Steelers On Hard Knocks Dream Come True For NFL Films: "This Is Huge"

The Pittsburgh Steelers will finally be featured in a season of the HBO hit show Hard Knocks. This year's in-season episodes will feature the AFC North and focus on the rivalries between the Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns. The first episode of Hard Knocks: In Season with the AFC North is set to air on December 3rd at 9:00 PM EST, and the crews from NFL Films and HBO have been in locker rooms getting ready.

Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin has long expressed his resistance to participating in the popular show, and many fans assumed they would never see Pittsburgh participate. However, it's going to happen, and now Tomlin is just concerned with ensuring the team rises to the occasion under the unusual circumstances. 

The Steelers are the only team in the AFC North that will play the bulk of their divisional games, along with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, while being filmed. The burden of playing their toughest games while their every move is scrutinized must be intimidating. However, the NFL Films crew is over the moon to finally capture the Steelers as part of the show. 

Recently, Terrell Riley, Director at NFL Films, appeared on an episode of The Standard and shared how the crews are at the team's facilities getting everything set up. He said they have been laying the wiring through all the meeting rooms and have installed 20 robo-cameras to capture everything. Riley said they have set up a command post in trailers on the other side of the practice field where they will "live" during filming. He said that he and the staff are thrilled to be in Pittsburgh.

"This is huge," Riley said. "I mean, we got a lot of Steelers fans in our NFL Film office. AFC North is arguably the best division in football, but to come here and feature the Pittsburgh Steelers, a team that we've been trying to document for years, we are super excited to be here. You can tell when you hear in this building that this isn't the team that's just trying to get wins. This is the team that's trying to win championships. You feel the culture when you walk through these halls."

Riley said that they are all hoping to be able to stay in Pittsburgh and film even longer than the regular season, meaning they are hoping for a postseason run from the Steelers. Of course, the Steelers also hope for one; they haven't won a playoff game since the 2016 campaign. 

Their chances of making the playoffs look good, as the team is currently 8-3. They have already beaten the Ravens once, but lost to the Browns. Next, they face the Bengals in a game that should solidify their place in the AFC playoff picture if they win. 

While the schedule is tough, the NFL said that wasn't intentional and even made a laughable comment about looking into it in the future. Many players feel that the NFL is more concerned with money rather than how hard two games in five days, two times in one season, is on a team.

Most Steelers Don't Want To Go All "AB" For Hard Knocks

It probably surprises no one that when former Steelers receiver Antonio Brown was on Hard Knocks with the Oakland Raiders, he made a spectacle out of himself. He arrived in a hot air balloon, refused to wear a mandated helmet, and even lost playing time due to flaunting his cryotherapy-damaged feet. However, most of the current black and gold fan favorites hope to avoid that kind of attention. 

TJ Watt and Cameron Heyward are among the players who have expressed discomfort over being on the show. They are concerned with being misrepresented or having comments taken out of context. Tomlin and the Steelers generally do all they can to avoid drama and public scrutiny, so getting a peek behind the curtain is enticing for many. 

How are you feeling about the Steelers being on Hard Knocks? Click to comment below. 

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