Browns GM John Dorsey answers a sensitive question about a quarterback during spring practice as he braces himself for the invasion of "Hard Knocks" cameras that will follow him everywhere.
BEREA General manager John Dorsey was walking out of a room when he got some unexpected practice for "Hard Knocks."
The Browns will be stars of the HBO training camp series starting Aug. 7. HBO will present five one-hour Browns shows edited from 2,000 hours of work captured by an army of cameras.
Dorsey was leaving a "Hard Knocks" press conference Wednesday when a writer hit him with a "one-more-thing" question.
What of a report that the Browns, in March, offered a No. 35 overall draft pick in exchange for Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles?
With head coach Hue Jackson, HBO executive Peter Nelson and Ken Rodgers of NFL Films looking on, Dorsey gave a stock, non-denial answer capped by declaring he would not talk about "another team's player."
"I know this," Dorsey said. "We are very excited about having Tyrod Taylor as our starting quarterback."
The mystery of "Hard Knocks" looms as considerably juicier than that answer. Dorsey left the room without elaborating. Hard Knocks cameras will follow him everywhere.
Rodgers, who has overseen NFL Films' "Hard Knocks" consorting role with HBO, spelled out some of what to expect.
He said "Hard Knocks" likely would have access to footage of Jackson jumping in Lake Erie next month to fulfill a pledge based on going 0-16. That will be such old news by the time camp heats up in early August, Rodgers said, that it would die on the cutting floor.
Rodgers all but guaranteed every scene used in the five hours of Browns "Hard Knocks" episodes will come from training camp.
"We shoot 400 hours for every one-hour episode that airs," he said. "We have a team of 25 producers who go through the footage as it's coming back."
This will be the 13th season of "Hard Knocks," the first having featured the Baltimore Ravens in 2001, when a key theme was a season-ending injury to running back Jamal Lewis.
In 2016, when the Rams were featured amid their transition from St. Louis to Los Angeles, head coach Jeff Fisher was shown in a telephone conversation in which he released Foles.
Cincinnati was the "Hard Knocks" team in 2013, when Jackson was a Bengals assistant coach. Linebacker James Harrison was portrayed getting chippy with the film crews.
Rodgers said the elements of camp immediacy and spontaneity are paramount. He used "Survivor" as an example of a reality show that is shot months in advance and "crafted" into story lines.
"This isn't like that," he said. "We don't create the story lines for 'Hard Knocks.' The story lines present themselves."
Rodgers alluded to the fact the Browns had No. 1 overall picks in the last two drafts (Myles Garrett, Baker Mayfield) and the endless disappointments suffered by a fan base still dreaming of a winner.
"I also had a No. 1 pick," Rodgers said. "We were looking at the Browns as the No. 1 choice from the beginning.
"We think this will be one of the best series of 'Hard Knocks' in its history."
Rodgers said "injuries, cuts and fights" are examples of Browns stories likely to come up.
"We won't know until it happens," he said.
Camera crews will have wide-ranging access, and the Browns have veto power over nothing, he said.
The show's popularity owes to its access to parts of NFL teams seldom seen in other formats. Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam agreed to invite HBO and NFL Films for he project.
Dorsey admits he was "reluctant" but wound up respecting the Haslams' wishes.
"I started thinking about the fan base," Dorsey said. "This is a great time for them to see where we're heading as an organization."
Jackson likewise gave a stock answer in saying he embraces being this year's "Hard Knocks" team.
"This will give people an opportunity to see how hard this team works," he said. "People can see players, coaches and the organization in a whole different light."
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