Hard Knocks 2012: Chad Johnson Release Highlights Best Episode in Show's History

Tuesday night's episode of HBO's Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Miami Dolphins was the best of the show's history because if gave fans a front-row seat to one of the most emotional exchanges in sports: a coach cutting a player.

The most interesting part of the episode was wide receiver Chad Johnson's meeting with head coach Joe Philbin, in which the veteran found out that he was going to be cut. The Dolphins released Johnson on Sunday.

Whenever you have to cut a player from any team, whether it's a high-school soccer squad or an NFL roster, it's a difficult process.

Here is the video of Philbin and Johnson from Tuesday's episode:

These kinds of conversations between players and coaches are rarely available for the public to see, which is what made this episode so good for fans.

In HBO's 24/7 series leading up to the 2012 Winter Classic between the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers, Rangers forward Sean Avery was waived before the Winter Classic.

HBO had Rangers head coach John Tortorella talk about the situation but never showed any video between him and Avery discussing the decision.

This show is all about getting to know more about your favorite players but also getting an in-depth view of the day-to-day operations of a team, because many of us never work in that kind of environment.

Hopefully the series has more moments like the meeting between Johnson and Philbin, because this is the kind of access that fans really enjoy from such shows.

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