Nowhere But Up: ‘Hard Knocks’ Follows the Hard Luck Cleveland Browns

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The Cleveland Browns are bad. They’re not just bad, they’re historically bad. The team has won one regular-season game in the past two seasons. Last year, they became the second NFL franchise — after the 2008 Detroit Lions — to finish with an 0-16 record. That level of futility makes the Browns an ideal choice to feature on HBO’s Hard Knocks training camp documentary series.

ALSO SEE: NFL Preseason 2018 TV Schedule

“I’ve been a part of Hard Knocks, and when you experience it firsthand, you come to appreciate the inside look it really gives fans,” says third-year Browns head coach Hue Jackson, who was running backs coach for the Cincinnati Bengals during the team’s Hard Knocks season in 2013. “We are excited about what we are building within our organization and feel good about the progress we have made this offseason.”

Hard Knocks: Training Camp With the Cleveland Browns premieres Aug. 7 at 10pm ET/PT and airs Tuesdays through Sept. 4. It might be your only chance to see No. 1 draft pick QB Baker Mayfield in action before the Browns turn him into the next Johnny Manziel.

The NFL preseason begins on a Thursday night as the Chicago Bears face the Baltimore Ravens in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, Aug. 2 on NBC at 8pm ET.

On Aug. 4, Robert Brazile, Brian Dawkins, Jerry Kramer, Ray Lewis, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Brian Urlacher and former GM Bobby Beathard will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2018. ESPN and NFL Network televise the ceremony beginning at 7pm ET, but Owens will not be in attendance. The notoriously mercurial T.O. — who is rumored to be attempting an NFL comeback at age 44 — says he will celebrate his honor at his alma mater, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

The regular season opens Thursday, Sept. 6, with the Super Bowl LII champion Philadelphia Eagles hosting the Atlanta Falcons on NBC.

NFL Preseason TV Highlights
Thursday, Aug. 2
Hall of Fame Game: Chicago Bears vs. Baltimore Ravens (Canton, Ohio), 8pm ET, NBC
Thursday, Aug. 16
New York Jets at Washington Redskins, 8pm ET, ESPN
Saturday, Aug. 18
Baltimore Ravens at Indianapolis, 8pm ET, ESPN
Thursday, Aug. 23
Philadelphia Eagles at Cleveland Browns, 8pm ET, FOX
Friday, Aug. 24
Detroit Lions at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 8pm ET, CBS
Saturday, Aug. 25
New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Chargers, 8pm ET, CBS
Sunday, Aug. 26
Cincinnati Bengals at Buffalo Bills, 4pm ET, FOX
Arizona Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys, 8pm ET, NBC

About Ryan Berenz 2166 Articles
Member of the Television Critics Association. Charter member of the Ancient and Mystic Society of No Homers. Squire of the Ancient & Benevolent Order of the Lynx, Lodge 49, Long Beach, Calif. Costco Wholesale Gold Star Member since 2011.