The New Orleans Saints do not want to be on 'Hard Knocks' during 2023 training camp. That's definitive.
Don't believe us? Well, here's this.
"I wouldn't like it," - Dennis Allen.
That's from the coach himself when asked directly how he'd feel about being on the annual offseason behind-the-scenes program, produced buy HBO. But why?
"Because I just want to focus on our football team and getting better, and any distractions are exactly that," he continued. "They're just distractions that keep you from ultimately reaching your goal."
Simple enough, but there's one problem: The Saints aren't alone. The NFL and HBO have yet to announce the choice for this year's program, and the league has the option to force one of four teams to participate. That group includes the Saints, Jets, Bears and Commanders. Among that group, the storyline surrounding the Jets adding Aaron Rodgers and Saints adding Derek Carr seem like the best bets.
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Jets coach Robert Saleh echoed Allen's comments this week: "I know there are several teams that would love for Hard Knocks to be in their building. We are not one of them," he told reporters.
The series was created in 2001 and has featured 16 different teams over that span. The Saints have never been featured, but the Jets have. The Cowboys, Bengals and Rams have each appeared multiple times. Most recently the show focused on the Detroit Lions, which featured a handful of former Saints coaches, during training camp, then the Arizona Cardinals for its more recently developed "in-season" version. New Saints RB Jamaal Williams was a soundbite machine in the Lions version of the show.
If a team volunteers, they get what they ask for. But if they don't, it can get a bit tricky. In 2013 the NFL announced that if no team volunteered, they could force a team to appear with a handful of exceptions:
- They have appeared in the last 10 years
- They have a first year head coach
- They reached the playoffs in either of the two preceding seasons
For a long time it was that final line that kept the Saints off the list, but not so anymore, with the team narrowly missing the postseason in each of 2021 and 2022. The Jets' appearance came in 2010, putting them back in consideration.
In the end, it's possible that a team ends up on Hard Knocks that doesn't want to be there. But hey, it's reality TV, right? Drama plays. We'll find out soon if that drama will arrive on the Saints' doorstep.
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