The NFL teased a special announcement regarding the future of HBO’s Hard Knocks during Thursday Night Football this week, leading viewers to speculate that the long-running television show may be nearing its end after a decidedly boring season featuring the Dallas Cowboys.

But the NFL decided to double down on the behind-the-scenes football show, announcing it had started filming new in-season episodes featuring the Indianapolis Colts. The first ever in-season episodes of “Hard Knocks” will premier on Wednesday, Nov. 17, on HBO.

Interesting choice! I wonder who the producers have their eye on as a potential “star” of the new season. Perhaps a certain red-headed, unvaccinated quarterback who is already garnering criticism for *gasp* holding onto the football for too long? Who could it be?

Just when I thought I was out, they PULL me back in.

Kudos to the NFL for trying to revive the series after a dull training camp season with the Cowboys. It should be interesting watching the Colts locker room divide itself into Carson Wentz supporters and detractors in real time. At least we won’t have to live through the horror first hand, we can all just sit back and watch it crumble in the comfort of our own homes, one bad interception and costly fumble at a time.


I can’t wait for this exchange in the first episode of the season when the Colts are 4-6.

Frank Reich: “Carson, can you please get the vaccine?”

Wentz: “Nah.”

Liev Schreiber narration: “Morale, and antibodies, are dwindling in Indianapolis.”

Can’t wait to be treated to behind the scenes glimpses of Wentz doing his own vaccine research on off days.

Jokes aside, it will be fascinating to get an inside look at how Wentz is as a person. What do we really know about him? He likes to hunt. He’s religious. He seems like a good family man. He has slippery hands….but that’s really about it. HBO isn’t afraid to reveal the “real” side of athletes during the series, so hopefully we’ll learn something new about the ex-Eagles quarterback outside of the obligatory clips of him duck hunting.

No matter what comes out of this season, I doubt it will touch the greatest moment in the show’s history when the Jets Antonio Cromartie struggled to remember the names of all his children.

(I’d love to embed a clip of this here, but the NFL has blocked every single video of the moment I can find. Check it out here)