What to expect from the Seahawks’ ‘Hard Knocks’ debut tonight, according to the production team

What to expect from the Seahawks’ ‘Hard Knocks’ debut tonight, according to the production team originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Ahead of tonight’s premiere of HBO’s “Hard Knocks: Training Camp” with the Seattle Seahawks, I got the chance to speak with NFL Films producer Kaley Campen.

Now in her fifth year with NFL Films, Campen, the daughter of Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line coach James Campen, gave me an idea of how camp in Seattle has been different from her previous experiences.

Of course, the Seahawks are coming off of a Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots in February. Seattle is the second reigning champion to be featured on the show, 25 years after the reigning champion Baltimore Ravens were the focus.

On the difference in vibes around this Seahawks team’s training camp after winning the Super Bowl compared to other teams featured on the show since 2021…

“I mean, it’s been really exciting, obviously, them coming back after winning the Super Bowl. Vibes are high. Guys are excited to be back. It’s given us a unique opportunity to capture some things that we wouldn’t usually get to. We were out here for their ring ceremony when the guys all got their Super Bowl rings, for example. So I think just having those unique options that we haven’t had before to really kick it off, piggybacking off of the success they had last year has been a really fun start so far.”

On what Mike MacDonald has been like so far relative to other head coaches on the show…

“He has been so awesome, really, from our first day here. Even our first visit with him on our first day at camp until now, he has been so great. He definitely understands what we do. He’s been a fan of NFL Films. So, it’s just been such a good collaboration. And he’s really great at what he does. I mean, he is the first ever defensive coach to call plays in the Super Bowl and win. He’s just been really great to get to know, and I think fans will be really excited getting to know him. He’s definitely the star of Episode 1, and I think we really peeled back those layers of getting to know him and who he is.”

On if there are different locker room dynamics now as the salary gap between stars and reserves has widened…

“I will say, this locker room is so close. You can tell, I think, how much they love each other, how close these teammates are. Seattle’s pretty far from a lot of the rest of the U.S., so I think that probably plays a part too, that, you know, they’re all out here in Seattle… I think proximity makes a difference, but you can definitely tell there’s no surprise by how they won a Super Bowl. I think you can tell that bond they all have. They trust each other, they put the work in. It is definitely a really close knit locker room that stood out to me within a couple days of being here.”

On if there are teams, players, coaches, personalities, she’d like to cover in future seasons…

“I grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, so I think my love for football comes from my connection to the game there. But also being in a place where football really means everything. The Packers have never done Hard Knocks. So it would be pretty special if we were able to end up there. They have a lot of unique traditions during training camp. So, if that comes to fruition in the coming years, that would be pretty awesome. We’ll be sure to follow up on that.”