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Bears remain undeniable favorites for HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks’ offseason documentary despite Giants’ inclusion originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
HBO and NFL Films announced Wednesday they will release a new version of the notable offseason documentary “Hard Knocks” on July 2 with the Giants as the prime subject for the show.
No, this is not the notorious “offseason” version of the show. This series version aims to go behind the scenes with the Giants from the end of the 2023 regular season leading up to the summer.
That means the Bears — who are undeniably the front-runner to be named the subject for the offseason version — are still in the running to be selected.
NFL teams don’t have to participate in the documentary, necessarily. Teams can decline to participate in the production, as they usually do. However, the NFL has rules to force a team to participate, even if they declined.
To force a team to participate, a team must meet these three criteria:
1) The team does not have a new head coach
2) The team has not made the playoffs in the previous two seasons
3) The team hasn’t been on “Hard Knocks” in the past 10 years
Only three teams fit the bill this offseason: the Broncos, Saints and Bears. The Bears have been crystal clear in previous offseasons about their disinterest in participating. At the NFL owners meetings in Orlando in late March, Bears chairman George McCaskey reiterated the team’s apathy.
“We’re told there is some interest in other teams being on the program and we welcome that interest,” McCaskey said.
MORE: Bears talk “Hard Knocks” eligibility at NFL owners meetings
It’s hard to believe, barring a team volunteers to become the subject, that the league won’t force the Bears to be the next subject of the offseason documentary. At this juncture, the Bears have built up one of the most intriguing storylines in the entire league.
Let’s recap.
At the 2024 NFL Draft, the Bears capped off likely the final major highlight of their offseason,…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/bears-remain-undeniable-favorites-hbos-193458216.html
Author : NBC Sports Chicago
Publish date : 2024-05-15 19:34:58
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