HBO's 'Hard Knocks' to Follow Raiders This Preseason
The Raiderswill be featured on this year's edition of HBO's Hard Knocks, the team announced on Tuesday.
Oakland finished 4–12 last season, which was its worst record since 2014. Last year was the team's first season under head coach Jon Gruden since his rehiring by the organization. In an effort to improve their aerial attack, the Raiders acquired wide receiver Antonio Brown from the Steelers this offseason. Oakland also made notable moves by adding linebackers Brandon Marshall and Vontaze Burfict along with running back Isaiah Crowell, who tore his Achilles during a team workout in late April.
Hard Knocks follows one NFL team throughout training camp, chronicling the interesting players, position battles and more, as they get ready for the regular season. While most teams try to avoid the spotlight of the camera, especially during camp, the NFL sets rules for teams which mandate participation if they are selected to star in the show. Teams that have a first-year coach, have been to the playoffs in the last two years or have been on the show in the past decade are prohibited from being on the show.
This year, the Raiders, Lions, Giants, 49ers and Redskins emerged as the likely candidates.
The series premiered in 2001 with the Ravens. Since then, the Cowboys (2002, 2008), Chiefs (2007), Bengals (2009), Jets (2010), Dolphins (2012), Bengals (2013), Falcons (2014), Texans (2015), Rams (2016), Buccaneers (2017) and Browns (2018) have been featured on the show.