Thursday, Aug. 9, 2001

Behind the scenes in training camp

HBO, Ravens give fans an excellent look into NFL life

By Keith Schleiden, Managing editor

The pizza delivery lady arrived just a few minutes before 10 p.m. As my wife and I sat down to eat a very late dinner, I tuned the television to HBO for what is now officially my favorite hour of television — the premium channel’s behind-the-scenes look at the Baltimore Ravens’ training camp.

HBO has joined forces with NFL Films to give viewers a fantastic look at training camp. Simply put, it’s must-see TV for any fan of football. Never before has a television crew been given such access. The cameramen are allowed to film virtually anything they want — from team meetings to practice to what the players do with their very little free time.

The Ravens took a little heat about this whole thing when it was announced that they had agreed to participate in such a venture. I, too, was a little skeptical. After all, what did the Ravens have to gain? Head coach Brian Billick said he believed his team would be in the spotlight all year, and under increased media scrutiny because they are the defending Super Bowl champions. He explained that the team might as well get used to the attention during training camp, and the constant presence of an NFL Films crew could help get the players ready.

Whatever the Ravens get out of this — and there’s no denying that the franchise and some of its well-known players are getting a large dose of free marketing/publicity — I don’t care. The only thing that matters to me is I am getting compelling television about the sport I love. I’ve been in NFL locker rooms. I’ve seen training camp. I’ve had much better access to NFL teams than the average fan. It comes with the territory when you cover the NFL for a living. But I’ve never seen training camp — with all of its sorted storylines — presented in a fashion as compelling as this.

During last night’s episode — which was the second of six installments — a variety of things were very memorable. Here is just a smattering of what you will see if you tune into "Hard Knocks," which is the proper name for the program:

• Billick, in his office, was filmed while watching the very emotional Vikings press conference to address the death of Korey Stringer. He listened and watched as Randy Moss broke down at the podium. The NFL Films camera panned back and forth between the TV, showing the press conference, and an emotional Billick, who used to coach in Minnesota. The scene was probably the same in training camps across the country, as coaches took time to watch the press conference. But it was unreal to see Billick react to such a tragedy.

• We got to meet "the Turk," the most feared man in training camp. "The Turk," of course, is the man who has the dastardly job of cutting prospects. In the case of the Ravens, "the Turk" is a baby-faced pro-personnel assistant who had to wake QB Ortege Jenkins from a nap and ask him to bring his playbook downstairs, as Billick wanted to see him. The players know that when they are told to bring their playbook to Billick, they are now unemployed. It was fascinating to see Billick talk to Jenkins, explain why he didn’t make the team and ask what the rookie’s intentions are now. Billick seemed very sincere in his concern for Jenkins, but the coach also looked as if this was something he had done many, many times before. Even more interesting was the fact that just minutes after Jenkins had his exit interview with Billick, a new rookie quarterback (Tim Hasselbeck) was being welcomed to the team by the head coach.

• Tony Siragusa is definitely entertaining. But he also is a bit of a jerk. I know that there is hazing in the NFL. But the way that he verbally ripped street free agent Kenny Jackson was disgraceful. Jackson is a 24-year-old special-education teacher who convinced defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis to give him a chance. While Jackson gives his all, trying to make the team, Siragusa belittled the overaged rookie, saying that he comes from 1-800-Rent-a-linebacker. I guess that’s just part of what goes on in training camp, and the rookies have to accept it. At the same time, seeing Siragusa needle Billick about the coach’s decision to release Jenkins ("No. 9" as Siragusa referred to him) was hilarious.

• Getting to see inside the team meetings is something that only players, coaches and team employees usually get to see. While seeing the meetings wasn’t all that interesting, learning how the players feel about these meetings was. The veterans rail against them, saying they are virtually worthless. Rod Woodson explains that he has played in the Marvin Lewis defense for the past nine years. He could do it in his sleep, which is something some of the veterans try to do in these meetings. Siragusa rails against having to learn how to huddle up properly. However, the rookies are seen jotting notes furiously into their notebooks, as they desperately try to learn schemes.

And there is much, much more in this show. You get to know some of these players a little more than you would from reading a personality profile in a magazine. You see how structured life is for these players. From the time they wake up in the morning until the time they go to sleep at night, 90 percent of their day is scheduled to the minute. It’s things like this that most fans don’t realize. But thanks to the Ravens, NFL Films and HBO, anybody who’s interested will now have a better idea of what is taking place behind the scenes.

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2001 - 2002 Season