One-on-One: Which NFL team deserves 'Hard Knocks' in 2019?

Mueller: Public appetite for putting bets on which team will have to give a premium cable channel all-access to its business is a commentary on the popularity of the NFL, or the popularity of betting on things, or perhaps just both.

Anyway, while it might be tempting to shine that drama-filled spotlight on Washington, especially since they’re being much less secretive these days, it would be better if HBO just jumped at the chance to cover Jon Gruden and Antonio Brown right now, because who knows what their relationship is going to be like at this point next year. Brown might not be a rookie, but he’s mercurial, has more superstar cachet than anyone on the Redskins, and probably won’t hold back if he is asked questions about Ben Roethlisberger or Mike Tomlin. Why use the "Hard Knocks" forum to generate headlines about one team when you can get a buy-one-get-one that brings the Steelers into the equation?

As magnetic as Brown is, Gruden might be the more interesting of the two. It would be instructive for fans who only think of him as a broadcaster and not a head coach to see him in his true form. You think he’s a friendly guy with nothing bad to say about anyone, no matter how egregious their error? Think again. There’s a reason that people call him “Chucky,” and Brown is going to find himself dealing with an altogether different animal than Tomlin. If Oakland ends up on the show, we’ll see if the sunshine and rainbows state of affairs between two massive egos can sustain itself.

Rookie quarterbacks are usually Hard Knocks-bait, but Clelin Ferrell, the former Clemson defensive end, should provide plenty of fodder. Not because he’s some sort of fascinating character, but because the Raiders picking him fourth overall was seen as a major reach by most draft experts. That kind of built-in pressure tends to make for great television, especially if he struggles to adjust to the pro game and looks out of his depth.

Oh, and there’s the owner. Mark Davis drives six hours each way to get his haircut, is a P.F. Chang’s zealot, and that’s just the tip of the eccentricity iceberg where he is concerned.

That said, if eccentricity is a selling point for "Hard Knocks," it’s hard to do much better than Washington. Defensive line coach Jim Tomsula and inside linebackers coach Rob Ryan on the same coaching staff? Why don’t they have a sitcom already?

Tunison: I worry that everyone has this image of unfiltered, fly-off-the-handle Jon Gruden that probably doesn't exist anymore. After the years of doing the MNF  booth and conducting the "Gruden QB Camp" segments for ESPN, the guy is far more media trained than your average NFL head coach. It's like the difference between "Hard Knocks" Rex Ryan and the one who toned himself down considerably in the years that followed. Once you've had that kind of exposure as a head coach for raw emotions, you realize it's to the detriment of your team and your continued public profile to keep it up. So while I'm sure he might have a colorful thing or two to yell at players to motivate them during workout segments, I think on the whole he'd be fairly vanilla and canned in his comments with the cameras around.

Conversely, because Redskins president Bruce Allen and Dan Snyder have been such adversaries of the media, they haven't spent that much time offering themselves up for public scrutiny. Despite it all, I'm willing to believe Snyder is deluded enough that he still thinks he's a good guy and likable, which will almost certainly manifest itself in some amusing interactions with the filmmakers.

As for AB, he's almost too chaotic at this point. In one sense, I get how that could potentially translate to good television. The thing is, he seems to be willing to conduct all his drama over social media these days. So I could see him being on his best behavior around the team, only to pop off with provocative tweets between episodes. "Hard Knocks" would have to cover those comments, of course, but because of the schedule of production, any attention-grabbing post he'd have made would already have been picked apart by the content mill anyway.

I will say, don't discount the weirdo tendencies of Adrian Peterson. He's not charismatic, per se, but this is still a guy who rode into his 30th birthday party on a camel decked out in Aladdin cosplay and has made his share of baffling comments over the years. This being possibly his last training camp, I imagine he'll have the chance to create a headline or two. And, it may be a minor thing, but I will get a considerable amount of joy out of hearing Liev Schreiber solemnly intone the name Jeremy Sprinkle.

Mueller: This hurts to admit, but you’ve made a great case against Oakland, or more appropriately, for Washington. While I’d hope that the stresses of the job pushes Gruden over the edge, he may have gotten with the times and mellowed with age. That would be a shame, but the longer I think about it, the more likely it seems.

Watching Snyder on camera calls to mind a "Curb Your Enthusiasm" vibe; you imagine him being very awkward and doing strange things, and either not knowing or caring how bad he comes off in the process. Throw in Tomsula and Ryan, and couple all of that with the fact that the juiciest AB-Gruden interactions will likely come in their second year together, after both have had time to get sick of one another, and you have a strong case for Washington landing "Hard Knocks." However, we’ve forgotten about another challenger in the arena: the New York Giants.

If HBO likes rookie quarterbacks and the intrigue that surrounds them, why are the Giants not the betting favorite in Vegas? It’s the country’s biggest media market, New York is one of the league’s blue bloods, and there are plenty of juicy storylines and subplots to follow. Maybe HBO doesn’t realize that the Giants drafted Daniel Jones, and it thinks that Manning merely has a body double following him around wearing a No. 8 jersey. In all seriousness, the drama is ready-made. Taking Jones with the sixth pick was widely seen as a reach by Giants GM Dave Gettleman, and the rationale behind the pick was not great. 

Also not great? This justification from the general manager. When there is a widespread perception that you could have had your quarterback with the 17^th pick of the draft, and could therefore have taken a better player with the sixth pick, and the preeminent NFL insider in the country can’t find anyone who can verify your claim that two teams would have taken said quarterback before that 17^th pick, the potential for compelling television is high. All the ingredients are there.

New York should be on "Hard Knocks." It’s hard to imagine that actually coming to pass, though, because like the Steelers, Patriots, Packers and Cowboys, the Giants are one of the league’s prestige franchises, and if any of the owners of those franchises lean on Roger Goodell for a favor, like say, lobbying HBO to keep their suddenly dysfunctional team away from the spotlight, they tend to get their way. The Mara family name shouldn’t make a bit of difference.