Link: Tannenbaum’s Due Diligence on Hard Knocks
President of HBO Ross Greenburg talked with Darren Smith in San Diego about the choice of Rex Ryan for Hard Knocks and what it took to convince Mike Tannenbaum.
On why Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum hesitated with the decision:
“We’ve been close for a long time and I think he needed to hear not from me but from other GM”s, Coaches, and people in the league that it wasn’t a distraction. He did his due diligence and homework and talked to people around the league to get their take on how intrusive this could be. Once he was satisfied that it was not and in fact picked up the pace of practice because players had to be focused ’cause cameras were always on them, then he was confident that he should actually give it the green light and he did.”
I’m still curious to know what Tannenbaum really thinks about this, but I’m sure Woody leaned on him to agree to this.
22 Responses to Link: Tannenbaum’s Due Diligence on Hard Knocks
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jvsvn says:
The idea that they were reluctant is ridiculous. They’re trying to sell PSLs. Weeks of free publicity like this is not something you pass up. In fact, I’m sure they were lobbying hard for it. You’re right about one thing. Who knows what Tanny actually thinks about it? But Woody owns the team. He doesn’t have to “lean on” anybody to make them do what is good for business.
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Eddie DiGio says:
jvsvn
WHO CARES IF IT WAS TO SELL PSLS ANYWAY? If you worked for the Jets and putting food on the table depended on selling PSLs, would you do Hard Knocks? Your darn skippy you would…I dont mean to offend you but that is the stupidest thing Ive ever heard in my life. Its like saying ” the Jets are just doing this to sell tickets”. Any team that does anything in pro sports is doing it to sell tickets, if not WHAT IS THE POINT OF BEING IN BUSINESS? To lose quietly and not make any money? Damn right it was to sell PSLs, no s#it Sherlock
Not for nothing but Tanny is from the school of Parcells. He was brought up to not want any interference in football ops by camera crews of any kind. He comes from a guy who wont allow his assistants to do interviews or speak to the media in any way. Not to mention he was the one who pulled for Mangini. You are telling me a guy from that school of thought with the friends and mentors he has in the NFL is going to love the idea of being filmed in meetings? If you doubt in any way how Tanny felt about this, you should do your homework
The bottom line is this, the Jets are coming off a successful & inspiring run, and are led by a coach who lights up the room. If they didnt put together a great year, Hard Knocks wouldnt give two craps about them. So if they are going to reap the rewards of becoming a relevant team worth watching, why do you have to be the fun police and point out the ultra obvious?
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rusty sanchez says:
even if the jets did this for selling psls im sure hbo can careless if the jets sell psls or not… hbo did this because they new the jets are the most entertaining team out there right now…im not gonna lie i always wanted the jets to be featured on this show even though i never watched a full season…if this show didnt distract one of the most dysfunctional teams (bengals) it aint gonna distract the jets
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BigKatt wants a ring says:
Our Jets, uncensored on tv for five weeks. How can anyone not be happy about this??? I don’t understand.
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guys i live in miami and was down here for the super bowl. steve sabol of nfl films had a showing at an art gallery one night of all his nfl paintings. great stuff. i asked him that night, if he could get the jets on to hard knocks. he told me he was meeting with them that weekend to discuss it, and they were by far and away their number one choice. the jets were irrelevant 5 years ago in nfl circles. they are becoming a little bit more hollywood right now, and i think it’s awesome!!
this is not a distraction. this is who we are right now, and i’m glad. if it sells more psl’s than do it.
and by the way, you guys have to go to a super bowl sometime. it was absolutely amazing down here. amazing. -
i think rex is gonna be the next americas sweetheart after this show is done and maybe now we might get some of those brady and manning calls from the refs
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The Real RK says:
Eddie DiGio, I couldn’t have said it better.
So sick of the whining and complaining about how the Jets want to sell PSL’s and want a star QB and star players to showcase themselves. Do you think they are so stupid as to do this with no regard to winning? They are team in NY, they know the fans will only show up and the media attention will only show up when they win. Haven’t they done a really good job at building a formula that can win in this sport? So if they do this and do it with some style who cares? They are not Dan Snyder’s Redskins. They have a plan, they aren’t throwing money around with no regard for the team structure. They are entitled to make money but they know the only way to do it is to win first and the money will come.
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Big Katt
Thats my point. You do all that stuff so you can WIN. When you win, the fans will show up
You cant fake the funk in NY, people here no a s#it team when they see it
I know the Jets didnt win the whole thing, but considering what all the experts like Fatsceca said they would do this year, they surpassed everyone’s expectations. They showed they are only a player or two away from being championship caliber. And after the great year they had, if they want to benefit from it, God bless em’
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Big Katt
Forgot to add
I love your Redskins point. The difference between us and them is all the moves we make are calculated risks. We trade for some guys with some baggage…but we get them on one year deals for a reasonable price i.e Cromartie
We didnt trade for Cromartie and give the guy a 5year 45 mil with 18 mil guarenteed…he has to earn a contract like that. Same thing with Braylon
We dont throw money at a 35 year old Jason Taylor or sign Haynesworth to a record deal then change our defense so that the guy doesnt even have a natural position…
Too many people just listen to these middle aged, fun police chiefs on WFAN- and dont examine the conditions and way the Jets do business. Like you said, there is a plan and method behind every move now…not just foolish spending
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Sorry Real RK
I meant to commend you- I typed the wrong name- my bad brother
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Another thing that chaps my @ss is the fact that this team has stood pat before…anyone remember when the Jets came within a Doug Brien miss of going to the AFC Champioship?
We cut Brien, and drafted Mike Nugent. That was basically our off season. Uneventful by this teams standard nowadays.
Woody should be commended for learning from that failure and going out and trying to finish the job. Instead these people intent on keeping the Jets second class or even so called Jets fans intent on holding onto past failures, find a bogus, lame way to knock what the team is doing. “Der…there just doing this to make more money…der”. Heaven forbid that in America!!!!
Brass tax is that ownership, the front office, the coaching staff and players are doing everything they can to take the Jets to that next level. And if they want to have a little fun doing HBO, even if you dont like it, they earned it
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dakar says:
i see this as an opportunity to get more fans… to build the jets fan base across the states…
i also wanted to see the jets on this show…im with rusty… never really finished watching a whole show… but this is the JETS for god sakes…who wouldn’t want to see their team go through training camp…the who’s who of your team…
the guys from last year with the new guys,the drafties and undrafted players all coming together…with 1 of the wildest coaches in the league…i cant wait for this show to come on…i saw most of last years but not all of it…it is a very interesting show…what i liked about the show is you see what the coaches are thinking of certain players…just my thoughts…
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can any1 answer a ? for me…its about these PSLs…
what will happen if WOODY cant sell all the PSL tickets…
what is the worst case senario…
would he have to sell the team…
i only ask because it seems everytime this woody does something to sell tickets/PSLs every1 seems to get angry at the thought of him making money…it is his business to make money…
we the fans wanted our own stadium to call home…not sole ares,but we at least get are name on the stadium during home games…this is the price we the fans have to pay for…
now im to dam poor to buy any seats…but,to be honest with you…i’d rather sit in the comfort of my own home and watch the jets play…but i do get in the mood and scalp tickets here and there with my friends…all i know…this is a very touchy subject and is why i asked the ?s…
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JetMetVet says:
Off topic: WR Dez Bryant had his pro-day workout today .. Didn’t appear to be in top shape and even mentioned to one of the interviewers that he doesn’t like running slant routes. His workout may have him slide down towards the middle or even late part of the first round …
I say we stay away and grab a well scouted WR later on ..
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James in TN says:
Now that we are going to be on the show, I hope to see Rex chewing Gholston a new one out every episode. Either the bust finally gets “it” or he gets out. I hope they don’t just focus on LT.
Go Jets!!!
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Brendan says:
dakar,
If Woody couldn’t sell all his PSLs (and he won’t) he won’t have to sell the team. PSLs are a way to recover his investment at a quicker rate than he normally would. The total dollar amount of the PSLs is like 1/9th of his total investment anyway, so it’s not like he is banking on selling all of them in order to live. He’s a billionaire who put $850 into a project, so he can survive the short-term hit by not selling out PSLs because he’ll still recover his money over the long-term.
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Bent says: “He’s a billionaire who put $850 into a project”
That’s a bit tight fisted of him…
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charleyjet says:
Mr. T. thinks what the boss wants him to think.
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“we the fans wanted our own stadium to call home…not sole ares,but we at least get are name on the stadium during home games…this is the price we the fans have to pay for…”
What we got was Giants Stadium, Part 2. If you doubt that, which team has its practice facility on site?
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charley I disagree. Woody is a good owner in the sense that he hires people and doesn’t interfere much. If it was up to Woody the Jets would be on Hard Knocks every season. The fact that there was any resistance at all shows me that Woody let’s Tanny do his job without much interference.
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Jeez, you guys are really out there. I never said the Jets “were only doing this to sell PSLs.” I was responding to the point that Bassett made about Woody having to lean on Tanny to make him want to do it. PSLs are beside the point. The Jets are in the entertainment business. They sell tickets, they sell beer, they sell jerseys, and they sell a lot of advertising (either directly or indirectly through the NFL and the television networks). This year they happen to also be selling PSLs. The point is THEY SELL STUFF to the public. That is their business. Hard Knocks is a great opportunity to increase awareness of their brand and SELL MORE STUFF. Whatever that stuff happens to be. I’m not against that. In fact, if you’ve read any of my previous posts, I’m all for it – wholeheartedly. Why? – because as a fan it’s damn entertaining. As I said, the Jets are in the entertainment business – I’m totally on board with that. That is why I think any discussion of the Jets being reluctant is ridiculous. As a business, being on shows like Hard Knocks (or anywhere else) is why they exist. That’s not whining, it’s stating the obvious.
Tanny is from the Parcells school, doesnt like cameras in the football operations, its the way he was taught…
Some guys can handle it and still go out there and fly around on Sundays like Rex and the Ravens did. You’ve never seen the Baltimore Ravens lose because they were out there pussyfooting around. They may have lost games because they werent good enough, but they always played and smacked people real hard…
Hard Knocks, I believe, becomes a big deal if you have the wrong kind of element on the team, ie Terrell Owens.
If Rhodes were still here, hed be the first guy I would say that the cameras would effect the guy in a negative way in terms of performance on the field. But he’s gone now, and Sanchez relishes being on the big stage, and most of our younger vets are more reserved and wouldnt let the camera bother them one way or the other