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Jets coach not interested in 'Hard Knocks' appearance
New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh Tom Horak-USA TODAY Sports

Jets coach has no interest in being featured on 'Hard Knocks'

The NFL has yet to announce which team will be featured on HBO's Hard Knocks documentary this training camp, and the New York Jets are hoping they are not the lucky team to get that honor. 

Jets head coach Robert Saleh made that point very clear on Friday saying he has no interest in having that circus come to town. 

Most head coaches probably share that feeling because the documentary series, while fascinating for fans, has to be a distraction for the day-to-day operations of a football team going through training camp and the preseason. 

The Jets were featured on the show once before and it produced some wild drama as the team had just acquired Santonio Holmes in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers and was going through a maddening contract negotiation with superstar cornerback Darrelle Revis. Head coach Rex Ryan seemed to embrace the chaos and the attention, but that is sort of what he does anyway. 

Of course, the Jets do not really have a say in the matter. If the NFL says they are the subject of the show this year, then they are going to be the subject of the show.

There would be plenty of reason for the NFL to want that.

Not only are the Jets a team in the NFL's biggest media market, there is a ton of intrigue around this team this season. They have a talented young roster on both sides of the ball, and made one of the biggest offseason moves in the league to trade for future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

The Rodgers angle alone would be enough for the NFL to want its cameras in the Jets' facilities. Everything else associated with them is simply a bonus. 

NFL teams do not have to appear on the show if any one of these things apply to them: A first-year head coach, a playoff appearance in one of the previous two seasons, or if they were on the show at some point over the past 10 years. 

That means only four teams are eligible for the show this year: The Jets, New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears and the Washington Commanders.

Another team could volunteer for the spot, but that does not seem likely. That means one of those four teams will be getting the cameras this summer. 

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