Storylines in the Dessert

It has been announced that the Arizona Cardinals will be featured on HBO’s hit documentary series Hard Knocks. The team will be on the in season edition of the series which will air in November. Had they been the stars of the pre-season version, or the normal version of Hard Knocks it would have made for riveting television. The Hopkins suspension, Hollywood Brown trade, and Kyler Murray’s contract situation would have been a recipe for high ratings. But even though some things from the Cardinals off-season may be resolved by November, what could a mid season Cardinals team looks like?

This will be two games into the return of DeAndre Hopkins from his six game suspension. There will be focus on what his absence did to the team if the Cardinals are not having a good year up until that point. We all know how much more efficient Kyler Murray is when Hopkins is on the field, how he fares in those sic games will have an impact on the trajectory of their time on the show. Will Brown, Green, and Moore be able to carry the load while Hopkins is out? Or will the Cardinals have to lean on running back James Conner who got paid this off-season. 

Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury also got paid this off-season so there will be a narrow focus on what he does with the team this season. After a dismal performance against division foes turned Super Bowl champs LA Rams, in the playoffs this is a bounce back year for coach Kingsbury. This show gives a behind the facility doors look at what goes into being apart of an NFL organization. The lights don’t get any brighter than HBO so it will be interesting to see how the Cardinals respond. 

HBO vs The Times 

HBO got run out of boxing for not being willing to adapt with the times. Back in 2016 the Arizona Cardinals were featured on Amazon Prime’s football show All or Nothing: A Season With the Arizona Cardinals. HBO is now in competition with other streaming giants so they had to take their show onto the streaming service HBO Max instead of it only being aired on cable. It’s already been proven that you don’t need fancy companies to produce good content for your team.

With each team having a social media department, Youtube Channel, and cameras, these teams already give us unfiltered access without cable or a streaming service. Teams who keep things in house while giving us access to their house though their social team are showing that the days of Hard Knocks being the go to for behind the scenes NFL content are over. I believe that HBO feels threatened and that’s why they started the in season version of the show that started last season with the Indianapolis Colts. Not only that but HBO’s take on the off-season has been so great over the years, why wouldn’t they try their hand at showcasing in season content? 

There are two ways this thing can go it could be either really good or really bad. Let’s hope there will be some drama for us to sink our teeth into on this season of Hard Knocks. I hope the Cardinals have a good season of football but I also want a good season of the show, so let’s pray for their success and a little bit of adversity sprinkled on top.