The good people at Max have gone and done it, turning their venerable and exceedingly binge-worthy Hard Knocks documentary series into a year-round affair. Time was, you’d get a few weeks of training camp, maybe a peek at the preseason. Now? There are so many behind-the-scenes Hard Knocks entries that it’s like they’ve handed us an all-access pass to the entire NFL calendar. With this new setup, Max decided to gift us a 365-day view of the NFL. And let me tell you, it’s beyond addictive. You kick things off with the Giants in the spring, wheeling and dealing in free agency. Then you sweated it out with the Bears in summer training camp. And just when you think you’ve had your fill, they start serving up the whole AFC North division’s worth of drama during the season.
I’m a Pittsburgh guy. Born and bred Steelers fan, black and gold running in my veins. But Hard Knocks does something to you. It makes you care about teams you never thought you would. It’s like when I was a kid, playing Tecmo Super Bowl on Nintendo. I’d start a season as the Steelers, sure, but before long I’d be fascinated by the Oilers, the Giants, the Falcons — teams I’d never given a second thought to before.
