On the last episode of Hard Knocks featuring the Texans, we got to see who makes the final team, and got a couple of surprises on the way.
Per usual, the episode opened up with Head Coach Bill O’Brien as he scolded the team for messing up on “first down” but when he found out it was actually 3rd down, he was forced to do a set of pushups to the excitement of the team.
USA Soccer player Carli Lloyd came to practice to speak to the team and of course, the wide receiver known as “EZ” was infatuated by her presence. Vince Wilfork was called up by the coach to take on Lloyd in a field goal kicking contest. Shockingly to me, and hopefully everyone, was the fact that Wilfork made both tries from 25 yards, and 35 yards.
(Watch Wilfork Kick FGs here)
O’Brien was discussing player cuts with GM Rick Smith. “EZ”, series star Charles James II and CB Kortnei Brown were topics of discussion and sadly did not make the cut.
James was famous for his stylish socks, in addition to playing a game of Madden with Odell Beckham. James had tons of spirit and was signed by the Ravens practice squad.
Sadly we didn’t get to see Arian Foster more due to his injury, however he made a brief appearance on the finale.
The cuts were the most dramatic part of the episode hands down. It’s never good to see players lose a job, but the Texans did it with class and style. James II was hiding in his locker room before he was called, unassuming knowing already that he’d been cut.
Running back Chris Polk called his mom after cuts to let her know that he made the team. His mom is hilarious with her sayings and they both recited “Bang bang chicken and shrimp” as she promised to be at his first game.
As the season comes to an end, we see that J.J. Watt is pretty much in his own world, from having a bed in the training facility, to his solo workouts. We learned that Bill O’Brien has a great relationship with his players. O’Brien and GM Rick Smith always seem to agree and that’s a new thing. Getting camera time on Hard Knocks is hard, but all the young players they focused on, seemed to get cut.
One thing is for sure, the music, camera work and more importantly the editing was A1, and regardless of your favorite NFL team, HBO makes Hard Knocks highly enjoyable to watch.