[St. Loser Fan]

[Elvis]

That's awesome. Almost certainly no fans at camp, more access is good...

[Mr. Sparkle]

This will be a strange one.
Probably no fans at camp.
Probably less about football than in the past.
If Kap is on the Chargers it will pull all the wind out of the Rams sails.
Might be no pre season games or without fans or?
Probably will be very high ratings.

[Elvis]

[Elvis]

[St. Loser Fan]

We might actually get less off the field family at home stuff. How many players/wives/girlfriends will want camera crews coming into their homes?

[Hacksaw]

We might actually get less off the field family at home stuff. How many players/wives/girlfriends will want camera crews coming into their homes?

That's a good point and the teams might not want that extra risk for their players either...
Otherwise the more Rams football the better.

To another point made above, I'm not sure CK will make the Chargoffs let alone distract much. This whole SD thing is a bummer though. They are getting far to much credit for contributing next to nothing.

[Elvis]

https://theathletic.com/1880854/2020/06 ... eyll-show/

The Rams are on ‘Hard Knocks’ (again). Here’s what we hope they’ll show


By Jourdan Rodrigue Jun 18, 2020

Popular HBO docu-series “Hard Knocks” is back — well, as long as the NFL is still on for training camp — and this season will feature two teams for the first time ever. If you’re reading this, you know the Rams are one of them — a push alongside the also-featured Chargers, perhaps, for a little exposure of the SoFi Stadium project that is scheduled to be ready for football in the fall.

And, perhaps, a little marketing push for the teams themselves as they continue to establish an identity in a major sports-crowded Los Angeles market.

“I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t begging for it,” Chargers general manager Tom Telasco said with a laugh (for context, normally “football people” don’t really care for cameras constantly to be underfoot as they game plan and roster tweak).

“I realize the bigger picture involved here … It’s a unique opportunity, especially doing it with the Rams, to have everybody see what the culture of football in Los Angeles is really like.”

I like “Hard Knocks,” and I like “All or Nothing,” a similar concept that runs on Amazon Prime. I covered the Panthers during their debut on the latter show last year, and upon watching it, was strongly reminded that while directors and promoters promise candid access, there still have to be compelling narratives, there is still a fair amount of marketing that takes place — and showrunners still do very much collaborate with the team, in some cases to ensure the wrong secrets don’t get spilled. In Carolina, the series was a partner with NFL Films and some plot points were even manufactured by public relations.

Though NFL Films will also partner with the Rams for “Hard Knocks,” here’s hoping we see something much more organic in California.

With that in mind, I’d like to see these storylines play out:

A realistic look at COVID-19 testing, and how the teams are dealing with the pandemic
HBO said on Thursday that it is fully ready to adhere to any and all NFL health guidelines in light of the pandemic, but is also preparing to execute its filming and editing as if training camp were going to be on schedule. The pandemic will also undoubtedly be a major storyline throughout the season, but how will HBO show it?

Hopefully with transparency. There is so much unknown about what will happen in the next few months. But as people around the country assess how to take care of themselves and each other, the NFL and “Hard Knocks” have been given an opportunity on a major platform to demonstrate how it could, and perhaps should, be done.

Chargers coach Anthony Lynn indicated that he wanted exactly that.

“I think we have to be very transparent in just showing people how we’re taking care of one another, and how we’re trying to do this safely,” he said. “Just being a good example for our community and the rest of our country.”

Yet neither Lynn nor Rams coach Sean McVay — nor the HBO representatives present on the call — were willing to commit directly to showing the testing process for players, instead saying they would of course capture film of these moments — but that conversations about actually showing it are ongoing. What about wearing masks, and practicing social distancing — as directed Thursday throughout the state of California by Gov. Gavin Newsom? What about continuing the conversation about the act of doing so — not as a chore, but as an act of caring for others? How about highlighting all of the unsung heroes, like cleaning staff, equipment managers, team doctors — all who will work tirelessly through the fall to keep people safe?

How will teams continue the conversation around social justice in training camp?
As The Athletic reported over the last two weeks, players and coaches across the league are continuing the dialogue around social justice, race and police brutality and working in various ways to help affect change. How will HBO portray that in training camp?

A deeper look at SoFi Stadium
This, of course, is inevitable. “Hard Knocks” will be a prime marketing space for the brand-new SoFi Stadium and all of its features, and particularly will be helpful in place of the in-person tours the team had initially been planning for until the pandemic happened. I’d like to see some acknowledgment of any outreach that may have been provided to the family of the worker who tragically died after a fall from a roof during construction, and also the outreach within the communities surrounding the stadium that will be changed forever by its construction. The Rams have several community programs in place in that regard; I’d love to get a more behind-the-scenes look.

Lynn and McVay, two rising stars in the coaching ranks
What are their similarities and differences in their approaches? How do they hold each room they’re in? I love the idea of featuring both of these coaches, who both operate in the same city, and the same stadium, and highlighting not only their respective philosophies but also how they view each other as peers.

More Brandon Staley
Staley is one of the more intriguing coaching personnel changes made, really, by any team in recent years, even by his background alone. Between that, and players’ tales of his energy even on Zoom meetings to his understanding of play design and how he’ll square off with McVay in the chess match of each training camp scrimmage, Staley is a fascinating subject as a first-year defensive coordinator … who has yet to call a full game.

Speaking of defense, the Rams are rebuilding their second tier — at least where inside linebacker is concerned. Staley himself said that it will be a “battle” between several promising, yet unproven players, and I’m hoping we will see much of that unfold behind the scenes, as the young coordinator works to find his “quarterback of the defense.”

A few more:

I have a feeling that rookie second-round draft pick Cam Akers will be featured pretty heavily alongside the rest of the running backs room this summer, because he’s the heir apparent to former star Todd Gurley — and everybody knows how much McVay loves to set up his play action using the run.

Quarterback Jared Goff also will probably be featured heavily, but in what way will HBO frame his narrative? Is he the young adult growing into the weight of the franchise on his shoulders? Is he the cocksure team leader whose day-one presence makes it clear he’s about to earn his contract? Is he the guy with the chip of missed 2019 expectations on his shoulder? Will he still have that mustache? How will they show Goff taking more ownership of the Rams’ offense, and what will his dynamic be with new offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell, whose own process will be a fascinating watch?

This is a selfish request, but I’d like to see as much of the offensive line as possible, specifically in the meeting rooms. Those guys are historically the funniest and possibly weirdest on a team, and it sounds like veteran Andrew Whitworth leads the charge in that regard.

Wouldn’t it be great to see how a market-resetting Jalen Ramsey deal gets done in real time? Just, you know, a suggestion.

More humanity, more candid moments — whatever the subject is, we need them right now. McVay was at his best (that I’ve personally seen in my short time on the beat so far, so there’s a caveat) on Thursday when he faux-exasperatedly asked: In light of a global pandemic, how is any of this even going to work?

“I mean is this crazy, Coach Lynn?” McVay said, grinning. “We’re talking about some of this stuff and we’re playing football? I mean, we’re going to social distance … but we play football? This is really hard for me to understand all this. I don’t want to be — I don’t get it. I really don’t.”

“Hard Knocks” begins on Aug. 11 at 10 p.m. PT.

[Elvis]

https://www.latimes.com/sports/chargers ... first-time

Sean McVay on ‘Hard Knocks’: ‘We’re going to social distance but we play football?’

By JEFF MILLER, GARY KLEIN
JUNE 18, 2020

The Chargers and Rams will make “Hard Knocks” history this summer when they are featured in the first two-team installment of the popular HBO Sports series.

They also will be the first subjects to be highlighted while trying to conduct NFL training camps during a pandemic.

“Is this crazy, coach Lynn?” the Rams’ Sean McVay asked his Chargers counterpart, Anthony Lynn, during a joint media video conference Thursday. “We’re talking about some of this stuff and we’re playing football. I mean, we’re going to social distance but we play football? Hey, this is really hard for me to understand all this. I don’t want to be … I don’t get it. I really don’t.”

Lynn laughed and added: “I know. It’s tough.”

The participation of the Chargers and Rams was officially announced Thursday, with the first of five episodes set to air Aug. 11.

The Rams were featured in “Hard Knocks” before the 2016 season, their first in Los Angeles after spending the previous 21 years in St. Louis. This will be the Chargers’ first appearance.

“We can do this the right way and make it a great show,” Chargers general manager Tom Telesco said. “I think our roster is certainly mature enough to handle this. I know our coaches are. I’m kinda proud to have the country see our players and coaches in this light.”

NFL training camps are scheduled to open in late July, although there have been talks about moving the date to allow teams more time to prepare given the COVID-19 restrictions.

Senior coordinating producer Ken Rodgers acknowledged the pandemic will make putting together this version of “Hard Knocks” more challenging. He also said how the show handles certain aspects related to COVID-19 — such as players being tested — have not been finalized.

“Our worries about getting the perfect shot or sound bite are always present,” Rodgers said. “That’s who we are. But they exist now really side by side with another concern. That’s taking care of each other and ensuring the safety of those closest to us …

“This year that will be a main focus for us, making sure that we work within all the guidelines present during training camp to keep our players, coaches and staff members safe. So it will still be ‘Hard Knocks,’ but it’ll also be Safe Knocks I guess this year as well.”

Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci listens as President Donald Trump speaks about the coronavirus in the Rose Garden of the White House, Friday, May 15, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
SPORTS

Along with featuring the teams preparing for their respective seasons, the show also will chronicle their move into SoFi Stadium, the new $5-billion home they will share.


The Rams are scheduled to play the New Orleans Saints in a preseason game Aug. 14, the first event in the stadium. The Chargers are set to play the Dallas Cowboys two days later.

Although the Chargers haven’t appeared on “Hard Knocks,” Lynn has participated as an assistant coach, with the 2010 New York Jets, a team coached by the sometimes boisterous Rex Ryan.

“Make no mistake,” Lynn joked Thursday. “I’m no Rex Ryan.”

Telesco, who has never been part of “Hard Knocks,” said he discussed the situation and the potential distractions with Lynn when the Chargers were in negotiations to be on the show.

“I’m not going to lie,” Telesco said. “I wasn’t begging for it. But I realize the bigger picture involved here. For me, I love NFL Films, always have. I love the show. The reason why the show is so good is because of the inside access that they have.

“A lot of that inside access is from trust. With every request we’ve gotten from NFL Films leading up to ‘Hard Knocks,’ the answer has always been ‘yes’ because of the trust we have in Films and the great work that they do.”

As with Lynn, McVay will be making his “Hard Knocks” debut as a head coach. As an assistant, he has twice gone against teams being featured on the show in joint practices — the Houston Texans in 2015 and the then-Oakland Raiders last year.

“I’ve always been a fan of the show,” McVay said, before adding with a smile, “I can promise you this: Coach Lynn’s a little bit more charismatic than I am, but we’ll make this fun and entertaining.”

[Elvis]