NFL owners pass 'Hard Knocks' rule
New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan talks with defensive back Antonio Cromartie, right, as a Hard Knocks film crew record the conversation during morning practice at the team's NFL football training camp in Cortland, N.Y. (Aug. 4, 2010) Credit: AP
The NFL is trying to spread "Hard Knocks" around.
At their fall meetings Tuesday, owners approved a measure that allows the league to choose which team will be the focus of the documentary-style show if no club volunteers.
Certain teams would be exempt from being forced to participate in the filming:
-- those with new coaches
-- those that reached the playoffs in one of the previous two seasons
-- those that appeared on "Hard Knocks" within the preceding 10 years
So far, only seven of the 32 NFL teams have been on the series, which airs on HBO: Dallas Cowboys (twice), Cincinnati Bengals (twice), New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Kansas City Chiefs.
