Cowboys to make their 3rd appearance on HBO's 'Hard Knocks'
The Dallas Cowboys will be featured for the third time on “Hard Knocks.”
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Dallas Cowboys will be featured for the third time in the 20th anniversary season of “Hard Knocks.” HBO and NFL Films announced Friday that the five-episode season will debut on Aug. 10 at 10 p.m. Eastern.
The Cowboys are the first team to make three appearances on the training camp documentary series. The first was in 2002 and most recent was in 2008.
“America, America's game and America's Team had a tough 2020. I feel like this is a perfect happenstance of football, the Cowboys and hopefully the country,” said NFL Films’ Ken Rodgers, the senior coordinating producer of “Hard Knocks.” “I’m sure the Cowboys want to put their difficult season behind them more than anyone.”
Dallas went 6-10 last season in Mike McCarthy s first year as coach. Quarterback Dak Prescott suffered a dislocated right ankle and compound fracture that forced him to miss the final 11 games.
Prescott's return from injury will be one of the storylines to watch, as well as how McCarthy can rally a team to believe in him and his staff.
The show is also likely to feature running back Ezekiel Elliott along with wide receivers Amari Cooper Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb. On defense, first-year coordinator Dan Quinn tries to mold a group that includes defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and linebackers Jaylon Smith and Micah Parsons, who was picked in the first round in April's draft.
This will mark the first time that the series has its first episode air after a team has played a preseason game. The Cowboys play the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 5. The trip to Canton will also be special for everyone associated with NFL Films because Steve Sabol was recently enshrined posthumously into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The longtime NFL Films president, who died in 2012, is part of the third father-son duo in the Hall; his father, Ed, was inducted in 2011. “Hard Knocks” was a Sabol brainchild and remains as relative today as it was when it started.
“He loved what this show represents because it shows how our business and company could change and adapt,” Rodgers said. “So many people had seen NFL Films for what he had created in the 1970s — the slow motion, ball in the air, wired for sound and orchestral music style. What ‘Hard Knocks’ proved more than any other program, maybe in our history, is that we are not one type of filmmaking company. We are filmmakers that can adapt to any style, any format and on any network."
This will be the 16th season for the show, which started in 2001 with the Baltimore Ravens. HBO and NFL Films have an agreement to continue the series through 2024. Last year featured two teams for the first time when the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers shared equal billing.
___
More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.