Football is a tough sport. You're going to get injured. You're going to have aches and pains. You're probably never going to be playing at 100% of your health. But there is such a pervasive attitude that anyone who does sit out with any injury short of a broken bone is some kind of wimp, it makes any pronouncements about the NFL "looking out for" its players seem laughable.

It's all very subtle and non-threatening, but it's everywhere you look. The snide comments from assistant coaches. ("I don't talk to hurt guys.") Head coaches lecturing players about muscle strains. Trainers giving bucket hats to players receiving treatment, so that they're easily singled out for mockery. Everyone will say, we're just breaking balls. It's just good-natured ribbing, part of the camaraderie of training camp. But that stuff adds up and if you don't think it affects a player's mental state you're kidding yourself.

Later in the episode, there was a moment when the same coach who was teasing rookie Rey Maualuga about his bad shoulder, implores him to "don't be a jackass" and speak up if the injury is bothering him. But which of his coach's remarks do you think has the bigger impact? The constant shots at his manhood, how he's letting down his team, the direct implication that he needs to be on the field to secure his starting spot? Or the brief concern shown just seconds before he goes into a drill? He's long ago received the message.

Granted, a documentary doesn't show everything, but anyone who has been around a locker room (or even read our Softball Failures) knows what that culture of toughness is about. No matter what safety measures the league takes or the vast amount of medical training that goes into care for the walking wounded, it will never outweigh that subtle psychological game that tells athletes that injuries are for pussies.

Hard Knocks [HBO]

If this had been filmed back in say ... 2006, then you might have had something special. Right now, the most interesting subplot is a wide receiver with an idiotic name who is addicted to Twitter. Riveting stuff.

Plus, because the Bengals are on TV, they are going to be on their best behavior. This a teachable moment, and what management wants to teach the world is that Cincinnati is not Crazy Town.

"For the fans around the country who know us only by reports," the Cincinnati Bengals' owner said Tuesday, "it's a chance to set the record straight."

There are quite a few fans who would like the record to reflect that Mike Brown is a terrible owner, but that's another show. Oh, there might be some "Perfect Strangers" level hijinks if Chad "Johnson" decides to make good on his threat to move in with Carson Palmer, but that's harmless stuff. The NFL is not going to let HBO embarrass anyone, so unless Shayne Graham decides to murder a hobo the fireworks will likely be kept to a minimum.

Plus, it's all fake anyway.

Brown hopes 'Hard Knocks' changes minds [Lexington Herald Leader]
A.J. Smith calls 'Hard Knocks' fake [USA Today]
Cincinnati Bengals Training Camp on Hard Knocks [Esquire]
‘Hard Knocks' puts Bengals under a microscope [Cincy Inquirer]

There is still hope for star-helmet melodrama, though, according to the Dallas Morning News:

"Folks in the know at NFL Films are remaining unusually tight-lipped about the series opener. There has been a lot of speculation that the Terry Glenn-Jerry Jones saga would eat up some minutes. But if it does, Films is not saying. Then again, Films has until this afternoon to deliver a finished product to HBO."

However there weren't be a lot of hotshot quarterback dimwit arm candy, according to the Star Telegram:

If viewers are tuning in wanting to see the Jessica Simpson-Tony Romo soap opera, they are going to be disappointed. The producers say they don’t have any footage of Jessica, because she has not been at the Residence Inn complex where the team is staying.

Despite teasing the show by saying the cameras would chase the story lines when the deal was struck with the Cowboys, [HBO Sports President Ross] Greenburg sounds much different now.

“She hasn’t shown up and we’re not out there as E! Television Network looking for her.”

Wouldn't it be great if Romo dumped Jessica Simpson and did so by having her summoned then asked her to turn in her playbook?

Anyway, do something worthwhile with yourselves tonight. Eat a healthy meal or something. Take a cold shower.

And, of course, thank you for your continued support of Deadspin.

Lights, camera...business as usual for the Cowboys [Dallas Morning News]
It's a 'Hard Knocks' Life For Cowboys [Star-Telegram]

If you can stomach the pain, short-term and long-term, you can get a Cowboys tattoo for the opening credits of HBO's "Hard Knocks."

Neither the Cowboys nor HBO will pay for it, it's not their fault if it turns out poorly, you have to be "physically fit" and ... you have to be a white guy. Not a bad gig for half a second of air time. Worth looking into.

Free Cowboys Tattoo. Any Takers? [Merkin Sports]

But there is some bad news for those who hoped that Tony Romo's blue icing-swallowing jinx, Jessica Simpson, would pop up in episodes — it's not going to happen. So says HBO president Ross Greenburg and NFL Films guru Steve Sabol to a roomful of Cowboys' reporters:

This is not the E Television Network," HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg said with a somewhat straight face. "This is HBO and HBO Sports. We're doing it for the avid football fan that used to watch Inside the NFL."

NFL Films president Steve Sabol said Jess wouldn't be a major part of the show "unless she's out there running 7-on-7 drills."

Yes, you got that? The show is not called "Hard Knockers" for a reason, you tabloid trash-digesting philistines.

HBO Exec: Jess Will Not Be A Hard Knocks Star [DallasCowboys Blog]

Anyway, First And 10 Inches brings us this clip from the show, featuring various Chiefs players displaying just how butch and alpha male an NFL locker room really is. Somebody should hire one of these guys for a fantasy football draft.

Justifably Omitted [First And 10 Inches]