Chicago Bears rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze voiced what most of the players and staff are thinking when it comes to being on HBO’s Hard Knocks. The general consensus among the team is that training camp would be more productive without the added distraction. The Bears were selected last week by the HBO hit show after being one of only three eligible teams to be picked this year.
Hard Knocks is documentary-style reality tv show featuring the NFL. It is produced by NFL Films and HBO, and first aired in 2001. The documentary follows a selected team through it’s training camp and preseason, covering all of the preparation for the upcoming season. Every season, a new team is selected for the show, but finding a team willing to participate became impossible by 2013. This is when the NFL announced that they would mandate participation unless a team meets any of these three criteria: If a team had appeared on the show in the past 10 years, if they have a first-year head coach, or if they reached the playoffs in either of their past two seasons.
Rome Odunze prefers less distractions for Chicago Bears
The Bears, like many teams, had no interest in being on the show. Odunze had this to say regarding the Hard Knocks selection:
“I think for me, I’d definitely be more comfortable not having the ‘Hard Knocks’ in the building just because we’re all learning the new offense as rookies. Caleb [Williams] has a lot on his plate already, so learning the offense and growing within the facility and setting a foundation for ourselves. So it would be something that, if it happened, we’d take it and we would go forward with it and do it the best that we could.”
“But I think it might be a little bit of a distraction for what we’re trying to accomplish.”
In a sign of maturity, Odunze not only thought of his own comfort as a rookie in training camp, but also the comfort of his fellow rookie quarterback. Caleb Williams, afterall, has the most to learn, and that pressure can be enough even without a barrage of cameras in your face. The Bears were an enticing option for Hard Knocks though, as this will be the first time in six years that the HBO show will get to feature the first overall pick in the draft. Add in the plethora of offensive weapons that the Bears have, and you can see why the Bears were so targeted.
Some of the new faces in Chicago who will now be on Hard Knocks this summer:
🏈QB Caleb Williams
🏈WR Keenan Allen
🏈WR Rome Odunze
🏈RB D’Andre Swift
🏈S Kevin Byard
🏈OC Shane Waldron pic.twitter.com/lOfvoCXZKW— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 30, 2024
In contrast to the Bears and Rome Odunze’s view on the selection, fans are ecstatic about the news. The added access they get into the players’ lives and team activities in camp are what makes Hard Knocks so popular. As an 18-time Emmy winning series, Hard Knocks likely isn’t going away any time soon. The Bears will have to adapt and roll with it. Thankfully, they have some seasoned veterans who can help the younger players adapt, and when needed, block out the noise.
Hard Knocks will debut on Tuesday, August 6 at 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT
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