Darrelle Revis Saga: Hard Knocks Hype or Negotiation Nightmare?

I will start off by stating that this article is complete conjecture. It's solely an opinion, so if you're not into conspiracy theory, you can stop reading now.

With the recent news that Darrelle Revis is most likely going to holdout the entire season, Jets fans have let out a collective groan.  The Super Bowl dreams that have been spoon-fed to us by the media, Rex Ryan and the faithful to a fault Jets Nation, has just turned into a potential nightmare.

In short, it's extremely difficult for a team to win a championship without your best player on the field.

Now, with the "Hard Knocks" cameras rolling and the new season set to premiere on August 11th, it has occurred to me that there is a chance (as remote as it may be) that this holdout has been escalated to benefit the show.

It is a fact that the reality show is the number one genre of television programming.  The highest rated show on television is Fox's "American Idol", the highest rated show of the summer season in NBC's "America's Got Talent", the highest rated show in MTV history is "The Jersey Shore", and every network in existence is debuting a reality show every season.

I have been working in the media industry for 10 years, and I have been employed by both a major cable network and a major broadcast network.  I can tell you with absolute certainty that reality shows are scripted.  Sometimes the shows participants are involved, and other times the producers are manipulating behind the scenes (so don't be surprised if, in a few years, it's revealed that the guy who decked Snooki was directed to do it by the show's producers). 

Which brings me back to "Hard Knocks"....

A reality show about an NFL team's training camp will have all the dramatic story lines you would expect:

The big time rookie geting his first taste of being on a pro team and the hazing from the veterans.

The undrafted free-agent struggling to earn a spot on the team.

The personal issues faced by players/coaches.

But what's a bigger storyline than a contract holdout by the team's best player.

It's already been reported that Revis' holdout is going to be a big part of the show.  And what's the best way to keep people glued to their TV sets... keep the biggest storyline going for as long as it can.

If Revis and the Jets simply came to an agreement a few days after the holdout began, the best sub-plot of the show would have fizzled out in the first two episodes.

Not good for ratings.

Perhaps Revis' agents, Tannenbaum and Woody have had HBO producers in their ears pulling strings to elongate the holdout.

It's been reported that "Hard Knocks" wanted to film the latest failed negotiation between the Revis camp and the Jets, but Revis' agent denied permission.  

Some would say that denying the filming would show that HBO has no bearing on the negotiations.  But, the fact that HBO knew about the latest meeting at the Roscoe Diner shows that they are heavily involved in all aspects of this holdout. 

If, by some 11th hour miracle, the Jets and Revis agree on a multi-year lucrative contract just before the start of the season, I would immediately suspect the holdout was hyped up for "Hard Knocks" ratings.

If Revis does end up holding out the entire season, then it will be just another example of "same old Jets" rearing it's ugly head to finish the season before it starts.