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The Dolphins Will Be On Hard Knocks. Here’s Why That Might Be A Good Thing.

It took a while, but HBO finally found an NFL team willing to put itself in front of the network’s cameras for its training camp documentary series Hard Knocks: the Miami Dolphins. HBO had trouble finding a willing partner this season: they were turned down by the Jets and Seahawks, to name two, and not everyone was thrilled about the Dolphins choice. We, however, think the Dolphins offer plenty of potential for a good series despite not being a flashy choice at first glance. Need convincing? That’s what we’re here for:

1) The Dolphins have a new coach. A new regime automatically means intrigue, and Joe Philbin, who’s entering his first season as a head coach, provides it. How is he adjusting to the role? How are his players adjusting to him? Will the cameras document any rookie gaffes? Of course, Philbin’s personal story provides a compelling, albeit tragic, angle – in January, his 21-year-old son Michael was found dead in a river in Wisconsin. Expect the show to delve into Philbin’s life outside football at some point.

2) The Dolphins just invested a lot in a rookie quarterback. Sure, he’s not Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin, but Ryan Tannehill is the Dolphins’ future at quarterback. And now HBO is in a position to document his growth at the outset of his career – a career that will play a huge role in either making or breaking the Dolphins franchise for many years going forward. If anything, the fact that Tannehill isn’t viewed as an almost-sure thing like Luck and Griffin makes him more interesting. How will he do? We don’t know, but Hard Knocks will help us find out. Oh, and she might come up, too.

3) The Dolphins might not be half bad this year. Sure, the Dolphins only went 6-10 in 2011, but they finished the season 6-3 in their final nine games, and three of their losses during their 0-7 start were by a combined total of seven points. Clearly, some of the pieces are in place for this team to be a contender, and in the parity-heavy NFL world, teams come out of nowhere to be playoff-caliber squads every year. The Dolphins gave reason to believe they could be one of those teams this season.

4) It’s Miami. South Beach. Glitz and glamour. LeBron and Wade. The series will have to devote some time to off-field happenings. In a city like Miami, how boring could those be?

5) It’s Hard Knocks. At the heart of it, the series documents an NFL training camp. That’s why people love it, more than any one outside factor (except for maybe Rex Ryan cursing constantly). People love football – there will be football. People love underdogs and inspiring personal stories – we guarantee there will be under-the-radar players trying to make the Dolphins with fascinating backstories. In that way, the Dolphins will be no different from any other team in the league – and for both HBO and viewers, that will be a good thing.

Getty photo, by Joel Auerbach

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