Hard Knocks: Good for the Jets?

So what does a new coach, a new attitude and an AFC Championship game appearance get you? Well if you're the New York Jets, it gets you on the HBO series "Hard Knocks."

The Jets received an inordinate amount of media attention last season due to boastful head coach Rex Ryan and the league's top-ranked defense, even before their run to within a game of the Super Bowl. Anybody who thinks this series won't be entertaining is out of their mind.

Beyond entertainment, this should help the Jets in their preparation for the upcoming season. Not that I'm doubting Ryan's ability to keep this team motivated to reach the Super Bowl, but there's something about cameras and bright lights at training camp that should make for an extremely productive training camp.

Just look at the Bengals last season. The subject of "Hard Knocks," Cincinnati wasn't expected to be a good team in 2009. One NFC North title and playoff appearance later, the team has a solid foundation to build on for the 2010 season.

Can part of their 2009 success be attributed to the pressure to perform starting early in camp thanks to HBO's camera crews? Maybe. The only other team to make the playoffs after being chronicled in the series was the 2001 Ravens, who won the Super Bowl the year before and then lost in the divisional round.

Either way, I do think "Hard Knocks" will be a good thing for the Jets season. It should also make for good entertainment with Ryan, who will do what he can to hog the camera. That should keep the focus on him and allow the players to concentrate on the task at hand: Preparing for what should be a successful season in 2010.