HBO Hard Knocks

HBO has always offered a variety of captivating dramas, comedies and documentaries. The sports documentary series Hard Knocks (in partnership with NFL Films) is no exception. The show captures the routine of both players and coaches during training camp and pre-season games as they prepare for the upcoming season. It gives football fans an inside look at team operations, practice, contract negotiations, the “grind” players endure to keep their spot on the team and prove their worth, the battle for positions, the adjustments rookie players must make as well as a glimpse into the players’ personal lives. The show has won three Sports Emmy Awards, one in 2009 and two in 2010.

Hard Knocks first premiered in 2001 featuring the Baltimore Ravens. Since then, the following teams have been featured: Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets and Miami Dolphins. The Cowboys and Bengals have each been featured twice. Due to uncertainty with the NFL’s labor situation in 2011, Hard Knocks was not produced. The NFL implemented rules in 2013 listing reasons a team is eligible to avoid Hard Knocks if they wish: if they have a new head coach, if they have reached the playoffs in the past two seasons, or if they have appeared on Hard Knocks within the past 10 years.

Hard Knocks enters its ninth season this year, featuring the Atlanta Falcons. 2014 will be the Falcons’ seventh season under head coach, Mike Smith. The Falcons have made playoff appearances in 4/6 of the past seasons under Smith. This season should have plenty of exciting directions for storylines including anticipation around returning high-profile veterans like Matt Ryan and Roddy White, the recovery path of superstar Julio Jones after a season-ending foot injury last October, and integration of the Falcons’ sixth draft pick, offensive lineman, Jake Matthews. This season will also feature the team’s trip to Texas for a combined practice with the Houston Texans prior to their pre-season game at NRG Stadium on August 16.

HBO’s film crew will shoot more than 1500 hours of footage with unlimited access for the series. Hard Knocks premieres August 5 at 10:00 p.m. EST on HBO.

Falcons Fanatics: Anticipation in Atlanta

With just a little over three months to go until kickoff and the NFL draft taking place two weeks ago, football fans nationwide are starting to get pumped again as teams gear up for another exciting season! Will our team improve from last year? Can we dominate again? How will we stack up against our division rivals? These are just a few questions fans ask themselves in the off season each year, anticipating what’s to come. It’s a chance for new hope for those teams who didn’t deliver and a continued optimism for those that performed well, eager to continue the streak in the upcoming season.

After the excitement of the 2012-13 NFL season, last year, a season that was dominated by losses and plagued by injuries, was an unfavorable one for the Atlanta Falcons who went just 4-12. Falcons fans also had to face the reality that it was in fact Tony Gonzalez’s final season.

General Manager, Thomas Dimitroff, made some moves in free agency including the addition of Devin Hester, WR; Dwight Lowry, S; and John Wilson, CB. There was a lot of speculation that the Falcons would trade up from their No. 6 pick in this year’s draft in order to get Jadeveon Clowney, DE out of South Carolina, who would be an asset to any squad. The Falcons chose to stay at No. 6 and selected offensive tackle Jake Matthews from Texas A&M, a selection widely praised by football analysts and fans across the nation. Additional draft picks by the Falcons included: Devonta Freeman, RB; Marquis Spruill, LB; Dezmen Southward, S; Prince Shembo, LB; Ricardo Allen, CB; Yawin Smallwood, LB; Ra’Shede Hageman, DT and Tyler Starr, LB.

Wide receiver Roddy White has one year remaining on his current contract and after suffering a season-ending foot injury last year, wide receiver Julio Jones is gearing up for next season. The Falcons report Jones is progressing well in his recovery and the team appears to be confident as they recently exercised their 2015 contract option on him. 

Dimitroff and head coach, Mike Smith, certainly have their work cut out for the 2014-2015 season with “rebuilding” as the primary goal. With a game in London next year, games against opponents such as the Steelers, Ravens and Packers, and a state-of-the-art stadium just a few seasons away, there is major anticipation in Hotlanta about the Dirty Birds right now. It’s time to Rise Up!