Jacksonville Jaguars Would Like to Pass on Hard Knocks

Feb 23, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel stands on the field during the 2014 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

HBO’s annual series Hard Knocks covers an NFL team through training camp and is generally watched by a sizable audience. Two years ago, the Jacksonville Jaguars were one of the few teams who showed an interest in being featured on the show, but they were passed over by HBO. This year, the Jaguars are one of 8 teams who could be “forced” to appear on the show if no team volunteers. Pro Football Talk recently caught up with general manager David Caldwell and asked him how he would react if the NFL told the Jaguars they were required to appear on the show.

"That’s a good question … Our reaction would be that we would try to defer.– Jacksonville Jaguars General Manager David Caldwell"

David Caldwell and head coach Gus Bradley have been fairly transparent compared to most front offices, but appearing on Hard Knocks seems to be a bit too much as far as Caldwell is concerned.

"… we’ve been able to build a lot of trust from our coaching staff to our players and they know, our players know we have their best interests at heart.  It’s hard to build trust with cameras omnipresent.– Jacksonville Jaguars General Manager David Caldwell"

Honestly, I don’t think the Jaguars are a likely candidate for the show. HBO usually tries to pick a team with a little bit more national interest. The only way I see the Jaguars being their top choice is if they draft Johnny Manziel. Whoever drafts Johnny Football is going to have a pretty big media following and the story of his path to starting in the NFL is going to be huge over the course of training camp leading up to the regular season.

Personally, I will take any and all exposure to the Jaguars, and I would love it if they were featured on the show.

-Daniel Lago

Yell at me on Twitter @dlago89