Every football fan has, at some point or another, wondered what it’s like inside a NFL team’s locker room. Going on its 11th season, the HBO television series Hard Knocks has given us a glimpse of that reality. Hard Knocks captures training camp activities and preseason games of a different NFL team each season. The series runs for 5 episodes per season and always leaves the viewer wanting more.
Hard Knocks has premiered the first episode of its 11th season this past Tuesday, August 9. This season features the recently relocated Los Angeles Rams. And in all honesty, the first episode gave the viewers a glimpse of what might be the series’ most boring season.
On the other hand, Amazon Video has recently released a series, similar to Hard Knocks, titled All or Nothing: A Season with the Arizona Cardinals. Which, for every Arizona Cardinals fan, is a MUST watch! This series is 8 episodes long, with a running time of approximately 50 minutes per episode.
After watching the entire All or Nothing season and finishing a number of seasons of Hard Knocks, I’ve decided to compare the two series.
1. While Hard Knocks captures training camp and preseason, All or Nothing captures the entire regular season followed by the playoffs. In my opinion, it is significantly more exciting to see how teams handle themselves throughout the season because any little issue, mistake, or decision may affect the outcome of the team’s success.
Hard Knocks focusing on training camp forces much of the content to be centered around players that might not even make the roster come regular season. It portrays a more dramatic experience that makes the viewer root for the underdog. However, All or Nothing focuses on NFL stars and provides the viewer with an idea of what type of person their favorite player really is.
2. One of the reasons many viewers tune into these shows is to see what type of leadership it takes to be a NFL coach. Over the years, Hard Knocks portrayed many exciting and outspoken coaches such as Rex Ryan and Bill O’Brien. This season with the Rams, that excitement is lacking by HC Jeff Fisher. He is quieter than most NFL head coaches and doesn’t seem to have the ability to truly motivate his team.
However, Cardinals HC Bruce Arians really brought the fire in All or Nothing. Every time he spoke I paid the utmost attention. BA laid out motivating speeches every episode and the affect that it had on his team was vivid. We also got a glimpse of his football genius and how he handled tough situations.
3. Another thing that All or Nothing did better was covering much of the Cardinals front office and 2015 draft. It abundantly captured owner Michael Bidwill and GM Steve Keim. It covered a few scenes from inside the draft room as the front office had to make decisions during live draft time. The episode also captured their discussion on whether or not to draft RB David Johnson who broke out and became a star in the NFL throughout his rookie year.
Only a couple of rookies have been featured in this season of Hard Knocks thus far: #1 Overall pick QB Jared Goff and WR Pharoh Cooper. If you’re a true fan, you would like to see how your team’s draft picks carry out. So far, Hard Knocks has failed to provide that for Los Angeles Rams fans.
All in all, I enjoyed watching All or Nothing: A Season with the Arizona Cardinals more than any season of Hard Knocks thus far. Not only as a Cardinals fan, but as a football fan.