalo system, and whether Kevin Kolb has enough left in him to fight for the starting gig. Having the cameras in Buffalo would also mean the nation gets a good look at one of the most exciting players in the entire draft, wide receiver Tavon Austin.

Atlanta Falcons

There isn’t a player on an NFL roster right now who has more people rooting for him than Atlanta Falcons linebacker Brian Banks. The 27 year old rookie gave up on his dream of making it in the NFL after being wrongfully convicted of sexual assault in 2002. He spent five years in jail and was required to serve five years on parole and register as a sex offender. After his exoneration in 2012, Banks landed with the Las Vegas Locomotives and after one season has been given his chance in the NFL. Banks has never spoken ill of his accuser, and now stands as a spokesperson for the California Innocence Project. His story of tragedy, perseverance and triumph is ready-made for television.

Other players of interest this off-season will include Steven Jackson, the St Louis Rams all-time leader in rushing yards who is trying to revive his career in Atlanta, and first round draft choice Desmond Trufant, the brother of NFL players Marcus and Isaiah and one of the more exciting players in the draft.

Washington Redskins

The ‘Skins have a number of interesting players, a fiery head coach and an entertaining owner in Dan Snyder. But if Hard Knocks signed up Washington for this off-season’s series, it would be for one reason and one reason only; how will superstar quarterback RG3 rehab from his injury? Will he be ready for the new season? Will he have the same explosiveness when he comes back? That is the only thing anyone cares about in Washington DC before September comes around, and it will make for some pretty good TV.

Philadelphia Eagles

Ever since the Eagles hired Oregon coach Chip Kelly to replace the departing Andy Reid, there has been speculation from all over the NFL about what Kelly will bring to the Eagles. Will he utilise the fast-paced, no huddle system that he ran with the Ducks? Will his practices be run at 100 mph as they were with the Ducks? Will he run an option offence with Michael Vick under centre?

Now, after the draft, those questions are all there but others have surfaced with them. Questions like is there a chance that Matt Barkley could be the starting quarterback in Philly this year? Will Nick Foles have a shot with this team? Will the 6 ft 8 inch mammoth wide receiver Ifeanyi Momah make the final roster? All these questions and more could be answered for us if HBO send the cameras in.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jags are one of the few teams in the league that will have a genuine competition for the starting quarterback gig in training camp. A quarterback competition is always fascinating to see, and was a big part of the success of the Miami Dolphins Hard Knocks series last season, when Ryan Tannehill beat out Matt Moore and David Garrard for the starting role. In Jacksonville, Chad Henne and Blaine Gabbert will be fighting it out with undrafted rookies Matt Scott and Jordan Rodgers (brother of Packers quarterback Aaron), and right now it is far from clear who is going to win. They’re all so flawed that any one of them could end up taking the field in September.

Another interesting battle will take place between two players on offence and special teams. Two draft picks, Denard “Shoelace” Robinson and Ace Sanders will be vying for time both as a returner and as the offence’s creative weapon on wide receiver reverses and trick plays. Regardless of who wins out, it will be fun to watch these two athletes as they transition their considerable skills to the NFL. The Jaguars will not be a team HBO looks at first, however. The fact is that to garner the attention of the nation you have to be relevant, and having not made the playoffs since 2007 the Jaguars just aren’t relevant yet.