We don't yet know what training camp will look like come late July, if there will be fans, if there will be live interviews, if there will be Larry Fitzgerald. But there remains a chance -- who knows how large -- that there could be NFL Films cameras to document the month or so for the annual HBO show that is "Hard Knocks," because the Cardinals (for a second straight year) are eligible to be chosen to appear.
Any team can do Hard Knocks. If the NFL/NFL Films have some other team in mind, they can always ask and that team can say yes. (Pro Football Talk suggests Jacksonville, with Urban Meyer in charge and quarterback Trevor Lawrence the presumptive No. 1 overall pick, would be a good choice.) Last year, with the pandemic raging, the decision was made to have two teams sharing one stadium -- the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers -- share the series, in part because of limited access.
Now, neither the Rams and Chargers were among the teams that would have been forced to do it if asked. The Jaguars wouldn't be either. Only teams that fit in a particular category can be told they have to appear:
- The team hasn't made the playoffs in either of the last two years;
- The team doesn't have a head coach in his first season with the team;
- The team hasn't appeared on "Hard Knocks" at any point in the last 10 years.
The Cardinals are one of the few teams that qualify under those conditions. The others this year? The Cowboys, Panthers, Broncos and Giants. The Cowboys, being the Cowboys, are always possible. The Panthers, who seem to be working hard to get a new QB, might be interesting. But you never know with Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins and Chandler Jones -- we will see about Pat P or Fitz -- if that could provide an interesting situation. I'm guessing the last thing Kliff Kingsbury would want to have is cameras on the Cards all the time. But it's possible.
