Get your God d–n snack ready.
Jets owner Woody Johnson said yesterday his team might be willing to appear on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” again this summer and hinted there already have been informal discussions.
“I’ve heard [the speculation],” Johnson said at the opening of the NFL Pop-Up Store in Manhattan. “We have yet to receive a formal invitation. When we do, we’ll take a look at it.”
The Jets’ acquisition of Tim Tebow two weeks ago immediately made people think an encore performance on “Hard Knocks” would be a natural. The Jets appeared on the training camp documentary series in 2010 and were a huge hit.
There might be a split between the football and business sides of the Jets organization about whether to take part in the show again. While Johnson seems amenable to opening his franchise up to the cameras again, general manager Mike Tannenbaum appears not to be.
“We’ve done that,” Tannenbaum said in a interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio on March 22. “It was a good experience. I’m glad we did it. I’m looking forward to watching another team on it this year.”
Similarly, coach Rex Ryan sounded reluctant to do the show again when asked about it last week at the league meetings.
“At that time, I thought ‘Hard Knocks’ was good for us,” he said. “We had nothing to hide. We were going to be ourselves, and I think it portrayed us pretty good. I don’t know about all that right now. I guess I need time to think about it.”
An HBO spokesman said the network would not comment on the selection process for the show and would not confirm nor deny if the Jets are being considered.
The team would have plenty of storylines — Tebow, Mark Sanchez trying to retain his job, Santonio Holmes patching things up with Sanchez and Ryan bringing the team back after missing the playoffs.
The Jets will be back in Cortland this summer for training camp after a year away. Ryan is sure to put an emphasis on team building after the problems caused by a fractured locker room in 2011. Would he want HBO being a constant presence for that?
Johnson said if HBO does extend a formal invitation to the Jets he would meet with Tannenbaum, Ryan and others in the organization to go over the pros and cons. Clearly, though, the owner is in favor of it.
“I thought it was a tremendous value,” Johnson said. “I think the fan got to know the team a lot better. I think the fan got to know the team a lot better. I’ve heard nothing but positives.”
The NFL will unveil its new Nike uniforms today in Brooklyn.