What we learned from Dolphins’ Hard Knocks - Mparas1432's Blog

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What we learned from Dolphins’ Hard Knocks Stuck

Posted on August 8, 2012 at 02:28 AM.

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After not airing last year due to the lockout, HBO’s Hard Knocks is back. Say what you want about the Miami Dolphins, but as anyone who has previously seen this show knows, it’s equally compelling as it is entertaining.

The Dolphins might have not been HBO’s first choice for the program with teams like the Denver Broncos and the Atlanta Falcons declining from the spotlight. Even the New York Jets flirted with the idea of doing a second stint until they realized they already had their own reality program with ESPN watching them 24/7.

So when the Dolphins were announced, a collective groan was let across the sports world. Who would want to see a 6-10 team who aren’t projected to be much better? However, as the first episode showed, there will be plenty of areas for fans to keep their eyes on.

Here’s what we learned from the first episode and some things to keep our eyes on:

This is Joe Philbin’s team

From the gate, we see Joe Philbin in control. He makes the call on who is cut (Derrick Dennis) before training camp even begins. His practices are fast paced and efficient so he can evaluate talent better. Phiblin might be a first year head coach, but he has a clear vision for how his team should be run.

In what was probably the most interesting scene, we see Philbin lecturing Chad Johnson for his language with the media. Compared to the last hard knocks, Joe Philbin is the complete opposite of Rex Ryan. He’s a man who doesn’t waste words, a man who won’t drop the f-bomb endlessly. Everything Philbin does is for a purpose.

This is Chad Johnson’s show

Heavy amounts of air-time were focused on Dolphins’ Wide Receiver Chad Johnson. Johnson is no stranger to Hard Knocks from his previous stint with the Bengals. Although after a quiet season with the New England Patriots, it was great to see him back to his outlandish personality.

The best line? “Last year, I took a year off to let everyone else have a chance to catch up.”

Besides the absurdity of that statement, Johnson’s confidence will be a real highlight of the show. He had great one-liners the first time around and he appears to be on top of his game this time around too.

The Quarterback Battle is very real

In the NFL, you have your QB battles like Brandon Weeden and Colt McCoy where it’s obvious who the coaches want to be the starter, but everyone will get a “fair opportunity,” and then you have your QB battles like the one Miami Dolphins have.

At the end of the episode, Philbin made clear that this was anyone’s opportunity. The moment QB Ryan Tannehill was signed, Philbin didn’t show any excitement about their first round draft pick. Instead, he told him to get to work and impress him like David Garrard and Matt Moore have to do.

To HBO’s credit, they did a great job of profiling every quarterback for the audience to get invested in. I’m sure by the end, fans of the show will be convinced __________ should start due to their time on the show, much like fans were convinced Ricky Hatton was going to beat Floyd Mayweather because of 24/7.

General Observations

- Les Brown is this year’s Danny Woodhead and Danny Amendola. Every year, HBO finds a player who is the longshot to make the team with his work ethic paving the way to root for him. Don't get too attached though, because he'll eventually likely get cut.

- I had to laugh when David Gararrd said “getting back to the top.” Top of what? Leading your team to 7-9?

- What was worse for Dolphin fans, seeing Vontae Davis get torched or seeing him basically not caring about what his coach was telling him?

- “Derrick Dennis is camp’s first cut, dozens will follow”

- “If you pause call of duty for someone, she’s the ****ing one.”

What about the show stood out to you OS? Any other one liners or highlights you enjoyed?

You can contact Matt by sending him an email at [email protected]. You can also follow him on twitter at Mparas1432.

Comments

# 1 Yukon46 @ Aug 8

"A collective groan"..?.... You must have missed my enthusiastic cheers !!
Nice blog though, I enjoyed reading it. What stood out for me...
I like the way this coaching staff appears to be running things, and the upgrade to the locker room was a nice touch (wonder if it was done because of Hardknocks...either way, it was nice !)

# 2 aldogg @ Aug 8

We also learned that being an NFL QB assures you will have a Smokin' Hot Wife!

# 3 FunNgun034 @ Aug 8

i learned that ryan Tannenhill wife is smoking hot lol

# 4 FunNgun034 @ Aug 8

the hot wives aside.. I liked how they were running two squads at the same time..

# 5 MMurda @ Aug 8

i guarantee somebody's gonna swagger jack philbin's style with the 2 squads going back to back in practice. damn good idea and made sense with the heat being crazy down there. but as usual...this show is the best sports doc ever. love the narration, the storylines, the way its filmed, the backstage access, etc. grade A entertainment. i dont care what team they pick. they could pick the browns next yr and ill still be wide eyed and waiting next august.

# 6 thbends @ Aug 8

I learned that I can get by with NOT watch Hard Knocks.

# 7 thbends @ Aug 8

As for Tannehill's wife... she went to Texas A&M guys so watch out. She is probably packing. Take that which ever way you like.

# 8 N51_rob @ Aug 8

I don't see it with Les Brown. Interesting Story? Yes, absolutly. He is a **** blocker and you can't be a TE on a teams 53 man roster when the entire league has watched you suck at blocking.

Oh look Les Brown is in 99.9% chance of a pass. That said, it doesn't matter on 3rd and Long I suppose, but if he can't play special teams I don't see him getting on the 53 man. Maybe the PS, at best this year.

The one thing their focus on him has done is give me a reason to watch the 2nd half of the first Dolphins game when it is on NFLN, I want to see if he has improved his blocking at all in two plus weeks of camp.

# 9 Mparas1432 @ Aug 9

I'd be very surprised if Brown made the team based off what was shown.