Antonio Brown appears to be focus of new Hard Knocks episode

Antonio Brown is an ongoing source for drama, so it’s no surprise Tuesday night’s Hard Knocks appears to focus on him.

The Oakland Raiders, with Jon Gruden as head coach, a looming move to Las Vegas and Antonio Brown coming aboard via an offseason trade, are tailor-made for HBO’s Hard Knocks. But through the first two episodes, it’s been pretty vanilla by all accounts.

From freezing his feet in a cryotherapy chamber in a not so veiled attempt to avoid training camp practice, to now a second grievance filed with the NFL to use the helmet model he prefers that meets the standard of being less than 10 years old, Brown has carried his drama from Pittsburgh to Oakland just as expected.

The Raiders have control over what makes it to air on Hard Knocks, which explains why things have been so bland. A segment related to Brown’s feet last week is the most prominently he’s been featured, though being with the team and practicing more would have helped that cause.

HBO has released a trailer for Tuesday night’s new episode, and it promises a glimpse inside the mind of Brown.

"The feet feeling a lot better,” Brown said in the trailer. “I’ve got great, new skin, got it all trimmed up. It’s been a journey, man, but I feel a lot better. Working with the NFL, getting the right equipment and I’ve been working hard on the side to get going and take care of the feet. I want to give it to my teammates and hopefully soon. Get out there and get to work. Too much noise right now. More work, less noise.“I feel like I was enemy of the (expletive) state. (Expletive). Getting my (expletive) feet trimmed up. I’m on every channel: ‘AB is actually a good player. A really good player.’ And he’s a handsome-looking player, by the way."

On Sunday, Raiders general manager Mike Mayock declared it was time for Brown to put the helmet thing behind him and be “all in, or all out.” Brown’s response on Monday, with some merit in his corner, was to file a new grievance as the league tried to circle back and close a helmet loophole.

For those wanting more interesting drama on Hard Knocks, and a bigger dose of Brown, Tuesday night’s third episode seems sure to deliver both.