Power Ranking Teams Targeted for HBO's Hard Knocks

Few football television shows have been as revolutionary as HBO's Hard Knocks, a documentary style program that has given viewers an inside look into an NFL training camp like never before. The show has documented six different camps since 2001. 

But here we sit in the middle of May, and the critically acclaimed show still doesn't have a team that has agreed to let the wandering eyes of the HBO cameras into their training camp. Several have declined, with others are still open to the idea. 

Here are the top candidates that HBO has targeted for the show in 2012:

1. Denver Broncos

The Broncos have already given HBO a firm 'no' to their request, according to Adam Schein of FOX Sports. But in a close decision, I'll give Denver the edge over the never-ending drama show of the New York Jets. 

From a purely football standpoint, the Broncos could be television gold. 

Peyton Manning was born to be on camera, and getting a closer look at some of his practice and preparation habits would be a treat for any NFL fan. There's also the dynamic of looking at the relationship between Manning and John Elway, who would certainly give the show a flair of his own. 

There are plenty of supporting characters, too. Budding star linebacker Von Miller has plenty of personality, and Champ Bailey, Elvis Dumervil and Willis McGahee are all established players in the league worth hearing from. 

The Broncos were obviously smart for keeping the cameras away from a monumental training camp, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't have been perfect for the role. 

2. New York Jets

You don't have to be a fan of the show to understand why the Jets are a perfect fit for Hard Knocks. Not only did they provide the most entertaining season of the show in 2010, but they've also added the game's most polarizing figure in quarterback Tim Tebow. 

Rex Ryan and the Jets have reportedly turned down the offer from HBO, but in terms of sheer entertainment value, no team could top what New York brings to the television table. 

3. San Francisco 49ers/Baltimore Ravens

Schein first reported that the show was interested in having both the 49ers and Ravens on the show together, with an obvious focus on the Harbaugh brothers leading the two clubs. 

Two teams shown together may reduce the effect of the show—you'd get less of an inside look into one franchise—but it'd be hard to argue against having two characters like Jim and John Harbaugh on display this summer. 

The interest would go beyond just the coaches, too, as both teams have widely recognized and highly talented rosters ahead of the 2012 season. This would be an interest fit if both the 49ers and Ravens agreed to it this summer.

4. Detroit Lions

The young and up-and-coming Lions would make a lot of sense for Hard Knocks, but the team was quick last summer to shoot down any notion of the HBO cameras visiting Lions' camp.

"When you start getting into meeting rooms, when you start getting into the cafeteria,” head coach Jim Schwartz said before the lockout last year, according to Pro Football Talk, “…into the locker room and things like that, it changes the vibe.”

Consider them out for any chance at the show this time around, too. 

Maybe once the Lions become more established under the direction of Schwartz and GM Martin Mayhew, the team will reconsider. But for now, the Lions would be making another smart decision to stay out of the HBO spotlight. 

5. Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons looked like a decent bet to secure the show's bid early in the process, and HBO had even extended the offer for Atlanta to be the 2012 choice. 

GM Thomas Dimitroff and head coach Mike Smith respectfully turned down HBO. 

There wasn't a lot of national interest in having the Falcons be the show's centerpiece, and the constant shroud of secrecy that Dimitroff carried over from his time working under Bill Belichick made the fit seem unlikely. 

6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bucs were the front-runners to land the show before the lockout last summer, but the team suddenly did a 180 and declined any interest in being on. 

New head coach Greg Schiano could potentially be more open to the show, but if the Bucs wanted to "keep the focus on the field in 2011," it's hard to believe the team would want to put its first year head coach under the microscope. 

Tampa Bay would likely want to keep the legal troubles of Aqib Talib out of the public's eye, too. 

7. Jacksonville Jaguars

You know there's very little national interest in your franchise when HBO has yet to accept the Jaguars as its team despite Jacksonville openly expressing interest in doing the show. 

According to Schein (linked above), the Jags would "love to do the show," but a Harris Interactive Poll ranked the team last in popularity among the NFL's 32 teams. 

While I'm sure HBO could find ways to make Jacksonville appealing to watch, especially with the evolution of Blaine Gabbert as the starting quarterback and new heads of the organization in head coach Mike Mularkey and owner Shahid Khan, it's clear that the Jaguars will be a last ditch option for Hard Knocks.