Hard Knocks life: A former NFL scout on team building with cameras rolling

Bucky Brooks

NFL Analyst

Access is everything in today’s sports world. Fans are obsessed with taking a peek behind the curtain to see how their favorite teams attempt to put the pieces together on a championship puzzle.

Admittedly, I have always been fascinated by HBO’s “Hard Knocks” series since it first premiered in 2001 following the Baltimore Ravens‘ Super Bowl run with Ray Lewis, Shannon Sharpe, Ed Reed and others starring in the show. The NFL Films’ produced series allowed fans to see various aspects of training camp and the team-building process. As a former player, I related to the stress and anxiety of attempting to make the team as a long shot. Whether cracking the rotation as an undrafted free agent or holding onto a job as a journeyman on his last stop, the show perfectly captures the pressure experienced by most players during an NFL training camp.

While I do not miss walking on that tightrope as a “bubble” guy, the show helped me appreciate my six-year journey as a player. Moreover, it allowed me to share old stories with former teammates who reflected on how the challenging circumstances helped us succeed in our post-playing careers.

As NFL Films has expanded the “Hard Knocks” series into various preseason and in-season iterations, fans have been able to experience the full range of emotions from the player’s perspective. But the most recent version of “Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants” has allowed observers to sample a scout’s life from inside the building throughout the offseason.

The Giants’ willingness to open up their facility to the NFL Films’ cameras pulled back the curtain on the team-building process during a critical part of the season. The offseason is about talent acquisition through free agency and the NFL draft, with teams aggressively pursuing blue-chip prospects to upgrade the roster.

General managers and scouts scour the markets, looking for the perfect schematic and cultural fit. Whether opening up the checkbook to secure a big-money free agent or sifting through the bargain basement bin to scoop up a role-playing journeyman, the best front offices are always on the hunt for players with the capacity to make immediate contributions to the squad.

In addition, shrewd team builders are willing to part with players who no longer fit into the puzzle due to performance, production, or salary cap reasons.

With the cameras rolling throughout the offseason, from the NFL Scouting Combine to free agency to the NFL Draft and team minicamps, we watched the Giants execute a plan designed to upgrade the roster while celebrating their 100th season significantly. The cameras captured a series of tough conversations regarding Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley as general manager Joe Schoen plotted out the team’s future with questions surrounding the franchise’s top players.

Considering the team added Brian Burns, a two-time Pro Bowl pass rusher with 46 career sacks, via trade, the latest iteration of “Hard Knocks” is a dream to watch for an aspiring scout. The series has showcased the challenges of building a championship team adhering to an old-school philosophy of building around the quarterback and the three “Ps” (pass rushers, playmakers, and pass protectors).

As the team committed to building around Jones as the QB1, the emphasis has been on surrounding him with a playmaker (Malik Nabors), pass protectors (Jon Runyan, Jr. and Jermaine Eluemunor), and a pass rusher (Burns) with close-out the game potential. Though the decision to move on from Barkley has garnered mixed reactions, the Giants attempted to minimize the damage with a familiar playmaker (Devin Singletary) from Brian Daboll’s past.

The private conversations might be eye-opening for casual observers, but old-school scouts understand the dialogue required to make key decisions, particularly regarding the draft. The back-and-forth between coaches and scouts regarding players makes for “must-see” television when the cameras capture the interactions.

As a former scout, the access granted to NFL Films would make me cringe due to the harsh conversations and evaluations that are part of the daily routine. Evaluators must give honest opinions or assessments on players with or without cameras in the room, and some observers will not understand or appreciate the discussions. Moreover, the public consumption of the scouting department’s intimate thoughts could create issues if the decisions do not work out.

The second-guessing and potential finger-pointing from the outside could make scouts reluctant to voice their opinions, knowing the public will eventually hear or see their comments. In a transparent world, scouts cannot afford to act like mutes in meetings out of fear of public criticism. Executives rely on honest assessments from their low-level scouts, and they must create an environment that encourages evaluators to share their opinions freely.

While the league can require teams to participate in the “Hard Knocks” series (the Chicago Bears are up next with the preseason version premiering Aug. 6), the challenge for executives is allowing the cameras to see the inner workings while maintaining a transparent workplace that encourages and promotes honest discussion. In addition, the constant debate of team-building philosophies and evaluation standards opens up executives and evaluators to criticism from outsiders who do not understand the team’s overall philosophies.

Given the potential impact of the outside noise on internal discussions, I would kindly decline a chance to share my football wisdom with the world as the leader of a team with playoff aspirations.

Bucky Brooks is an NFL analyst for FOX Sports. He also breaks down the game for NFL Network and as a cohost of the “Moving the Sticks” podcast. Follow him on Twitter @BuckyBrooks.