Cleveland Browns May Be On Hard Knocks Even If They Don’t Want To

The Cleveland Browns are entertaining both on and off the field and now we could see them on HBO’s Hard Knocks.

2017 training camps in the NFL will be here before we know it. There will be plenty of excitement as well as hope surrounding the Cleveland Browns then. When that time comes, the Browns may be even more in the limelight thanks to the NFL’s special Hard Knocks on HBO.

Cleveland has yet to be featured on the summer program, but 2017 could be the year. They may not want to appear due to a number of reasons, but they may not have a choice.

The Browns are one of eight teams who could ultimately be forced to appear. Should a team not volunteer themselves, the NFL would choose this year’s participant.

The other sevens are the Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers, and the New Orleans Saints.

Let’s assume no team volunteers and the league has to pick. Those eight teams are the only possible options due to the following conditions:

"1. It hasn’t appeared on Hard Knocks in the last 10 years.2. It hasn’t made the playoffs in the last two years.3. It doesn’t have a new head coach."

Even when the Browns try to stay out of the spotlight, they do so for negative reasons. The organization has been the front and centered focus for football fans all over the country for some time. Should Cleveland be forced to partake in the special, nothing positive can come from it.

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We have already seen how past seasons specials have affected the predecessors to the 2017 pick. That is nothing to hang your hat on, either as an organization, part of the NFL, or as a fan.

Then again, the HBO program could be a good thing for the Browns. Still, that is thinking optimistically.

Cleveland needs to hope that a team will volunteer. If they don’t, the Browns must hope the NFL realizes they have been through a lot (especially in recent seasons) and they bypass them for another team. After all, Cleveland arguably are the worst fit for the program.

It is unclear as to when a decision will be made official. However, I would expect an announcement to be made around the time of the 2017 NFL Draft. If Cleveland ends up being the selection, they will have to take with the good with the bad, but don’t discount HBO’s input.

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Due to Cleveland’s poor success, the popular channel may not want to risk taking a hit with the Browns being the center of attention. The Browns don’t need any additional drama related situations affiliated with them, but that may not be enough to save them from not getting picked. We will have to wait and see.