T.O. and maybe Pacman, Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson and, of course, smiling billionaire Jerry Jones. Put 'em all together in a hotel an hour outside Los Angeles and you could have quite a soap opera. Or, HBO predicts, one heck of a reality series.The cable network is bringing its "Hard Knocks" franchise back to Cowboys training camp this summer, and HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg already is predicting best-ever ratings for his five-show series. Even with the Olympics as competition, he's confident his weekly programme will be overflowing with juicy story lines -- with his cameras getting exclusive behind-the-scenes access. "It's fair to say this thing should go through the roof," Greenburg said.
Greenburg opened a news conference by joking about going to Cabo San Lucas or wherever else is necessary to tell the full story. It was an obvious reference to the getaway trip Romo and Simpson made during the bye a week before Dallas' play-off game in January, a vacation that didn't sit well with fans, especially after the Cowboys were upset by the New York Giants.
But Greenburg later said "this is not the E! television network," and insisted the obvious headliners will only get air time if they earn it. "I swear to you it's not going to be the Pacman Jones or the T.O. or the Tony Romo story. It just won't," Greenburg said. "They will be part of a team and part of the story, but they won't be the centre of it all. I just know that for a fact. The drama develops on its own. Unless the drama surrounds Tony and T.O. and others, it's just not going to happen. There's nothing like following that rookie trying to make the team. They're still wearing that star and they're trying to become a teammate of T.O. and Tony Romo, which is probably their dream. That's great television also."
Expect Terrell Owens to earn his share of time. "If the cameras are going to be there, I've got to be ready," Owens said during an interview to promote his appearance on Under One Roof. "It's going to be an experience initially, but once you get into practice and two-a-days, guys are going to be too tired to focus on what's being taped. It's not really any different than playing in front of people in the stadium, game being televised. It's no different than our practices being taped. It's just more up close and personal. You get all the good, bad and ugly, the sweat, bumps, bruises and tears. Other than that, it'll be good."
Training camp will be held in Oxnard, Calif., with pre-season games in San Diego and Denver before returning to team headquarters. The last time the Cowboys were in Oxnard, Owens missed workouts with a hamstring injury that some considered a ploy to annoy coach Bill Parcells. Owens spent so much time riding a stationary bicycle that tensions began to boil. Greenburg would love for something like that to happen again. "We'll be on the inside telling the story out," he said. "We're giving the part the media can't see."
Some second-tier stories that could develop include the relationship between coach Wade Phillips and his widely presumed successor, offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, and the plight of undrafted rookie Marcus Dixon, who was once featured on HBO's "Real Sports" show after being sentenced to 10 years in jail for statutory rape and aggravated child molestation for having sex with a 15-year-old classmate. No wonder Greenburg left open the possibility of stretching beyond the allotted 60 minutes. "I've taken documentaries from 60 minutes to 90 on the fly," he said. "It's how long the show works, grabs you. That's what we like to do."
This is the fourth edition of "Hard Knocks," and the second to include the Cowboys. Cameras were rolling in 2002, depicting a ragtag bunch that was coming off a 5-11 season and would go 5-11 again. Parcells arrived after that, and it's probably no coincidence that the franchise and the networks didn't hook up again. Steve Sabol of NFL Films asked Jones about a return engagement during league meetings. He didn't have to wait long for an enthusiastic yes.
Jones loves pushing the Cowboys brand, working to keep the star logo among the most identifiable in all of sports. Five straight one-hour episodes every Wednesday from Aug. 6 to Sept. 3 is terrific free advertising for "America's Team," especially with all the repeat showings and on-demand offerings. (The only surprise might be that it's on HBO instead of the NFL Network, of which Jones is the chairman.)
Being featured on "Hard Knocks" isn't necessarily great for the players and coaches who will be under the watchful eye of four cameras at every practice, plus surveillance-like cameras monitoring meeting rooms and other typically off-limits areas. Four players per day will wear wireless microphones during practice, with as many as 12 wearing them in pre-season games.
Only one of the three teams profiled so far has made the play-offs -- the 2001 Baltimore Ravens, who went from Super Bowl champions to a 10-6 wild-card team. After the Cowboys in '02, the series was dormant until last summer, when the Kansas City Chiefs allowed their training camp to get the "Hard Knocks" treatment. They went 4-12, tying for the third-worst record in the NFL. "That's why we've got skin this thick," Jones said, holding his hands about a foot apart. "That's part of playing for the Dallas Cowboys. ... I don't think it's a minus at all."
Meanwhile, get your popcorn ready: Terrell Owens is coming to US prime time Wednesday night. As an actor. T.O. will make his sitcom acting debut on the MyNetworkTV show Under One Roof as the long-lost brother of the show's star, Flavor Flav. Owens tries convincing Flav and sitcom sibling Kelly Perine that they're all brothers in hopes of getting them to invest in his Web site.
"I see dollar signs," Owens said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I'm trying to kind of smooth my way into the family, but Flav is not buying it. It's a lot of funny dialogue. It was a good time." It might also be a first step toward a second career. "If I'm going to really consider doing acting after football, this a great start to let me get my feet wet," Owens said. "For an actor trying to become an A-lister, I think I'm on the bottom of the pile. I'm a D-lister."
Owens always has been comfortable in front of a camera, but it's usually playing the character known as T.O. He's built his reputation through end-zone celebrations, colourful interviews (such as the time he answered questions while doing sit-ups in his driveway) and dressing up for the Tour de France just to ride a stationary bike at training camp. He showed more acting skills during a skit with one of the "Desperate Housewives" that aired before a Monday Night Football game. The scene ended with the woman dropping her towel , and ABC later offering an apology.
Owens got a taste of Hollywood in 1999, when he appeared in Any Given Sunday with a star-filled cast. A friend who is the casting director of this show has long been encouraging Owens to take on roles, something he's more receptive to after the way things went with Flav's show.
He came away with several football-acting comparisons: Cast members are like teammates, the script is like a playbook and both require lots of practice so that once the lights go on you're ready for anything. "You've got to get a feel for the flow of the show and the storyline and go with it," Owens said. "They told me they were very, very pleased with the way I played my character, just how I was getting my lines on point and on cue. That was very, very encouraging."
Viewers can see for themselves at 8 p.m. EDT on Wednesday night. Owens will be tuned in, too, because that'll be the first time he sees the finished product. And, yes, he'll have his popcorn ready, like he memorably urged fans to do upon joining the Cowboys. "I think I've got everyone I know tuned in to watch this show. I even sent an e-mail out," he said. "I guarantee you, once people see the show, I'll be getting e-mails and text messages out the wazoo. ... Believe me, it's some funny stuff. It's going to be great."
Even if the reviews are outstanding, Owens won't be giving up his day job any time soon, even if he is in the final year of his contract. "I know what's the breadwinner for me," he said. "But definitely I'm looking forward to doing some acting after football, in the off-season next year. I think I did well enough that they even may bring me back for some recurring roles. It's a start for me, and I don't like to fail at anything I do."
