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Jaguars will camp under big spotlight
Team is chosen as subject of television documentary, meaning nothing is off limits.
By BART HUBBUCH
The Times-Union
The NFL has decided that the Jaguars are ready for their closeup.
Following in the footsteps of the Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys, the Jaguars will be the subject of a weekly, Hard Knocks-style documentary to be shown on the fledgling NFL Network this summer, team and league officials confirmed Tuesday.
The hour-long program, which has yet to be given a title, will focus on the Jaguars -- both behind the scenes and on the field -- as they go through training camp and the preseason.
Jacksonville's TV viewers may have limited access to the show. The NFL Network is less than a year old and only available locally on the DirecTV satellite system, which has just 12.6 million subscribers nationwide.
NFL Network spokesman Seth Palansky said the league has exchanged proposals with Comcast, the Jacksonville area's primary cable provider, about adding the network but is unsure if an agreement could be reached by this summer.
The show, which will be taped by crews from NFL Films, will be in the same vein as Hard Knocks, a league-produced weekly documentary shown on HBO that profiled the Ravens in 2001 and the Cowboys in 2002.
HBO passed on broadcasting the Jaguars documentary because the network didn't want to compete with the Summer Olympics in Athens, which also will be held this summer, Palansky said.
Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio was a Ravens assistant in 2001 when Hard Knocks was filmed. Del Rio said that experience prompted him to agree to let crews film the team's every move and meeting this August and September.
"Having been through it before gave me the confidence not to be afraid of it," Del Rio said Tuesday.
"Other coaches turn it down because of the fear of the unknown, but I see it as a tremendous opportunity. I noticed in Baltimore that the coaches and the players bring their 'A' game to practice every day when there's a film crew around."
Del Rio added that nothing about the team's training camp would be off limits to the NFL Films cameras, even staff meetings in which the strengths and weaknesses of individual players are discussed candidly.
"I'm not going to let [cameras] influence what we say and don't say about players in our meetings," Del Rio said. "We're not going to let anything hinder our ability to work the process, evaluate players and end up with the best team we can."
Del Rio met with NFL Films president Steve Sabol in Jacksonville last week to agree on the show's parameters. Sabol also met with Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver to get his approval.
"It's cleared the hurdles it needs to clear," said Palansky, who added that the program will be the most expensive show produced in the brief history of the NFL Network.
Palansky said the Jaguars show won't be as raw as the HBO documentaries, which were geared more toward a pay-cable audience.
"This one will be censored," Palansky said. "There won't be any profanity or anything like that."
Palansky said the chance to be part of a documentary was offered to a handful of teams he would not specify. The Jaguars, who open camp on July 31, were chosen in part because they showed the most enthusiasm about participating.
The Jaguars also were a natural choice in the NFL's eyes because Super Bowl XXXIX will be played at Alltel Stadium next February and the league is interested in spotlighting some of its less-publicized teams, Palansky said.
"From a league standpoint, this will be a great chance for us to begin and end the season in Jacksonville," Palansky said.
Team is chosen as subject of television documentary, meaning nothing is off limits.
By BART HUBBUCH
The Times-Union
The NFL has decided that the Jaguars are ready for their closeup.
Following in the footsteps of the Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys, the Jaguars will be the subject of a weekly, Hard Knocks-style documentary to be shown on the fledgling NFL Network this summer, team and league officials confirmed Tuesday.
The hour-long program, which has yet to be given a title, will focus on the Jaguars -- both behind the scenes and on the field -- as they go through training camp and the preseason.
Jacksonville's TV viewers may have limited access to the show. The NFL Network is less than a year old and only available locally on the DirecTV satellite system, which has just 12.6 million subscribers nationwide.
NFL Network spokesman Seth Palansky said the league has exchanged proposals with Comcast, the Jacksonville area's primary cable provider, about adding the network but is unsure if an agreement could be reached by this summer.
The show, which will be taped by crews from NFL Films, will be in the same vein as Hard Knocks, a league-produced weekly documentary shown on HBO that profiled the Ravens in 2001 and the Cowboys in 2002.
HBO passed on broadcasting the Jaguars documentary because the network didn't want to compete with the Summer Olympics in Athens, which also will be held this summer, Palansky said.
Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio was a Ravens assistant in 2001 when Hard Knocks was filmed. Del Rio said that experience prompted him to agree to let crews film the team's every move and meeting this August and September.
"Having been through it before gave me the confidence not to be afraid of it," Del Rio said Tuesday.
"Other coaches turn it down because of the fear of the unknown, but I see it as a tremendous opportunity. I noticed in Baltimore that the coaches and the players bring their 'A' game to practice every day when there's a film crew around."
Del Rio added that nothing about the team's training camp would be off limits to the NFL Films cameras, even staff meetings in which the strengths and weaknesses of individual players are discussed candidly.
"I'm not going to let [cameras] influence what we say and don't say about players in our meetings," Del Rio said. "We're not going to let anything hinder our ability to work the process, evaluate players and end up with the best team we can."
Del Rio met with NFL Films president Steve Sabol in Jacksonville last week to agree on the show's parameters. Sabol also met with Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver to get his approval.
"It's cleared the hurdles it needs to clear," said Palansky, who added that the program will be the most expensive show produced in the brief history of the NFL Network.
Palansky said the Jaguars show won't be as raw as the HBO documentaries, which were geared more toward a pay-cable audience.
"This one will be censored," Palansky said. "There won't be any profanity or anything like that."
Palansky said the chance to be part of a documentary was offered to a handful of teams he would not specify. The Jaguars, who open camp on July 31, were chosen in part because they showed the most enthusiasm about participating.
The Jaguars also were a natural choice in the NFL's eyes because Super Bowl XXXIX will be played at Alltel Stadium next February and the league is interested in spotlighting some of its less-publicized teams, Palansky said.
"From a league standpoint, this will be a great chance for us to begin and end the season in Jacksonville," Palansky said.
