Cowherd: 'Hard Knocks' Will Cost Cowboys A Win
FRISCO - We have made it clear in this space that while we are admirers of the critically acclaimed HBO docu-series Hard Knocks from the perspective of the fan who wishes to be entertained, we are opposed to the concept because of the "Real Housewives of Dallas'' way that it turns football into faking - "acting'' and "performing'' and "staged reality.''
But what we haven't ever been able to do is actually calculate exactly how much it hurts a football team like the Dallas Cowboys, who will be this summer's TV guinea pig under scrutiny at training camp in Oxnard.
Our buddy Colin Cowherd, however, attempts to do just that. He believes that the distraction of Hard Knocks could conceivably “peel off a win.”
The sportsbooks have the Cowboys at over/under 9.5 wins in 2020. Can we really prove that suddenly Dallas' new over/under should be 8.5?
We cannot.
Nor can we use as evidence the fact that no team that’s been featured on Hard Knocks has ever won the Super Bowl. It is impossible to definitively draw a direct correlation. And truthfully? We suspend that most of coach Bill Belichick's teams in New England, or the early 1990's Cowboys, might've survived just fine even while playing up to the cameras.
Also worth mentioning: The 2009 Cincinnati Bengals were featured on show and then went on to capture the AFC North title for the first time in five years. And the 2010 New York Jets reached the AFC Championship Game after spending the summer on HBO.
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We've admonished the Cowboys (and owner Jerry Jones) for signing up for this (yes, it can be mandated by the NFL, but yes, Jerry is likely to have loved getting the invite). We recognize the attractions ... but we also fear the distractions.
“We thoughts the Cowboys distractions were over when they signed Dak (Prescott),'' Cowherd said. "Hard Knocks feels like a self-inflicted distraction.''
He's right. But we cannot know that he's right about the number of wins it might cost a team. That is unknowable ... but a worry nevertheless.
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