This year’s edition of the HBO documentary series “Hard Knocks” will follow the Texans through training camp.
As a rule, teams can refuse the show if they’ve been in the playoffs the last two seasons, if they have a new head coach or if they have been the show’s subject in the last 10 years. Since Houston fits none of this criteria, one of nine teams that doesn’t, the Texans are set to be featured for 2015.
The show was created in 2001 and since then the Ravens, Chiefs, Jets, Dolphins and Falcons have each been subjects once, while the Cowboys and Bengals have been so twice.
“We’ll use it as an opportunity to show the world what our team is about, the hard working guys we have, some of the great personalities that we have on our team,” J.J. Watt said via team’s website.
“I think it’s something that, as fans of the game, always love to watch, but as a player I don’t know if you ever really advocate for it for your own team because you know what it brings,” he added. “But I think that our team’s going to do a great job avoiding any distractions, and I think we’re going to use it to bring us together as a team. We’re going to use it to help showcase our team to the world and I think that when you’re put in a situation like this, you just have to try and use it your advantage.”
The Texans released a trailer Wednesday, serving as a bit of a sneak peek into what the show will focus on.
“I think it’s a wonderful opportunity for the rest of the country to see that we’ve got a first-class group of players and coaches,” Texans owner Bob McNair told ESPN, “and this is the way we would like to see the game presented and these are the type of participants in the game. I think it’s something that can be very positive, not just for us but for the league. I’m quite proud of our players and the way they do represent us.”