Sometimes a series needs to make a “giant” change in order to remain fresh and relevant.
(See what we did there).
HBO’s iconic sports docuseries Hard Knocks has been anything but fresh over the past few years. It’s been the rinse, wash, repeat feeling of the NFL Films crew heading to a beleaguered and/or controversial team’s training camp in August and producing episodes on the head coach’s plan for the year, with a few star players, some rookies and others struggling to make the team (whether they be rookies or players at the end of their career). Injuries, personal joys and tragedies and the everyday grind of summertime football is covered with the “New Voice of God,” Liev Schrieber, exquisitely narrating.
While the seasons are never bad, they’ve also lacked a “must-watch” factor. Unless you’re a diehard fan, do you really care what a team that doesn’t play in your division is doing in the pre-season? In 2021, the series shook things up by adding an “in-season” run of episodes, focusing on a different team. While an interesting concept, it’s a big ask to get fans to consume more NFL content when it already dominates three (and sometimes four) days of the week.
This year, however, they’ve truly found an undeniably, must-watch concept – the NFL off-season. And what better way to kick off this new concept than to cover one of the league’s oldest, and most private franchises: The New York (Football) Giants.
The Giants, who are celebrating their 100th anniversary, are a highly respected franchise within the NFL, but this past off-season they were neck deep in high drama involving free agents Saquon Barkley and Xavier McKinney, the uncertainty of Daniel Jones at quarterback and how they would come back from an absolutely awful 2023.
The series focuses primarily on Giants General Manager Joe Schoen. The baby-faced killer has always come off as cool, calm and collected when speaking with the media. On Hard Knocks, Schoen is an everyman at his job. An everyman responsible for a 250 million dollar payroll, the pressure of a crucial draft and off-season, and trying to reinvigorate a franchise that has been embroiled in mediocrity for the better part of a decade. He’s the star of the series, and watching him and his team work feels not unlike watching a scene from Moneyball. It’s fascinating to watch him balance his humanity and his business acumen, as you can see his internal struggle on decisions like the future of Saquon Barkley in every furrow of his brow.
The Saquon situation also plays for so much tension and anxiety in the season. By the time the series premiered, Barkley signed a multi-year deal with cross-state rivals the Philadelphia, so to watch the gamesmanship and strategy deployed on the decision-making process to bring him back is fascinating. Yet, this sense of dread underscores everything since we know the star RB is as good as gone.
On the other side of the coin is Giants head coach Brian Daboll who is an absolute show stealer. One of the great scenes in the series is when “Dabes” is grilling potential draft picks (ranging from Caleb Williams to the Giants eventual pick Malik Nabers) about offensive play calling and handling pressure and disappointment. It’s jaw dropping to listen to him talk about offense, interrogate a player about not getting the ball, and then randomly ask “Oh hey, what was that play I asked you about?” without breaking a sweat. Daboll also gets the biggest laughs of the season when he talks about being able to run a 40 yard dash in seven seconds, much to the jovial derision of the Giants’ front office staff.
Ultimately, whether you are a New York Giants fan or not, Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants is a must-see. It takes an unprecedented look at what has become one of the most beguiling and intriguing parts of football, and it humanizes it in a classic Hard Knocks style.
