Nick Piccone
On December 28, 2015, I posted this in regards to the possibility that the Eagles could be selected as the team for HBO’s Hard Knocks series before 2016 training camp.
On December 29, 2015, the Eagles fired Chip Kelly, and that possibility vanished. Why? Because head coaches in their first year of coaching an NFL team are excused from participating in the Hard Knocks series. In fact, we mentioned the three guidelines teams must meet in order not to be considered for the show: Making the playoffs once in the previous two seasons, a new head coach, or already appearing in the show in the previous 10 years.
Almost exactly one year later, the Eagles haven’t made the playoffs and are once again on the list of candidates that could be highlighted on the series in 2017.
The Eagles are always a franchise that has drama surrounding it. Even during the Andy Reid Era, there was plenty to write about and follow. As of this post, seven other NFL teams also qualify for the show: the Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and New Orleans Saints. The Saints may part ways with Sean Payton and if they do, they’d be eliminated from the list. The head coaches for the other six teams seem to be staying in their current post.
I would love nothing more than seeing the Eagles on Hard Knocks. I don’t give a damn about coverage. Seeing my team in a setting like that with cameras all around would be awesome – for me and for the site. The lead up to the Flyers-Rangers Winter Classic was excellent during HBO’s 24/7 series. Just think – we could see Carson Wentz attending Angels games as a guest of Mike Trout. We can see Wentz and Trout hunting together during off days. We can see where Lane Johnson goes to buy his supplements. JUST THINK OF THE POSSIBILITIES!