Report: Browns Are Favorites To Appear On Hard Knocks

According to longtime Buffalo News writer Vic Carucci—who worked for the Browns from 2011 until 2014—Cleveland training camp could be the setting for this year's season of Hard Knocks:

While this could make for excellent drama (something recent editions of Hard Knocks have increasingly lacked), I don't believe for a minute that the NFL will let anyone put the spotlight on the Browns. From its maybe-felonious billionaire shitbag owner to its soon-to-be-punished GM to its forever-suspended star wideout to its alcoholic quarterback, Cleveland would garner all the kinds of attention the NFL would rather avoid.

That's a shame, because if it wanted, the NFL could force the Browns to star on Hard Knocks. Last year, following a few seasons of HBO scrambling to secure a team, the NFL changed its rules. Now, if no team volunteers, the NFL can force a team to appear if it 1) Has not made the playoffs in the previous two seasons, 2) Does not have a new head coach, and 3) Has not appeared on Hard Knocks in the previous 10 years.

That leaves nine teams the NFL can unilaterally select for the show if need be. In descending order of who I'd most like to appear, those nine teams are the Browns, Redskins, Giants, Buccaneers, Vikings, Texans, Rams, Titans, and Jaguars.