NFL can 'volunteer' teams to be on 'Hard Knocks'

This past preseason, the HBO/NFL Films documentary series "Hard Knocks" visited the Cincinnati Bengals, where they succeeded in driving James Harrison crazy.

Harrison hated the film crew, and would not hesitate to use insults or body parts to show it. He felt they didn't deserve to be there, having not sacrificed the "blood, sweat, and tears" everyone else had. "They don't deserve to see this," he said about a professional camera crew filming a football practice.

Harrison, and any other players or coaches who feel the same way, got some bad news today. "Hard Knocks" has their next location all picked out: Anywhere they want.

Well, not quite. The NFL has ruled teams with a new coach, teams who've made the playoffs two years in a row, and teams who've appeared on "Hard Knocks" within the last decade immune.

But anybody else is vulnernable to an HBO-festation, whether they want to be or not. The NFL has made it clear that if they determine a team worthy of the attention, that team is going to get it, and it doesn't matter if Tom Coughlin's face melts off with irritation or not.

This is all just if no one volunteers on their own, mind you, but if that weren't a possibility, the NFL wouldn't be formulating this plan. At the moment, the only immune teams are the Cowboys, Chiefs, Bengals, Jets, and Dolphins, having all appeared within the last ten years. Further coaching decisions/playoff appearances will warrant the rest.