It's the Hard-Knock Life

Perhaps the one thing that Annie and Jets fans share in common is that they’re both accustomed to the hard-knock life. Jets fans have been living it since that fateful 12^th day of January in 1969, when Broadway Joe delivered.

Tonight, Jets fans will have a taste of the slightly different Hard Knocks life.

With HBO’s premier of “Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the New York Jets” set for 10:00 p.m. ET tonight (encore at 11:00), you can bet more than a few crazed Jets fans will be tuning into the action.

What exactly does the show add to the hungry Jets fan’s pre-season appetite?

For one thing, it’s going to add one big scoop to a bowl already overflowing with green and white hype.

Here are just a few of the subplots I’ll be following on “Hard Knocks”:

The Darrelle Revis Hold Out: Subplot? Try super-plot. The hold out will be a sell out for HBO. It may be cliché, but this is a situation that’s impossible not to follow at this point. Negotiations seem to have temporarily gone awry, to say the least. Woody’s Johnson’s prospectus has gone from gleeful to grim, and there seems to be a lot of green in between when it comes to the two parties agreeing upon a new deal. More importantly, however, how will this negotiating scuffle influence on-field matters? For one thing, it will be interesting to see how the Jets deal with the hold out personnel-wise. Cromartie and Wilson are chalked up as the starters for Monday’s preseason opener against the Giants (following Lowery’s charitable step down from the competition); the two have been impressive, but how will the duo fare in a game situation, albeit a preseason one? Wilson will have to grow up, and fast. The learning curve will have to straighten to a line if Wilson is to thrive while Revis is out during the preseason… and perhaps beyond. The rookie from Boise State will now be learning both the nickel back position and the outside corner position concurrently, and if it proves to be too much, his starting roles at each position could be coterminous. DB coach Dennis Thurman isn’t too worried: "He's got to step into that huddle and get the job done. Our anticipation is that he'll be where he needs to be when it's time to play." With no shortage of coverage players, it will be interesting to see how Thurman and the rest of the coaching staff handle the personnel situation, both on and off the field.

Special K and the Special Teams: Rex Ryan thinks that Mike Westhoff (recently signed to a one-year extension), one of the greatest special teams coaches of all time, will be a star on “Hard Knocks.” The Coach with a Cane, whose subtle limp doesn’t match his not-so-subtle temper, will be key in grooming newcomers Tanner Purdum (LS) and Nick Folk (K). The preseason may be meaningless in the record books, but for these two the preseason will be quite meaningful- both will need to prove that they are reliable at getting the job the done, and when the cameras turn on this Monday night, they better be ready. Westhoff will also be narrowing down his candidates for kick/punt returners as the preseason goes on, so look for big preseason returns to yield returns on the depth chart. (See poll below.)

Communication: Communication and interaction is the heart of drama, and there will certainly be a healthy heartbeat tonight on HBO. The coach-player dynamic will be the crux of the “Hard Knock” series, and the plotline boasts plenty of interesting characters. Rex Ryan seems to be a player favorite if you play for him, and a fan favorite if you root for him. Otherwise, the man’s got a target on his back. Just ask Wes Welker. On-field communication is noteworthy as well. On offense, Sanchez hopefully won’t be subject to the kindergarten-esque traffic light play-calling (green means go, yellow means caution, etc.). Defensive communication is even more crucial. Salary is low for David Harris, but expectations are high. Especially with the absence of co-pilot Darrelle Revis, look for Harris to be taking on a lot more of the barking this preseason. With new faces in new places, communication will be an essential part of this defense’s success, and the foundation for Ryan’s scheme-happy defensive unit.

“Tomorrow” is another one of Annie’s tunes that Jets fans are all too familiar with- they’ve been singing it each ring-less off-season since 1969. Last year, the Jets faithful began singing later than usual following a playoff run deep into January, but began singing nonetheless:

 “Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya’ tomorrow- you’re always a day away.”  

For the Jets, tomorrow is this season, and HBO couldn’t be happier.  

Stay tuned.