Local writer bashes HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks’ for Detroit Lions coverage

After waiting for what seemed like forever, we finally got to see our Detroit Lions on HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks,’ as the docuseries aired the first episode of ‘Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Detroit Lions‘ last Tuesday night.

Following the episode (and even during it), plenty of people rushed to social media to give props to the show, many calling it the best ‘Hard Knocks’ premiere episode in the history of the show.

But, there is always one person who has to go against the grain just to go against the grain and we can bet you already know who we are talking about.

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Local writer bashes HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks’ for Detroit Lions coverage

Of course, we are talking about Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press.

Monarrez, who seems like a decent person, consistently puts out editorials just to stir the pot with Detroit Lions fans and, to be honest, they generally do exactly what he thought they would do.

On Tuesday, Episode 2 of ‘Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Detroit Lions’ will air and Monarrez has released an article bashing the docuseries for what they put out for Episode 1.

Yes, it took Monarrez an entire week to think of a way to bash the show.

Here are a couple of experts from his editorial.

Click here to read the entire piece

After one episode, the only thing the “Hard Knocks” production army has on the Lions’ video team is a much larger crew, those super slow-motion shots of players in action with accompanying dramatic music and narrator Liev Schreiber channeling John Facenda.

My main gripe with the show was the decision to spend so much time on coach Dan Campbell taking part in up-downs with players. I hate doing math, but I went the extra mile for y’all and counted up all the time. The show’s run time, when you deduct the 40-second intro, is 44 minutes, 37 seconds. Exactly 3 minutes were spent showing Campbell doing 40 up-downs and then talking about it. That means nearly 7% of the show was devoted to showing a coach jumping up and down.

That’s just lazy filler. The first episode wanted to establish the idea of Campbell being a former player who is now a gritty, colorful player’s coach. But there had to be a more efficient way to show that sequence.