Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley
As many of you first learned on Hashmarks, the Cowboys officially announced their participation in the next installment of HBO's "Hard Knocks" series Wednesday. Owner/producer Jerry Jones was flanked by the president of HBO sports, Ross Greenburg, and the legendary head of NFL Films, Steve Sabol.
The luncheon offered reporters a rare opportunity to share chicken florentine and a vegetable medley with the Cowboys owner and his powerful friends. When I first walked in, local NBC sports anchor Newy Scruggs was grilling Jones about why he would subject his players and coaches to this type of additional scrutiny.
In typical fashion, Jerry's answers were all over the map. He talked about his players' "thick skin" and then put on his producer's hat to suggest a "Babe Ruth type" train ride from the club's training camp in Oxnard, Calif., to a preseason game in San Diego. At this point, I was completely lost, but Sabol came to the rescue by mentioning how the Leatherheads took similar trips in the 1920s and '30s.
Speaking of Sabol, we had a chance to interview him on Dallas-Fort Worth's ESPN 103.3 earlier this afternoon. As usual, Sabol told some fascinating stories.
But back to Jerry's explanation for why he thinks "Hard Knocks" is a good thing for the Cowboys:
"One of reasons that our players have this opportunity is because of the interest in this franchise," he said. "Basically it's taking advantage of promoting why it's so special to be a Dallas Cowboy."
Jerry then indicated that his players and coaches are all on board with the show, which was news to the players and coaches. One high-ranking member of the organization told me Wednesday that the coaches weren't thrilled with the arrangement, saying all the cameras might change their approach.
Sabol said his experience has been that the extra attention can serve as a "distraction" from the monotony of training camp. When Fort Worth Star-Telegram Cowboys beat writer Clarence E. Hill asked about the Romessica storyline, Sabol and Greenburg seemed insulted.
They vowed not to turn "Hard Knocks" into a soap opera, and Sabol said he would only focus on Jessica if she started "running 7-on-7 drills." Actually, that's probably not a bad idea. Later on the radio, he admitted that NFL Films would certainly perk up if Tony Romo's girlfriend shows up at training camp. My gut tells me that Tony will advise Jessica to stay as far away as possible, but that's just a hunch.
One last question: As the campaign manager for the fledgling NFL Network, why would Jones be so quick to crawl into bed with HBO. Yes, I know it's a more prestigious (and visible) network, but it seems like a "Hard Knocks" type series might earn the NFL Network more credibility -- and better ratings.
The only other interesting thing to come out of today's luncheon was Jerry claiming that he never asked HBO to cut a single thing from "Hard Knocks" in 2002. I'd heard differently, but when I asked him about it, he was pretty defiant.
"Zero. Zero," he said when asked how many times he asked HBO not to air something. By the way, Houston Texans fans still remember a "Hard Knocks" episode in which Cowboys players seemed to be taking them lightly.
I believe it was defensive lineman Gary Walker who ran off the field after the Texans' franchise-opening victory over the Cowboys shouting something about "Hard Knocks."
Jerry seems to think the show and the buzz that it creates will give the Cowboys a competitive advantage. That seems like a stretch to me, but we'll find out soon enough.
