According to a USAToday.com report, the New York Jets have some internal division on whether they should return for a second engagement of HBO's Hard Knocks.
Apparently Jets owner Woody Johnson wants in on the deal, while coach Rex Ryan is opposed to it.
Johnson, who created a media circus by trading for Tim Tebow last month, is obsessed with having his team in the spotlight, but Rex Ryan isn't down with it this time around.
"At that time (2010), I thought Hard Knocks was good for us," Ryan said in the USA Today report. "We had nothing to hide. We were going to be ourselves, and I think it portrayed us pretty good. I don't know about all that right now."
While Ryan is probably correct in his assessment that the attention has been mostly negative, there's no denying that this Jets team has more sugary-sweet storylines than a soap opera.
Even before you throw in the drama of the potential quarterback controversy between Tebow and Mark Sanchez, there's a juicy storyline brewing in the team chemistry department.
Is Santonio Holmes still an outcast in the locker room, or is the team ready to embrace him again? Is Rex Ryan still the brash, outspoken personality who shocked the nation with his profanity-laced tirades in the first installment of the show in 2010, or has he toned down his act? Those are just some of the questions that need answers, and the result would be a delicious weekly installment of fantastic developments.
As a Jets fan, it pains me to say that my team is already the laughingstock of the league. Johnson's constant obsession with "creating a buzz" around the Jets often results in business decisions that don't equate to smart football decisions.
I believe a Jets' appearance on Hard Knocks in 2012 could be disastrous, but it would be up to the team to show the nation it has matured and gelled as a cohesive unit. This can be a great opportunity to prove the Jets aren't the joke that many are making them out to be.
The Denver Broncos have reportedly declined the offer to be on Hard Knocks, and HBO is now considering either the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco Giants or Baltimore Ravens.
While the Jets were on the show just two seasons ago, so much has changed since then that it would be completely different this time around. Most of the focus last time around was on Darrelle Revis' contract negotiations, so that wouldn't be an issue this time.
It would make for some extremely compelling television to see how all the different storylines develop, and there's no denying that the team has more star power than any of the others in consideration.
Should the New York Jets appear on the new season of HBO's Hard Knocks? Let me know in the comments.
Eric Holden is a lifelong New York Jets fan. Follow him on Twitter @ericholden.
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