We’re only in the first episode of the Bears’ first appearance on HBO’s Hard Knocks, and already their long-standing fear of being on the show seems silly.
From the beginning, the organization had cleverly avoided participating in the popular show that closely follows the teams during training camp. The Bears leadership did not want players and coaches to be distracted as they prepared for the season.
And now, after just one episode in which the Bears defied popular opinion and came across as a competent organization — or made the production crew leave the bad stuff on the cutting room floor — it’s clear that leadership’s concerns were misplaced. After all, the Bears have won one playoff game in the show’s 18 seasons.
“I don’t think there’s ever been a team that’s been more excited to participate,” said Shannon Furman, director of Hard Knocks. “Everyone has questions about this process. I don’t know if the Bears were that different than a lot of others. Were they reticent? Yes. But I think it’s pretty normal to be reticent about this process until you hear about it.”
The timing for the Bears’ maiden voyage couldn’t be better. They’re about to take a big step in general manager Ryan Poles’ rebuild, with a potential star at the helm in rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. “Hard Knocks” could be Chicago’s first co-ed non-game sporting event since ESPN’s “The Last Dance” in 2020. But Furman is targeting a broader audience.
“I want the Bears to be at least the second favorite team in the rest of the country,” she said. “It’s fun for us when everyone starts cheering for the ‘Hard Knocks’ team. And you hear that all year long, especially when the team is doing well.”
One such team was the Lions, who appeared on “Hard Knocks” in 2022, when they ended a streak of four last-place finishes in the NFC North, going 9-8. In 2023, they went 12-5 and reached the NFC Championship Game.
“It was great for us to be a part of what the Lions did,” Furman said. “I feel like the Bears are in a similar situation in that they’re a young team and they’re changing some things. If we could be here from the start if something similar happened to what happened with the Lions, that would be great.”
The show is already putting coach Matt Eberflus in a new light. In two seasons, Eberflus was ridiculed for his acronymic coaching philosophy (HITS) and his suboptimal record (10-24). But in
In Episode 1, fans saw him as a husband, father, and former player. While he may not have been particularly impressive in press conferences, Eberflus was personable off the field and a tight-knit guy on it.
This isn’t Eberflus’ first appearance on “Hard Knocks.” When he was the Colts’ defensive coordinator in 2021, he worked with several people on the crew for the in-season edition of the show. In 2017, he worked with Furman as an assistant for the Cowboys when Amazon Prime Video’s “All or Nothing” followed the team through the season.
“I always knew what a good person he was and what a hard worker he was,” Furman said. “One of my goals with this show was for people to see him the way we all saw him. I don’t know if we knew that was going to happen in show 1. But it happened very naturally. I hope we can keep that going in the last four shows we have.”
“He wants to know about people. That’s how he treats his team. He’s a real person who cares about people, so it was great for us to learn more about him. It was fun to be around his family and see that he trusts us when we’re around (wife) Kelly. That’s not just on TV. That’s how he is all the time.”
The best scene of the show was Eberflus’ meeting with Nick Saban, his former college coach in Toledo and winner of seven national titles. Saban explained his theory on why many NFL quarterbacks fail and how to address it. For each suggestion he made to Eberflus, the “Hard Knocks” crew showed an example of how it could be implemented. The scene was perfectly woven together.
“Coach Eberflus considers Coach Saban his mentor,” Furman said. “So the things Saban says, he does. We noticed that before Saban got here. And when Saban came, it became even more apparent.”
Furman will introduce viewers to more bears in Episode 2 on Tuesday.
“We’ll be able to get into the shoes of a few more characters that we liked in the first three weeks of camp,” she said. “I’m excited about it because we’ve been here long enough that we have a really good idea of some of the guys that we like. Some of the characters that are more unlikely, guys that are lower down the rankings.”
Remote monitoring
- Adam Amin, analyst Jim Miller and reporter Lou Canellis return to commentate on the Bears’ preseason games on Fox 32, beginning Saturday with the road game against the Bills.
- Kevin Kugler and AJ Pierzynski will commentate on the Cubs’ game against the White Sox for Fox on Saturday.
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