Fansided

Power ranking Hard Knocks’ options based on entertainment value

By Mike Phillips

BEREA, OH - JULY 28: A film crew for the HBO show Hard Knocks films a drill during the Cleveland Browns Training Camp on July 28, 2018, at the at the Cleveland Browns Training Facility in Berea, Ohio. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
BEREA, OH - JULY 28: A film crew for the HBO show Hard Knocks films a drill during the Cleveland Browns Training Camp on July 28, 2018, at the at the Cleveland Browns Training Facility in Berea, Ohio. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – DECEMBER 30: Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions warms up before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on December 30, 2018 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – DECEMBER 30: Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions warms up before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on December 30, 2018 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

5. Detroit Lions

Look, no one is dying to see the Detroit Lions on Hard Knocks. There aren’t a ton of big names on the Detroit roster outside of quarterback Matthew Stafford, but it doesn’t mean that the Lions couldn’t be immensely entertaining.

To start off with, they are coached by one of the league’s most intriguing men of mystery, Matt Patricia. Patricia and his fierce beard took a very unusual path to coaching, passing on an opportunity to work on nuclear submarines in order to coach defenders.

In light of Carl Nassib’s enlightening financial lessons on last year’s edition of Hard Knocks, Patricia could be a fun recurring character to follow and have some of his highly complex engineering terms played for laughs with the audience.

Patricia has also done some wacky things, such as throwing a trash can at Rob Gronkowski back in his Patriots’ days, so the potential hijinks from Detroit’s coach could be hysterical.

The other potential star for the Lions’ Hard Knocks experience is Stafford, who has played in relative anonymity in Detroit despite being the top overall pick in the 2009 draft.

Stafford has played for an organization that hasn’t been able to take advantage of his talents most effectively, so it would be worth seeing if Stafford is more of a goofball or has a brooding Batman-like persona around the team.

The Lions also have the potential to have some famous alumni drop in during camp to make things exciting.

Imagine watching Barry Sanders chatting up young running back Kerryon Johnson or Calvin Johnson showcasing his skills in a friendly competition with current wideouts Marvin Jones and Kenny Golladay? Sign us up.

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