What had been deduced a week ago and announced this morning has now been confirmed by HBO: Your Houston Texans will be the featured squad on this year's "Hard Knocks." From HBO's press release this afternoon:
HBO Sports, NFL Films and the Houston Texans team up for an all-access look at what it takes to make it in the National Football League when HARD KNOCKS: TRAINING CAMP WITH THE HOUSTON TEXANS debuts in August. The first sports-based reality series – and one of the fastest-turnaround programs on TV – kicks off its five-episode tenth season TUESDAY, AUG. 11 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO. Other hour-long episodes of the 12-time Sports Emmy® Award-winning series debut subsequent Tuesdays at the same time, culminating in the Sept. 8 season finale.
Hear that? Mark your calendars and/or set your DVRs accordingly for Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. CDT, beginning on August 11th and ending on September 8th.
Additionally, Bob McNair and Rick Smith weighed in on the news:
"We are thrilled to partner with HBO and NFL Films to give fans unprecedented access to our team and organization," says Texans founder, chairman and CEO Robert C. McNair. "The HARD KNOCKS documentaries do a tremendous job of displaying how an NFL team prepares for the upcoming season. We look forward to showcasing the Houston Texans to a worldwide audience."
"This is an opportunity to provide a behind-the-scenes look at our team as we prepare for the 2015 season," says Rick Smith, the Texans’ executive vice president of football operations and general manager. "Fans will get a chance to see the great competition that takes place day-in and day-out on the practice field, as well as get to know all the unique personalities on our roster."
How much footage are we talking about, exactly? A lot, though most of it will never air.
A 30-person NFL Films crew will be at the Texans’ training camp at team headquarters in Houston, shooting more than 1,500 hours of footage over the course of the series. Camera and sound crews will have unencumbered access to the players’ and coaches’ meeting rooms, training rooms, living quarters and practice fields.
Oh, and...
Each of the last five teams featured on HARD KNOCKS has improved its won-loss record in the regular season immediately following the training camp presentation.