Owners discuss improving Hard Knocks, adding more behind-the-scenes shows

[Rusher]

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NFL teams don’t like participating on Hard Knocks, and some critics say the show is getting old and predictable. The league would like to do something about that.

That’s why owners and team presidents discussed ways to improve the show during the league meeting in May, according to Albert Breer of SI.com.

One potential change: Allowing the NFL to force any team to do the show, meaning the league would always choose a marquee team that has plenty of intrigue at its training camp. Current rules limit the teams that can be forced to do the show, and with teams that have made the playoffs in the last two years exempt, it’s pretty much guaranteed that the show will revolve around a bad team. The NFL may decide to eliminate that rule.

Also under consideration is adding more behind-the-scenes programming beyond Hard Knocks. One option could be to put NFL Films cameras in the practices and meeting rooms for two teams before they play each other, and to turn the footage into a show that would air after the game.

NFL games are already the most-watched programs on American television, but the league would like to develop a bigger audience for its other programming, and there’s potential to develop a bigger audience for behind-the-scenes footage from practices and meetings. The league may start doing more to grow that audience.