The novelty wore off over time.
The intrusions are less noticeable and the atmosphere is less intrusive.
And yet the star of the upcoming “Hard Knocks” series has never accepted that everything he says and does could be recorded and read by the public.
“It was a little uncomfortable at first,” Giants general manager Joe Sean said, “but I’ve gotten used to having cameras around. I’ll be in the office and see the cameras rolling today, and I’ll be having a conversation with somebody, and the next minute I see the camera rolling and zooming in on somebody.”
“I think NFL Films is doing a great job and I think it’ll be a good project, but I just don’t feel comfortable having cameras around all the time.”
Starting Tuesday, the curtain will be lifted (to some extent) on the Giants as they make their first appearance in HBO’s groundbreaking documentary series.
As the Giants navigated their business through free agency, a drawn-out NFL draft process, spring practice and minicamp, cameras and microphones became part of Sean’s daily life.
As a general manager, Sean and his front office staff were key players in developing their skills during the offseason.
We’ll also see a lot of Brian Daboll and his coaching staff.
Daniel Jones’ rehab from ACL surgery will be a hot topic, as will the Brian Burns trade.
The journey of Malik Neighbors to ultimately being selected in the first round of the draft will be detailed in a five-part series.
This will be the first-ever “Hard Knocks” series to follow an NFL team during the offseason, and the Giants will have final editorial control, meaning nothing the Giants would rather not be made public will be revealed.
So there will be no audio of Sean disparaging free agent targets or potential draft picks.
There have been plenty of discussions about health concerns or personality issues with draft prospects or why the Giants ranked some players higher than others at their positions, but those discussions won’t air.
Context is an important companion to keep in mind.
In a clip recently released by the Giants during their 100th season celebration, defensive coordinator Shane Bowen was seen explaining the role of linebacker Isaiah Simmons.
Bowen detailed that Simmons could be used in a nickel package on first and second downs and in what’s known as the “money” role on third down.
This would seem to suggest that Simmons will be a key part of Giants coach Bowen’s starting defense, but that’s likely misleading.
The footage is from a meeting in February before Simmons re-signed and before free agency began.
Bowen is in his first offseason with the Giants, and his comments about Simmons were speculative, projecting how he might be used defensively and essentially telling the front office what he wants and needs to make their system work.
Simmons was plagued by injuries all spring and barely got much done on the field.
The first trailer for the series built anticipation with a scene of Sean holding the phone to his ear and saying, “Saquon, are you going to commit to that or are you just not going to give us a chance?”
Supposedly, Sean was talking to Saquon Barkley and the conversation was about whether or not to give the Giants a chance to match the offer Barkley received in free agency.
Here are a few.
The outcome of this series is unlikely to lead to the Giants slamming their former running back.
Nor are they going to allow themselves to be portrayed as victims because Barkley signed with the rival Eagles.
After the trade, Barkley said he didn’t receive an offer from the Giants this time.
With the 2023 season coming to an end, the Giants realized Barkley’s days with the team were coming to an end unless he was willing to return on a modest contract without much outside interest from the team.
High expectations will be placed on Neighbors, and Sean will come out of this feeling prepared, determined and in charge as he makes the Giants’ third roster.
Daboll will also likely make a somewhat reluctant appearance during the series as he has hired several new assistants, including Bowen to lead the defense, but there will be no inside information that former defensive coordinator Wink Martindale taunted Daboll upon his departure.
Daboll is likely to be a strong supporting actor in the lead role of Shane, despite trying hard to limit his screen time by tinkering with his voice recordings.
“Joe had cameras set up in his office,” Daboll said. “I realized pretty early on that if I went into his office with my phone on and music on, they couldn’t make the show without hearing what music I was listening to. I was talking to Joe, but I knew that part wasn’t going to be on the show. So it was great for me. There were cameras everywhere, but not so many in the coaches’ offices. It was great for Joe.”
