I am still angry that an NFL offseason passed without Hard Knocks. I can’t let it go. I had almost forgotten all about it and then the premiere of the NHL’s 24/7 Road to the Winter Classic series debuted on HBO this week. It brought back all of my bitterness surrounding the lockout and the lockout’s biggest casualty, Hard Knocks. The behind the scenes, documentary style, inside look at our favorite sports teams is taking over sports television. Hard Knocks was first, but now virtually all of the sports have some kind of similar programing.
HBO is the leader. They debuted Hard Knocks back in 2001 with a behind the scenes look at the defending Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens. I was immediately hooked and it was an agonizing wait until the following summer to get more. Since the, HBO has developed their 24/7 franchise to promote various boxing pay per views and last winter they debuted the hockey version of the show. Also, MLB got into the mix this summer with a behind the scenes look at the San Francisco Giants on Showtime.
Last week on the podcast, I interviewed Richard Deitsch. Richard is the sports media critic for Sports Illustrated and we got into a discussion about the all access sports programing that we have all grown to love. Richard is of the opinion that the future of 24/7 and Hard Knocks is going to depend on the teams and the leagues willingness to continue to grant the networks access. This summer, a handful of teams turned down Hard Knocks and many teams have gone on the record to say that they would never want to take part in the show. That makes me sad. I can’t go another summer without Hard Knocks.
Anyway, here are a few Top 3 lists to get us ready for another Sunday of NFL football.
Top 3 Games of Week 15 of the NFL Season
- New England Patriots (10-3) vs. Denver Broncos (8-5), 4:15 on CBS: Tim vs. Tom, or is it Tom vs. Tim? Either way, the sports world is anxious to see if Tim Tebow can play more than one quarter of football and lead the Broncos to a win over on of the AFC’s best teams. The Broncos chances at winning may rest on the shoulders of their defense (and of course the prayers of Tim Tebow). Can Von Miller slow down Tom Brady and the Patriots enough to keep the game close as it heads into the fourth quarter?
- Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3) vs. San Francisco 49ers (10-3), 8:30 (MON) on ESPN: ESPN has struggled through some lousy games on their Monday Night Football schedule recently and they have been waiting for this game for quite a while. Can Ben Roethlisberger fight off the pain throbbing from his injured ankle to lead his team out of the tunnel? Was the 49ers loss to the Cardinals just a blip on the radar or have they been winning games with smoke and mirrors all season? The game is huge for both teams. The Steelers need to try and keep pace with the 10-3 Ravens who own the tiebreaker over the Steelers. The 49ers are tied with the Saints for the second bye in the NFL playoffs. They have the tiebreaker over the Saints so if they can win out they will get the bye. The Steelers are the biggest test left on the 49ers schedule.
- Detroit Lions (8-5) vs. Oakland Raiders (7-6), 4:05 on Fox: The Lions got back on track last week with a win over the Vikings and this week they welcome Ndamukong Suh back to the lineup after a 2-game suspension. The Raiders have struggled to hold off the surging Broncos in the AFC West and last week the Broncos took over the division lead. With the Broncos playing the Patriots, the Raiders might have a chance to regain the division lead. The Lions and the Raiders are both in a fight for the playoffs and both teams are desperate for a week 15 victory.
- Drew Brees, 4,368 yards passing: To catch Marino, Brees needs to throw for 716 yards in his last three games of the 2011 season. To keep pace with the record, Brees needs to throw for at least 238 yards tomorrow. It sure does look like Brees is going to smash Marino’s record, a record that has stood since 1984, and he might not be the only one to do so.
- Tom Brady, 4,273 yard passing: To catch Marino, Brady needs to throw for 811 yards in his last three games. To keep pace with the record, Brady needs to throw for at least 270 yards tomorrow.
- Aaron Rodgers, 4,125 yards passing: To catch Marino, Rodgers needs to throw for 959 yards in his last three games. To keep pace with the record, Rodgers needs to throw for at least 319 yards tomorrow.
- Eli Manning, 4,105 yards passing: To catch Marino, Manning needs to throw for 979 yards in his last three games. To keep pace with the record, Manning needs to throw for at least 326 yards tomorrow.
- The Return of All Day: Despite only being 85% healthy, Adrian Peterson will return to action for the Minnesota Vikings tomorrow. A few weeks ago, Adrian was knocked out of a game with a high ankle sprain. Adrian joked this week that he was returning to action to make his fantasy owners happy. It will be interesting to see how good 85% of Adrian Peterson is.
- The Rushing Title: Maurice Jones-Drew is in the clubhouse with a 162 yard lead over LeSean McCoy for the rushing title. McCoy will try to keep pace against a stingy New York Jets defense. Jones-Drew and McCoy are both fighting to win their first rushing title. No matter who wins the rushing title, McCoy and Jones-Drew will be the lone highlight in miserable seasons for the Eagles and the Jaguars.
- The Bears are Fading: The Chicago Bears are fading fast in the NFC playoff race and the Seattle Seahawks are trying to win out and maybe sneak into the playoff’s back door. Matt Forte and Jay Cutler are just a memory for the Bears and they will need to lean on their defense if they want to to be anywhere near the playoffs in a couple of weeks.
