Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk said on June 26 that the New York Jets are “bracing” that they’ll be selected for HBO’s “Hard Knocks.”
Chris “Mad Dog” Russo was on ESPN’s “First Take” on Wednesday, June 28 and he was brutally honest about Gang Green potentially being forced to go on the show.
“They got Aaron Rodgers, that is enough of a distraction. Rodgers helps you win, Hard Knocks doesn’t help you win. I’ll tell you one thing about this NFL thing about well they are going to make the Jets do it. The NFL doesn’t want to be in that situation because if they do make the Jets do it, which they have the contractual right to do so, the Jets can say fine you can come we’re not going to help you,” Russo said on the show.
“So then HBO has a lousy show. They need a team that wants HBO to come in and if the Jets don’t really want it, if you’re HBO why go there? I think it is a complete waste of time and that’s the last thing you need if you’re the Jets.”
.@MadDogUnleashed said Aaron Rodgers (@AaronRodgers12) is ‘enough of a distraction’ & suggested if #NFL forces ‘Hard Knocks’ on #Jets they can attempt to tank the show so it’s not entertaining 🧐 + @Foxworth24 pushed back ‘it’s just going to be 5 or 10 extra cameras’ + he also…
Former NFL Player Pushes Back On “Hard Knocks” Distraction Chatter
Not everyone believes that the “Hard Knocks” experience is a distraction for NFL teams.
Domonique Foxworth played seven seasons in the NFL for three different organizations. Foxworth has successfully transitioned from football player to analyst and he doesn’t buy what Russo was selling, “Hard Knocks is not going to kill your team” he said.
“You are going to get it [attention], it’s just going to be 5 or 10 extra cameras, it’s not that challenging,” Foxworth argued on “First Take.” “The idea that somehow Hard Knocks is a distraction, you’re a garbage coach if some cameras showing up is going to distract your team from getting any better. So, anyone who thinks that there is some sort of distraction about Hard Knocks, that is foolishness.”
The Jets are one of four teams that are eligible to be selected for Hard Knocks the preseason version in 2023.
Other teams that are in consideration include the Washington Commanders, New Orleans Saints, and the Chicago Bears.
Exclusive: Jets TE Tyler Conklin Talks Hard Knocks
Jets starting tight end Tyler Conklin joined me for an exclusive interview on “The Boy Green Show” on Wednesday, June 28.
During our conversation, I asked Conklin about all of the rumors swirling that the Jets could appear on the show this summer.
“If we get it, we’ll have fun doing it and it’s not going to affect us. If we don’t get it then I’m sure we will be happy that we don’t have people following us around the facility all day. Either way, we’ll be alright.”
#Jets TE Tyler Conklin (@T_Conk1) reacted to the Hard Knocks rumors, ‘if we get it, we’ll have fun doing it & it’s not going to affect us’ ‘if we don’t get it then I’m sure we will be happy that we don’t have people following us around the facility all day’ 🤣 #TakeFlight
Rich Eisen called the Jets the obvious choice for the HBO series on “The Rich Eisen Show” and believes it is inevitable that Gang Green will appear on the program.
With so many rumors swirling I asked Conklin if it has come up among player conversations or even in a team setting with head coach Robert Saleh.
“No not really. Honestly, the only place that I’ve really heard about it is when I go on Twitter. Between players [and] coaches no one has really talked about it but every time especially over the last week I go on Twitter there is madness but I’ve come to realize that is just a little bit of that New York media.”
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Analyst Blows Up on Jets-‘Hard Knocks’; Aaron Rodgers ‘Enough of a Distraction’