ESPN will air a live, 90-minute special from Cowboys training camp in Oxnard, Calif., on Aug. 4 at 7:00pm ET, and the "idea is to take viewers through an afternoon practice," according to Barry Horn of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. Kenny Mayne, Jon Gruden and Darren Woodson will host the second iteration of the show, which last summer "debuted with the Super Bowl champion" Seahawks. ESPN VP/Production Jay Rothman said that he "approached the receptive Cowboys at the Super Bowl and for the final approval last month." Rothman: "Jerry Jones is terrific, he gets it. And there's no secret that with the Cowboys, the ratings are big." Horn noted the idea for the training camp series "popped into" Rothman's head while he "watched an ESPN special that focused" on the Red Sox' batting practice soon after the '14 MLB season began. Horn noted unlike HBO's "Hard Knocks," which "lingers at training camps and depends on character development, Rothman's production will rely on Xs and Os." He already has "met with Gruden and Woodson for six hours of Cowboys film study." Rothman said that though the show was "booked for 90 minutes, it could go longer" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 7/25).
I'LL BE O'BRIEN: In Houston, John McClain noted it is "no secret" that Texans coach Bill O'Brien "was not in favor of his team being featured" on "Hard Knocks." But team Owner Bob McNair "insisted." O'Brien said, "I don't think it's going to be easy, especially in the beginning. There's a camera in just about every meeting I'm in charge of." But McClain wrote viewers can "expect O'Brien to be a big hit." He is "emotional, demonstrative and funny with a self-deprecating sense of humor." O'Brien "can't hide the way he feels," and his expressions "betray his feelings." He also "might have to tone down his language at practice." O'Brien said, "I'll try to be myself because that's the only way I know how to be. In the beginning, though, there's definitely going to be an adjustment. I'd be lying if I said anything different" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 7/25).
