No reality show ever truly captures reality — unless the subjects don’t know they’re being recorded. The Hard Knocks teams always know cameras and microphones are around. Which makes the NFL’s preseason reality show inherently not real.
This year, the editorial choices made by the Bears are making this version of reality even less real. Through two episodes, there’s been no profanity.
The fact that real life is rated R takes on even greater relevance within a professional sports team. For all 32 franchises, the expletives routinely fly.
Not for the Bears. And it’s not because their players and coaches don’t talk that way. The second episode of this year’s preseason Hard Knocks included cornerback Jaylon Johnson’s comments about being omitted from NFL Network’s Top 100 list.
His comments included an “F” bomb and a “bullshit” or two. The Hard Knocks version left that out.
Johnson’s salty words weren’t bleeped. The clip was edited to make it seem as if Johnson didn’t even use the words.
That’s surely what the Bears want. They didn’t want to do Hard Knocks at all. The next best thing is to make it so boring that no one wants to watch.
Hell, it barely seems like Liev Schreiber wants to narrate. At one point, his voice was so flat and dull that I wondered whether they opted for an AI version of the series’ longtime narrator.
Myles Simmons and I talked briefly on PFT Live this morning about the concept of weaponized incompetence. It’s a great way to not have to do things you don’t want to do. For the Bears, the quality so far of their turn on Hard Knocks should ensure that they’ll never again be asked to submit to anything like this.