The Houston Texans learned that they would be featured on HBO’s Hard Knocks show on Wednesday, giving die hard Texans fans and NFL fans alike an inside look at how an NFL franchise is run. Houston becomes just the 10th NFL team to take part in the popular HBO series, which goes behind the scenes of practice and preseason games without revealing any specific team plays or other crucial information.
While watching Hard Knocks doesn’t give participants’ opponents an extra edge, it does give fans an exciting front seat to the ins and outs of a pro football team. Last year fans got to watch the Atlanta Falcons up close and personal, with every fringe player and position battle taking center stage as must-see television.
That won’t be any different for this year’s version of Hard Knocks, and there are already plenty of story-lines to follow. Let’s break down the top reasons you’ll be tuning in to HBO’s Hard Knocks when it first airs on August 11th:
QB Battle
If you have two quarterbacks you usually don’t have any, as the old saying goes. There might be some truth to that depending on the situation, but in Houston they just don’t know what they have in Ryan Mallett and they probably know exactly what they have in his direct competition – Brian Hoyer. Hoyer started for the Cleveland Browns in 2014, and while he helped get the team to a 7-4 start, he also was barely passable as a starter at times and completely unraveled to close out the year.
While Hoyer came apart in 2014, he still offers a fairly stable veteran presence that the Texans may want to roll with. With a strong running game and a borderline elite defense, it’s possible all the Texans needs is safe play out of their passing game. Then again, if they want to be better than mediocre and actually be dangerous, they might want to roll with Mallett, who has the better arm and takes more chances.
Who ends up winning this battle could say a lot about how the Texans fare in 2015 and Mallett vs. Hoyer should dominate Hard Knocks all summer.
Andre Johnson Replacement
Houston parted ways with long-time wide receiver Andre Johnson this off-season and he promptly left to sign with the division rival Indianapolis Colts. It will be somewhat interesting to see if his name pops up at all, but even more interesting will be how the team’s passing game operates with him out of the picture. DeAndre Hopkins taking over as the team’s new #1 target is one part of the story-line, but it might be even more interesting to see who secures the #2 gig behind him.
Newly signed Cecil Shorts III is a leading candidate, but it would be nice if rookie Jaelen Strong could push him right away. The extra competition would make for entertaining television and in the long run could make the Texans better on offense, as well.
Brian Cushing’s Mouth
Brian Cushing is quite well known for his trash talk and simply being crazy, and despite seeing his play slip considerably in 2014, we’re bound to catch him jawwing off a good amount in training camp and games. Just as interesting as what Cushing has to say, is how he performs in what could be his last chance to prove he’s past numerous injuries that have held him back in recent years. Cushing is still a big hitter and sure tackler, but if he can’t improve in coverage, the Texans may have to move on from him after the 2015 season – or even during.
J.J. Watt, Period
As tough as Cushing comes off in workouts and on game day, no one in the league really seems as tough or dominant as J.J. Watt. Watt seems to capture the audience’s attention one way or another, whether he’s chasing down a quarterback for a sack, stuffing the run, returning a pick for a score or getting one of his trademark swats at the line. One of the top players in the entire league and easily the face of Houston’s franchise, Watt will be on full display on Hard Knocks.
Bill O’Brien’s Command
Known by some as a mini-Rex Ryan, O’Brien is a smart but emotional head coach who can be fun to watch. How he leads and controls his team could be interesting, especially how he goes about his business in training camp and leading into preseason games.
What else makes the Houston Texans worth watching on Hard Knocks? Let us know in the comments below!
