The first episode of “Hard Knocks” has come and gone, displaying the chemistry of the 2019 Oakland Raiders. Fans finally got an inside look at how Jon Gruden runs his training camps and have plenty to be excited about going into the season.
There were highlights, such as first-round draft picks Clelin Ferrell and Johnathan Abram going for a horse ride, and of course, Gruden’s preferred choice of language. Also, fans got a glimpse of how severe Antonio Brown’s foot injury is, which should calm down nerves on social media.
Let’s take a look at the winners and losers of the first episode of “Hard Knocks.”
Winner: S Johnathan Abram
Abram has a personality tailor-made for “Hard Knocks.” The trash-talking safety out of Mississippi State stole the show early on by parking right next to quarterback Derek Carr when he arrived at training camp.
The best moment was the horse ride at a Napa Valley ranch with Ferrell. Raider Nation must have gasped when Ferrell almost fell off the horse, but a Marlon Wayans reference added humor to the situation.
Abram’s back and forth with Gruden during practice, when Abram was hitting without pads, was another highlight. Abram is someone to watch going forward, especially next week with joint practices in Episode 2.
Winner: John Madden and the seven-man sled
One of football’s greatest treasures is the seven-man sled. Now mostly a relic, the Raiders are still using it for offensive line drills. What made this segment great was the addition of the legendary John Madden.
Madden is arguably the greatest voice in football history and the best Raiders coach. He represents everything that is Raider Nation and HBO adding the NFL Films music in the background was TV gold.
Richie Incognito’s revelation that he hasn’t used the seven-man sled since college was telling. Tom Cable stuck on old-school methods in a passing league?
Winner: Jon Gruden
Ultimately, the star of this show will always be Gruden. The charismatic coach was made for TV, and he brought excitement to the episode.
Gruden had serious some zingers throughout the show, including, “There is a league that pays $800 a week you can play for, too” and “You like this offense, Derek.” Viewers also got to experience his cussing that has been bleeped out for years by NFL Films.
Gruden is only going to get better as the season goes along — especially when roster cuts begin. Will he be as tough as he was on Ronald Ollie?
Loser: DT Ronald Ollie
The biggest loser, of course, was former “Last Chance U” star Ronald Ollie. The undrafted free agent displayed the same work ethic as he did on his previous show, leading to him being cut.
Ollie missed practices because of an injury, which many fans knew about from media reports. What they didn’t know was that he missed therapy and training sessions, which ultimately led to his dismissal from the Raiders.
Hopefully, Ollie can get back on his feet and realize what it takes to be a professional. Maybe the embarrassment of getting cut that soon on TV will do the trick.
Loser: Raiders haters
The social media reaction to the episode was disappointing. This might stem from viewers expecting the Raiders to be like the 2018 Browns, with coaches and players fighting.
The NFL has to take the blame for this by forcing a team to do “Hard Knocks.” Access to the player meetings with position coaches or the Gruden and Carr sessions were not in this episode, and who knows if they will be at all. There were barely any looks inside team meetings or a peek at how the Raiders work. When you don’t have a willing participant, the access isn’t there.
There could be more access going forward as we get further into camp. But the lack of behind-the-scenes looks surely contributed to tepid reviews on social media. Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock kept access mostly locked up in Episode 1.
