The second episode of “Hard Knocks” aired on HBO last night, and while it wasn’t quite as fast-paced as the season premiere, there is still plenty of stuff to discuss. With that in mind, here are our three takeaways from last night’s show. Be sure to check out our takeaways from last week’s episode before you read on.
ALSO ON NFL SPIN ZONE: Is Bill Belichick the greatest coach in NFL history?
1) Bill O’Brien might be Bill Belichick, Jr.
Seriously, could that team meeting about talking to the press have been anymore Belichickian? O’Brien gave the Houston Texans a lesson in how to avoid answering difficult questions from the press with classic cliches along the lines of “I’m just trying to be a good teammate” and “We’re just taking it one day at a time”. He then quizzed several rookies just to ensure they got the message.
More from Houston Texans
- Texans: Positive vibe still emanating from Houston
- CJ Stroud, DeMeco Ryans expected to establish a new culture with Texans
- NFL Schedule: 5 Franchises that will benefit from a weak strength of schedule
- The Houston Texans are going to be better than you think in 2023
- NFL 2023: Ranking the 5 worst wide receiver groups in the league
There’s taking a page out of Belichick’s book, and then there’s using the CTRL+V copy and paste button. O’Brien has probably seen Belichick give the exact same lecture thousands of times back when he was a coach with the Patriots. It may frustrate fans and members of the media, but nobody deals with distractions better than Belichick because of how he keeps everything locked down in-house, something that O’Brien is clearly trying to emulate.
2) Brian Cushing is a beast…and a softy
Brian Cushing was easily the star of this week’s episode. We hear him rip on DeAndre Hopkins early for going to Starbucks, but Cushing was only just getting warmed up. Hopkins may have gotten it early, but it was Alfred Blue, the man responsible for replacing Arian Foster, who took the brunt of the punishment. We see several shots of Cushing man-handling Blue in a pass-rushing drill, before the linebacker calls him out for one last round. Cushing then proceeds to whoop him again.
We also see a softer, more peaceful side of Cushing, however, as we get to see inside his personal life. Cushing spends time with his wife Megan and their two children, both of whom are under the age of three. Megan stresses that Cushing isn’t the same guy off the field as he is on the field, and that he is a great dad, great husband, and even nicer guy. I think we’ll take her word for it.
3) I hope we get to see a Wilfork-Watt breakfast
This breakfast needs to be arranged. And televised. Immediately. While we love the behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of an NFL franchise, the lighthearted moments tend to be equally, if not more, enjoyable. Early in this week’s episode, we see J.J. Watt and Vince Wilfork (combined weight of over 615 pounds…at least) talking about their favorite meal of the day – breakfast.
Forget dinner, Wilfork claims, breakfast is by far the best meal of the day. Watt wholeheartedly agrees, and adds that he could eat breakfast every meal of the day. Watching these two mammoth human beings wolf down a 9,000+ calorie breakfast might be slightly disturbing but oddly captivating at the same time.
Catch the next episode of “Hard Knocks” on HBO next Tuesday night, and be sure to come back on Wednesday morning for our three takeaways.
Next: Texans need the ground game to step up
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens