The first episode of the Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Cincinnati Bengals 2013 edition of the show premiers tonight at 10 p.m. on HBO. The Bengals are used to the Hard Knocks spotlight after participating in the documentary in 2009. Camera crews made up of tons of workers have been on the practice field and in Paul Brown Stadium during each practice filming every inch of team activities. The show will certainly focus on a number of story lines and players as the weeks of training camp progress, but the opening show will ultimately set the stage for what is to come.
AJ Green Injury: This might be the most interesting part of the show tonight. There's no doubt the Hard Knocks cameras got shots of Green taking an awkward fall battling Terrence Newman for a deep ball. Green injured his knee and will be out of the lineup over the course of the next couple of weeks. Look for Hard Knocks to capture the play itself with their advanced cameras and follow Green into the locker room to meet with the doctors to get a prognosis.
Bengals pep rally/family night: The Bengals had a rare opportunity to allow a large audience of fans into Paul Brown Stadium to get a glimpse of the players and coaches in the pep rally and the following family night for practice. It will be interesting to hear what the players thought of the events and see how they interact with the fans if the Hard Knocks crew chooses to document those nights. The practices inside Paul Brown Stadium probably aid the crew in taking better shots of plays because of the increase in space in comparison to the practice fields.
Marvin Lewis: It is interesting to witness Lewis' temperament and demeanor this summer. Lewis seems to be more relaxed and confident in this team than in many of the seasons past. Lewis even said he could cut his roster down to about sixty players at this very moment. Hard Knocks always does a thorough job in following the duties and personality of an NFL Head Coach. Not many Bengals fans truly know the real Marvin Lewis because of his nondescript press conferences and tendency to stay under the radar. I think viewers will be surprised to see Lewis loosen up during the show and rave about the 2013 Bengals, a team that he has the highest of hopes for to win multiple playoff games.
Adam Jones: We haven't heard much about Jones in the training camp practices thus far, but there have been reports of the Hard Knocks cameras following Jones into his home to see him interact with his family. Jones is coming off of his most consistent season as a professional in the league, and he is expected to fulfill his duty as the third corner and punt returner once again this season. Jones is eventually going to get a ruling from Commissioner Roger Goodell on whether or not Jones is looking at a suspension because of an incident earlier in the summer in downtown Cincinnati. The Hard Knocks crew will attempt to reveal the real Adam "Pacman" Jones, a man who might be different than the perception of the public eye.
Rookies: One of the best parts about the NFL is the initiation process of players just entering the league. The Bengals have two marquee draft picks who are going to impact the team right away in Giovani Bernard and Tyler Eifert. That doesn't mean those two and the other draft picks won't receive a little bit of hazing from the veterans. There may be a few surprise jokesters on the team. Maybe even a few of the leaders like Geno Atkins and Andy Dalton have funnier personalities than people think. Hard Knocks will help shed light on what the rookies have to do when they first enter the league and some of the pranks that are directed at them in the present day.
Rich Hidy
Cincy Sports Spot
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