It’s an interesting dilemma for the producers of this year’s “Hard Knocks: Training Camp With The Cleveland Browns:” How do you highlight and feature No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield without the entire production become The Baker Mayfield Story?
“We faced that challenge before with Jared Goff (2016) when he was drafted No. 1 and we’ve faced that before when we have had a humongous star on a team like J.J. Watt (2015) or Emmitt Smith (2002), or even the 2001 Baltimore Ravens which had multiple stars,” said Ken Rodgers, the senior coordinating producer for “Hard Knocks” and the director of some terrific “30 for 30” documentaries including “The Two Bills” (2017), “The Four Falls of Buffalo” (2015), and “Elway to Marino” (2013).
Advertisement
“The truth is what we focus on is what the team is focused on,” Rodgers continued. “The fans are going crazy at training camp over Baker Mayfield walking out, but the rest of the team, including Baker himself, are not focused on Baker. They are focused on their individual jobs. There are 90 stories going on here. Also, the starting quarterback is Tyrod Taylor. Now you may see in press conferences and stories and think that is just the company line, but when you have wires on everyone and you are listening in on the meetings, you see very quickly that it is not the company line and the truth. The outside perception that Baker is the only story is the outside perception. Inside the building, he is one of 90.”
That’s not to say Mayfield won’t get air time. You’ll see him featured plenty during this year’s version of “Hard Knocks,” which debuts Aug. 7 at 10 p.m. ET on HBO and runs through the Sept. 4 season finale. The show’s continued excellence is a testimony to the level of production talent assigned to the project. There are 32 NFL Films staffers embedded at the Browns’ training camp in Berea, Ohio who will procure roughly 1,750 hours of footage over the 46 days working on the series (the production started shooting footage on July 21). As soon as the team was announced, NFL Films began installing robotic cameras and other technical support at the team’s facility. Tim Rumpff is the lead director for this year’s edition and while he is making his “Hard Knocks” directorial debut, Rumpff has worked for years as both a field director as well as an editor back at NFL Films headquarters. The co-director is Shannon Furman, the longtime lead talent coordinator for the show.
Along with the 32 NFL Films staffers working onsite, there are more than 100 additional staffers working on the show, including 28 people working daily on the editorial side of the show based at NFL Films headquarters in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey. Then add 50 additional staffers working the post-production part, focusing on everything from the music of the show to the graphics to viewers hearing the pads popping on a drill. Then add a scriptwriter, narrator Liev Schreiber, and all the other people who work on the show including those who translate the show for the Spanish-language version. “A show like this that requires such a quick turnaround requires hundreds of people to make it happen,” said Rodgers.
The Browns are the first 0-16 to be featured on “Hard Knocks,” but Rodgers said viewers will be surprised at how much the past is the past at training camp.
Advertisement
“If you go big picture, to me, the most interesting aspect is how very little 0-16 or 1-31 has any presence at the facility this training camp,” Rodgers said. “I know it is the attraction for some people to watch this show – to see a team that did not win a game last year. But this isn’t that team. This is the story of the next team trying to fix what went wrong from the last team.”
Rodgers said one of the team’s new additions — wide receiver Jarvis Landry — has been a revelation for the production crew.
“He wants to win desperately and wants to change the culture desperately,” Rodgers said. “Seeing his work ethic and desire and confidence on a daily basis, I can imagine Miami Dolphins fans watching will have an emotional reaction. I don’t pretend to know what that reaction will be – whether they wish he was still with the team or they are glad he is gone. But I think Miami Dolphins fans will see a side of him that they have not seen and, of course, Cleveland fans will see a side they do not know about.”
From talking to Rodgers, I’d guess you will see a lot of Landry, head coach Hue Jackson, Myles Garrett and obviously Mayfield but not so much ownership. Rodgers said Cleveland owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam have not been very visible in football operations so don’t expect a big presence of them – at least in early episodes.
Because the first show has 10-plus days of practice, the crew has shot over 400 hours of footage for the Aug. 7 debut. That includes 12 robotic cameras filming inside the offices. The most difficult part of the show, according to Rodgers, is to cull all those hours off of the robotic cameras and find something that can be used as part of the narrative but not something that the team will ask to not air based on proprietary info.
The Ink Report
1. The blockbuster story from longtime college football reporter Brett McMurphy — alleging that Ohio State coach Urban Meyer knew in 2015 of domestic abuse allegations against a member of his coaching staff — will be a real test for ESPN and Fox Sports, which share the Big Ten football media rights and employ a ton of college football commentators, many of whom are tight with Meyer. ESPN executives are particularly close to Meyer given he worked for them in 2011 and has been a frequent guest on ESPN programs. He has also given ESPN excellent access to Ohio State football. On a media angle, there is a great irony that McMurphy is still being paid by ESPN. He was laid off by ESPN last April and the network is paying him through the second week in August as per his contract. Over the last two days, McMurphy has appeared on countless ESPN shows on a story the network could have owned the biggest college football story this year had they not inexplicably let him go.
Advertisement
On Thursday, I taped a 50-minute podcast with McMurphy regarding the charges from Courtney Smith, the ex-wife of a longtime assistant of Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer. Smith called into question Meyer’s claims he was unaware of a 2015 allegation of domestic abuse against the assistant.
In the podcast, McMurphy discussed the timeline of his reporting; how he first contacted Smith; why Smith spoke on the record with McMurphy; what Smith’s reaction was to McMurphy’s questions; the duration of those interviews with Smith; the paper trail that McMurphy tracked down for his reporting including law enforcement records; why he broke this story on Facebook; why he could not write this for another publication because of his current contractual situation with ESPN; his expectations on how many people would read his story; what breaking the story on Facebook says about the traditional mantra that subjects will turn to big media; how Meyer forwarded the story with his responses during Big Ten Media Days; why he finds Smith believable; whether McMurphy had lawyers vet his piece; why he didn’t reach out to Shelly Meyer; his concern about a negative backlash among some in the Ohio State fanbase; his thoughts on being laid off by ESPN in 2017; why he decided to appear on ESPN properties after they let him go; what is next for him professionally and this story.
You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more.
https://art19.com/shows/sports-media-with-richard-deitsch/episodes/75b3c0cb-009a-4b60-9d86-0e12898ec875
2. Turner Sports unveiled its programming plans for the Champions League and Europa League, and the quick takeaway is that soccer fans are going to have to pay additional money for the privilege of watching the early stages of the competition.
All of the 340 matches are available for streaming (via Bleacher Report Live) at different price points. You can purchase individual matches ($2.99 per event), a monthly pass ($9.99) or on an annual ($79.99) basis. Viewers can download B/R Live app through iTunes or Google Play and/or via Apple TV, the Roku platform and Amazon Fire TV.
As far as the linear coverage: Turner said it will televise 47 UEFA matches on TNT throughout the season. There will be pre-match, halftime and post-match studio shows available on both B/R Live and TNT. The schedule includes:
- B/R Football Matchday — a one-hour pre-match show airing at noon ET on Champions League match days.
- B/R Football Halftime.
- B/R Football Extra Time — a bridge show airing on TNT between UEFA Champions League matches.
- B/R Football Postmatch — a 30-minute post-match show recapping the day’s UEFA Champions League action.
The network already hired Kate Adbo to serve as a studio lead. Former NBA guard Steve Nash will also be part of the coverage.
Turner said the Champions League Group Stage matches will be held from Sept. 18 through Dec. 12, with weekly matches airing on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 12:55 p.m. and 3 p.m. All matches will be available on B/R Live, with one match per game window (two each day) televised on TNT.
Advertisement
The Round of 16 will air between Feb. 12 and March 13, 2019, with matches on B/R Live and TNT each Tuesday and Wednesday at 3 p.m. The quarterfinals air between April 9-17, with matches on B/R Live and TNT at 3 p.m. The semifinals air April 30-May 1 and May 7-8, with matches on B/R Live and TNT at 3 p.m. The final will air on June 1 at 3 p.m. on TNT and B/R Live.
3. ESPN NFL host Sam Ponder wrote this week about the struggles of her newborn daughter, Price, who underwent emergency surgery shortly after her birth. Here’s Ponder’s Instagram post on it. Prayers up.
(Top photo: Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports)
