HBO and the NFL offered the Falcons the opportunity to be the focal point of the Hard Knocks series in 2012.
And the Falcons have passed.
Albert Breer of NFL Network reports that the Falcons have decided against opening the doors to NFL Films cameras. The decision, per Breer, was made by owner Arthur Blank, G.M. Thomas Dimitroff, and coach Mike Smith. They preferred to focus on football.
Dimitroff comes from the Belichick church of secrecy, but Smith has twice dealt with video/audio intruders during camp, in 2001 with the Ravens and 2004 with the Jaguars.
Plenty of fans weren’t interested in having the Falcons placed under the Hard Knocks microscope. The only proper way to follow the Emmy-fountain that the Jets helped create in 2010 would be to get the Jets, Saints, or Broncos/Colts to do it. Teams like the Steelers, Packers, Patriots, and Giants would also generate significant national interest, but the teams that already have a national following have no reason to disrupt their routine.