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HBO's "Hard Knocks" Will Feature The Browns For First Time

Dorsey is reportedly on board with the show after initially being opposed GETTY IMAGES

The Browns will make their first appearance on HBO's "Hard Knocks" when the "13th season of the hit documentary series" airs during training camp later this year, according to a front-page piece by Nate Ulrich of the AKRON BEACON JOURNAL. The five-episode series will debut Aug. 7, and NFL Films will "begin to shoot footage of the team headquarters in Berea in the next few weeks." The NFL has asked the Browns to "be on the show throughout the years, and the team finally agreed." Browns GM John Dorsey earlier this month "made it known ... he wouldn't be thrilled about Hard Knocks invading the organization." However, Dorsey ultimately "changed his tune." The Browns "appeal to HBO for many reasons, including the presence" of Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall draft pick Baker Mayfield (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 5/18). In Cleveland, Mary Kay Cabot writes the Browns were a candidate "because they didn't meet any of the exemptions: 1. A first-year head coach; 2. A playoff appearance in the previous two seasons; or 3. An appearance on Hard Knocks in the past 10 years." Some storylines the series will include are WR Josh Gordon "in his first full season back with the club," Dorsey and his "revamped front office in their first season on the job" and coach Hue Jackson "coming off an 0-16 season -- and his plunge into Lake Erie on June 1, which will likely be filmed by HBO and featured on the show" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 5/18).

Winning one game over the past two seasons contributed to the Browns' candidacy for "Hard Knocks"GETTY IMAGES

GOING BEHIND THE CURTAIN: USA TODAY's Lindsay Jones wrote it should "be compelling to see how HBO addresses Jackson's job security and how the series will depict the quarterback situation." All the Browns can do now is "embrace what should be some of the first positive exposure they've received in years" (USATODAY.com, 5/17). ESPN's Max Kellerman said the Browns will provide a "special 'Hard Knocks,' a very special one." He said, "You have conflict at quarterback, you have it at running back, you have Josh Gordon. ... You have a team that's basically like the Philadelphia 76ers in the NFL, a 'Trust the Process' team." More Kellerman: "This is an awesome team to be covering for 'Hard Knocks' at just the right time" ("First Take," ESPN, 5/17). In Cleveland, Doug Lesmerises writes if a team like the Browns cannot "let the world see what they're doing, they probably shouldn't be doing it." If the Browns "believe they are a team on the rise, and there are plenty of reasons to think that way, then go ahead, let the world see what's coming." Lesmerises: "Math teachers ask that student show their work for a reason. Sometimes you have the right idea, but you end up with the wrong answer." Even if the Browns "don't want this, Browns fans deserve it" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 5/18). 

STEERING CLEAR OF DISTRACTIONS: The BEACON JOURNAL's Ulrich notes Mayfield "conceded the attention could provide an unwanted distraction or a positive experience depending on how players approach it." Mayfield said, "It can be good if you handle it right. If you think about it as a way to get on camera and try to show off or do certain things and handle it the wrong way, then that can be very negative. ... If you're able to focus in, that can be a beneficial thing for us" (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 5/18). However, USA TODAY's Nancy Armour writes this is "bad for the Browns, and it's really bad for Mayfield." The show will "cement his reputation before he even takes his first regular-season snap." That is a PR "minefield for a team whose new poster boy manages to court controversy just by breathing." It is the "sports version of a soap opera, with the least little conflict or tension highlighted and dramatized." Jackson has "already said Tyrod Taylor is his starter" at QB, and Mayfield's competitiveness and his desire to prove himself "will surely lead to some drama" (USA TODAY, 5/18). CBSSN's Adam Schein: "You think they're going to have fun with Baker Mayfield?" ("Time To Schein," CBSSN, 5/18).

SWEETENED THE POT? PRO FOOTBALL TALK's Mike Florio wrote the Browns landing on the show "invites speculation as to what kind of deal was struck" to get the team to do it." Florio: "Will Cleveland/Canton get the 2020 draft? ... Will the Browns get something else that they've been trying to get behind the scenes?" Plenty of teams "simply don't want to" do "Hard Knocks," and the NFL surely "doesn't want to create the impression that any team is being forced to do it." So teams that "agree to do it without kicking and screaming likely are getting something for their trouble" (NBCSPORTS.com, 5/17).

ENOUGH ALREADY! NBC Sports Bay Area's Ray Ratto said he "couldn't be less interested" in the Browns taking part. Ratto: "That show has more than run its course. The restrictions they put on the show now that didn't exist in the beginning make it much more likely that it will just be one more antiseptic commercial for the National Football League" ("The Happy Hour," NBC Sports Bay Area, 5/17).

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