Rams ready for their close-up as subject of ‘Hard Knocks’
By
Joe Curley of the Ventura County Star
http://www.vcstar.com/sports/rams-r...a5-3211-06b3-e053-0100007fdcc8-379279651.html
An admitted fan of "Hard Knocks," Aaron Donald isn't concerned about being a subject — rather than a consumer — of the long-running HBO NFL training camp series this summer.
"It's just a camera in your face," the star defensive lineman said Thursday. "With the game that we play, there's always a camera in your face. So just go out there and do what you've been doing."
As if the Los Angeles Rams didn't have enough going on this offseason as they transition from St. Louis to Southern California, the franchise will be the first NFL West team to be the subject of the annual HBO and NFL Films collaboration.
"I'm not worried," Rams running back Todd Gurley said. "I'm already an outgoing person. If the cameras come around, that's cool. But we're going to do our job."
The Rams welcomed HBO Sports executive vice president Peter Nelson, NFL Films coordinating producer Ken Rodgers and Hard Knocks director Matt Dissinger to River Ridge fields in Oxnard on Thursday to discuss how the Rams "made sense" for the five-part, behind-the-scene reality show's 11th season.
"As soon as the announcement was made at the (January) owners meetings that the Rams were returning to Los Angeles," Rodgers said, "I really think it was a three-way tie between the organizations calling each other ... HBO, NFL Films and the Rams saying, 'This makes a lot of sense, doesn't it?' "
After all, what is more Los Angeles than reality TV? Of course, the Rams will be the first team to have their move captured by the show, which means the filming has already begun.
"It really is a dream as a filmmaker to have a situation like that with a team that is intent of taking the next step and doing so in a new market," Rodgers said. "It's not only great for HBO and the viewers, it's great for NFL Films historically to record this."
Rams head coach Jeff Fisher was sold once he was satisfied the show wouldn't put the team at a competitive disadvantage.
"From a competitive standpoint, they're not going to capture walkthrough and installations and football and all those things," Fisher said. "It's more about the storylines. Once we got past that, it really made total sense to do this."
The Rams are the eighth franchise to do the show, joining Baltimore, Dallas (twice), Kansas City, Cincinnati (twice), New York Jets, Atlanta and Houston.
Rodgers mentioned the last six teams on the show "have had as good as or better record than the year before they appeared on 'Hard Knocks.' " Four of those six teams have made the playoffs.
Quarterback Jared Goff will be the first No. 1 overall draft pick to have his rookie season chronicled by the show.
Although Dissinger was quick to point out that this season "will not be the Jared Goff show."
"I'm not concerned about Jared being able to handle it," Fisher said. "He's not going to be the only story. That's the key with what we're doing. He'll be a story. I'll be great to follow him, to follow his progress. But it's not going to take away from his ability to compete and potentially become a starter as soon as he can."
Although much of the show will be filmed at UC Irvine, where the Rams will hold training camp in August, Ventura County should have more than a cameo, considering the Rams are currently based in Oxnard and will be gradually be moving into their in-season home at Cal Lutheran during the show.
Donald, who is featured playing cards in the trailer released by HBO, said he's already been filmed "relaxing" at teammate Robert Quinn's house.
Quinn said last month that he's currently renting near River Ridge.
Punter Johnny Hekker said he had already been filmed, along with several fellow special teamers, during a go-karting trip at MR2 Raceway in Thousand Oaks.
"It was a fun little afternoon," Hekker said. "You try not to get too hyped up with camera around. But when you're on the track getting competitive, the juices just flow."
Hekker said he reached out to Texans long snapper Jonathan Weeks, who experienced the show last season.
Weeks' most memorable advice? Know who is mic'ed up.
"A lot of guys are mic'ed up during practice, so you can't crack the same jokes always that you want to," Hekker said. "HBO is uncensored, too, so we'll see. I've got to make sure my grandma doesn't have to hear me bleeped out or anything like that."
"Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Los Angeles Rams" will be filmed by a crew of 32 people with 12 robotic cameras. Actor Liv Schreiber returns as narrator.
Fisher seems committed to putting on a memorable show.
"We want this to be the best show to date," Fisher said. "We want this to be the No. 1. We want to be the best. ... We want to pave the way for our member clubs that will line up for the opportunity to do this during camp."
