Hard Knocks To Debut Tuesday Night
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – It's been a long time coming, but HBO, the NFL, and the Miami Dolphins will finally open the curtains to show what life is really like at training camp as the season premiere of HBO's "Hard Knocks" debuts Tuesday night.
The Dolphins weren't the first pick, but they could be one of the most fascinating teams to watch from the inside. The Fins have a quarterback battle, signed Chad Johnson, and feature a training camp regimen that observers have labeled as quite revolutionary.
Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin is nervous about the debut, but not because of what he said or what cameras captured him doing. During the summer, Philbin had a cream given to him as a treatment for skin cancer over the summer which caused his face to swell and turn red right before a Hard Knocks interview.
"Honestly, I'm not going to watch the show," Philbin said. "I try to get home as soon as I can, but we usually have a staff meeting at 9:45 every night where we talk about the next practice. Obviously, we have a big day tomorrow when we start talking about game preparation. I'm sure you guys will have a critical review of my performance on the show (laughing). I'm not planning on watching it, but at some point in time down the road, I'm sure I'll get to see it at some point."
But the simple fact that Philbin is opening up about that is a refreshing change for a team that has been shrouded in mystery ever since Bill Parcells first arrived in town. The Dolphins opening the curtain on the franchise is a victory for fans who crave every bit of NFL news they can get their hands on.
Besides the quarterback battle and watching Philbin conduct his first training camp as a head coach, Johnson will undoubtedly be a focus of the show. Johnson held court over a press conference last week talking about his relationship with KISS bassist Gene Simmons and declaring that he may have to go into porn at one point, said with his tongue planted firmly in his cheek.
The camera will not be completely isolated to the Dolphins training camp. Cameras for Hard Knocks have been seen all over South Florida, including on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach.
Hard Knocks is set to debut on HBO Tuesday night at 10 p.m.