Joe Philbin arrived at his Tuesday press conference with some fun news: The Miami Dolphins will participate in HBO's "Hard Knocks" series this year.
The news is welcome for longtime fans of the show, like yours truly. There simply isn't a better "reality" show on television, and the Dolphins make a fun choice after some other high-profile teams turned down the show.
The rookie head coach said he was excited to reveal the new direction of the organization on the show, according to NFL Network's Jeff Darlington, who was on the scene in Davie, Fla.
Philbin called it a "football decision," but it's hard not to see the move as a marketing decision. Owner Stephen Ross has worked hard to sell his team to the Miami market through celebrity minority owners and other avenues. Now he'll turn his players into television stars, and we couldn't be happier that he did.
Miami has a lot of compelling aspects to follow. The three-way quarterback battle provides drama. Reggie Bush provides some star power. Philbin, a first-time head coach, will install new schemes on both sides of the ball for the entire country to see. And somehow, we'd guess that Lauren Tannehill will wind up as a big part of the show.
Folks debate whether Hard Knocks is good or bad for a team. We don't think it makes a difference. We do know that it's good for NFL fans, so it's exciting to hear that it's back.
