Ramon Foster Says The Steelers Won't Ever Be On The Insider Show "Hard Knocks" And The Reasons Why Might Surprise You

The Pittsburgh Steelers have never participated in the HBO show Hard Knocks and 2023 won't be any different. The show just announced that the New York Jets will be the latest team to be featured, this is their second time on the show. The first season of the popular show aired in 2001 and covered the Baltimore Ravens. It's also featured the Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals, Atlanta Falcons, Houston Texans, and the Arizona Cardinals among others.

This year, Robert Saleh, the Jets head coach, publicly expressed that he would prefer the show look elsewhere. However, the Jets were selected to participate against his wishes. While any team can volunteer, as the Ravens did, there are criteria for being selected. They include no teams who have made the playoffs the past two years, no teams with a first-year head coach, and no teams who have been on the show in the past 10 years. 

The playoff rule has mostly allowed the Steelers to escape the scrutiny of the show. However, every year when a new team is selected, Steelers fans resurrect the conversation as to whether they want their team on the show or not. Now former Steelers offensive guard Ramon Foster is adding his opinion to the mix.  

Ramon Foster Says The Steelers Are Too Boring For Hard Knocks

Foster now co-hosts a podcast, The Ramon Foster Show, with reporter Dejan Kovacevic, which airs on DK Pittsburgh Sports. On a recent episode, a fan asked him if he thought the Steelers would ever appear on a season of the show. Both Kovacevic and Foster think it is highly unlikely.

"Part of me thinks we don't suck enough to be a team to get Hard Knocks. I just think it's not enough interesting storylines that Pittsburgh can muster up to make it fascinating enough. I also think the Rooney's have a good bit of say-so."

The Steelers are such an old-school, traditional type of team. Foster likens them to the hot dog being stuffed in the casing. They are foundational, not sensational. He also thinks that is exactly how it should be. 

"Pittsburgh probably has a more stale way of doing things than any other team. Think about the way we've always kind of kept news for the most part inside. You don't really fire coaches, you don't really have management in the mix. People want to tune in thinking they will see something other than the way Pittsburgh Steelers do business, which you're not going to see that."

There have been times when the media has focused intensely on Pittsburgh because of drama surrounding players, points out Kovacevic. He mentions Antonio Brown, Le'Veon Bell, and Ben Roethlisberger. Those times probably felt a bit like being on a TV show for the players. Foster agrees and says that it is not something they welcome in Pittsburgh. 

Foster said that era was tough. One thing he loves about Pittsburgh though is that they allow the players to let their own personalities shine through. He doesn't think that they need dedicated camera crews to be able to achieve that. 

Teams like the Jets, according to Foster, are already struggling with some internal drama. New York, for example, is gearing up for a quarterback "battle." The aging gunslinger, Aaron Rodgers, has been brought in to replace the young Zach Wilson after only two years.  

"In general, the New York Jets have the way better storyline. Heck, I'd almost go to Houston, I'd even go to Carolina. Pittsburgh has zero news items."

Hard Knocks seems to favor a certain type of team says Foster. The show is entertainment and they are looking for drama, not well-disciplined football. The appeal of Hard Knocks isn't that the offensive line was blocking really well, the appeal is the personal, often painful drama that is revealed.

"If you look back at the history of the teams that's been on, it's really been kind of suspect. The first one was the Baltimore Ravens. They had Goose [Tony Siragusa], Shannon Sharpe, Ray Lewis, and all these personalities. The entertainment factor of what Hard Knocks has kinda turned into I think honestly died with the [New England] Patriots. Wasn't that who got on recently and was like, 'Yeah this isn't fun anymore.'"

Kovacevic believes this entire season will come down to Rodgers vs. Wilson. He thinks that part of it is that Rodgers loves to be on camera. Knowing that he is nearing the end of a long and successful career in the NFL, he wants to use this to build his brand. 

Foster agrees and says he has a few final points about the show. The way he sees it the show will focus on Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner and the quarterback battle, which isn't really one. This really limits how much can even be said about the situation.

"But how much can Zach Wilson say? How much hate can he show towards Aaron Rodgers? Probably none at all because Aaron Rodgers might get him cut. The other thing is there ain't no way in heck we will see Aaron Rodgers be shown in a bad light." 

Both Kovacevic and Foster say they feel as if Rodgers adjusts his personality to the situation and recall times he has been on shows, he's been over the top. Hard Knocks loses its intensity if you aren't getting real honest emotions from people. 

"If we're not seeing Zach Wilson go on dates with somebody's mom, if we're not seeing Quinnen Williams knock tables over, then what the heck are we doing?" 

Foster also says that as a player, he always felt as though he didn't really want to be a part of it. While football might be a business and these men that play seem invincible, they are human. At times on Hard Knocks, you witness these men at their most vulnerable, especially when being cut from the team. You witness their dream ending.

He recently had his former teammate Roosevelt Nix on his podcast and they discussed his appearance on Hard Knocks when he was with the Falcons. He was the first player cut that year. Nix said that his embarrassment became everyone else's entertainment. 

What do you think about Hard Knocks? Do you watch it and would you like to see the Steelers take part in the show? Click to comment below. 

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