Because they have missed the playoffs for the last two years and didn’t change their coach this offseason, they fit the requirements of a team that can be forced to do Hard Knocks by the NFL.
According to Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post, they’ve avoided being forced into taking part in a show that it is impossible to imagine coach Tom Coughlin wanting to do. Hubbuch reports that enough other teams have volunteered to have cameras at their training camp that the Giants will not be obligated to take a starring role on HBO this summer.
The NFL denied a report last month that the field of teams under consideration had been narrowed to the Giants, Steelers and Bears. The report did not include the identities of any teams who have volunteered to be on the show and the team is expected to be announced in June.
The Giants recently agreed to allow NFL Network cameras into their draft room, something they’ve refused to do in the past and something that some saw as a possible tradeoff for avoiding the Hard Knocks slot. If others have volunteered for the gig, that may not be the case although it will have to suffice as our only behind-the-scenes glimpse into the way the Giants do business regardless of the reason.