This was completely unsolicitated from my son, Matt.

One of our traditions in August is watching Hard Knocks on HBO. Now that Matt is back from a summer at camp, I asked if he had caught up with last week’s first episode and was looking forward to tonight’s show.

“Yeah, I watched it,” he said. “I’m not really into it. Didn’t we just see them? Why couldn’t they get someone like the 49ers?”

Matt actually saw them in 2009. Since the lockout knocked out Hard Knocks in 2011, it marks the second time Cincinnati has been featured in the last four runs for the series.

I wonder if more viewers feel like Matt.

Do we need to spend another summer up close and personal with Marvin Lewis? Does Cincinnati have any players you want to get to know better? Hey, who knew Andy Dalton is into Pilates?

As mentioned earlier, I can’t imagine the Bengals were NFL Films’ first choice to do an encore performance. And my concern is: Were they the league’s only choice?

In a story at MMQB.com, Richard Deitsch went behind the scenes on the massive undertaking that is Hard Knocks. Even though the crew tries to remain invisible, it is an impossible task. Just too many people and cameras.

It’s little wonder why NFL teams pass.

Deitsch had this telling passage:

HBO executives expect the show to continue for some time—they privately crow that they own the NFL’s best program—and teams have said publicly they believe it can help the business of their franchises. NFL Films recently signed a multiyear contract extension with HBO to continue making the series.

“It would depend on the state of my franchise and where we are,” Tomlinson says of whether participating is a good idea for a team. “It certainly can help you build a fanbase and sell tickets, because people get drawn into it and get interested in the storylines. If I owned a team that needed star power and needed to sell tickets, I would absolutely do it. But a franchise like, say, the New England Patriots? They don’t need Hard Knocks.”

Hard Knocks, though, needs teams like the Patriots to sign on. It needs some star power.

No offense to the Bengals, but I have to admit I wasn’t excited going into last week’s opening episode. I did have a sense of been-there, done-that.

As usual, I got sucked in by the behind-the-scenes nature of the show. The end was dramatic with that rookie getting hurt.

I’ll watch tonight and through the end of this year’s series. Hard Knocks is a superb production.

But I’m not as optimistic about the future of the Hard Knocks franchise. I imagine there will be some serious arm-twisting of owners and coaches when it comes time to select a team for Hard Knocks in 2014.

The Bengals won’t be an option.

A show of hands for those who want to see the Cincinnati Bengals appear on Hard Knocks for the second time in five years.

Yeah, that’s what I thought. I’m fairly sure the feeling is mutual at NFL Films and HBO.

Yes, the Bengals have a good, solid young team. But they don’t have Chad Johnson for comic relief/nonsense anymore, or any big stars for that matter, and coach Marvin Lewis hardly is Rex Ryan.

So why the Bengals for an encore of their 2009 appearance? The answer seems rather obvious: NFL Films and HBO might have had another choice, or at the very least, limited options.

Despite the press release below, I can’t believe Cincinnati was the first pick or even the 30th to do the series. They were just featured fairly recently.

The wish list had to center on teams with much higher profiles and with bigger stars. How about Denver with Peyton Manning? Washington and the return of RGIII? New Orleans with Sean Payton back on the sidelines?

Do you think for a minute, NFL Films said, “No, we’d rather have the Bengals.”

Clearly, those teams and others don’t want the intrusion of cameras in their training camps. It’s a huge obstacle that could threaten the continuation of the series. If more teams aren’t willing to open their doors, there won’t be a Hard Knocks in the future.

Thus far, only six teams have agreed to do the show: Baltimore (2001), Dallas (2002, 2008), Kansas City (2007), New York Jets (2010), Miami (2012), and Cincinnati (2009, 2013).

The Bengals likely signed on again because they want to increase their profile nationally as well as at home. That definitely was the case last year with Miami, which burdened first-year coach Joe Philbin with the distractions that come with filming Hard Knocks.

I love the series. Even with another dose of the Bengals, I’m sure the producers will deliver another compelling set of shows.

However, in order for the series to survive, the NFL has to get more teams to buy in. Don’t think anyone wants another Bengals encore in 2014.

******

Here is the official release, full of enthusiasm for the Bengals:

HBO Sports, NFL Films and the Cincinnati Bengals team up for an all-access look at what it takes to make it in the National Football League when HARD KNOCKS:  TRAINING CAMP WITH THE CINCINNATI BENGALS debuts in August.  The first sports-based reality series – and one of the fastest-turnaround programs on television – kicks off its five-episode eighth season, presented in HD, TUESDAY, AUG. 6 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.  Other hour-long episodes debut subsequent Tuesdays at the same time, with an encore play every Wednesday at 11:00 p.m., culminating in the Sept. 3 season finale.

“We are delighted that Hard Knocks will be returning this summer and excited for our return to the AFC Central and the Cincinnati Bengals franchise,” says Ken Hershman, President, HBO Sports. “With playoff appearances three of the past four seasons, the Bengals have built a terrific young team and we are extremely grateful to both Coach Marvin Lewis and the entire organization for agreeing to participate. The series has become captivating television with appeal far beyond the hardcore football fan.  Hard Knocks is a cornerstone franchise at HBO Sports.”

“We’re thrilled to again work with both the Cincinnati Bengals and HBO Sports,” said Howard Katz, COO of NFL Films and NFL Senior Vice President of Broadcasting.  “In particular, we want to thank Mike Brown for the trust he’s shown in NFL FILMS by allowing us access into Bengals training camp. This year’s Bengals squad provides us with a compelling combination of unique storylines:  a veteran coaching staff, young superstars, high-profile free agents and an intriguing draft class. We can’t wait to see what will take place this year and look forward to collaborating with HBO which has been the perfect partner for us since Hard Knocks debuted 12 seasons ago.”

The cinema verité series will focus on the daily lives and routines of players and coaches as the Cincinnati Bengals, who compete in the ultra-competitive AFC Central, prepare for the 2013 NFL season.  HARD KNOCKS:  TRAINING CAMP WITH THE CINCINNATI BENGALS will chronicle eleventh-year head coach Marvin Lewis and an intriguing mix of high-profile veterans, emerging stars, free agents and rookie hopefuls throughout training camp and the four-game preseason schedule.  Each week, players will experience drills, instruction, meetings and fun, while striving to prove they have what it takes to make the team and leave their mark in the NFL.

“The feedback we got from our experience with Hard Knocks in 2009 was outstanding,” said Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. “Our fans enjoyed it tremendously and we’re happy to try and provide that same experience again. Our fans love the NFL and they enjoy seeing things they don’t normally get to see. We have some outstanding men, both as players and as people. They’ve got great charisma to go along with their football skills, and the Hard Knocks treatment allows for both to shine through.”

Lewis added: “Some people say, ‘Well, you won the division the last time you did this; is that a reason for doing it again?’ I really don’t think that matters or figures much into the decision. Every day, every time is a new experience. As coaches and players, we just go into it knowing we have to do our jobs to the utmost. We have a grueling schedule, and expectations are very high, particularly among ourselves. We’ve got to take a workmanlike attitude from the very start.  Hard Knocks is another element you have to be prepared to deal with. The NFL Films people are totally professional, so that’s not a worry, but it’s not like a normal day. One thing I did see as a positive last time was exposing our players to another group of people who are working hard every day the way we need to work. The diligence and the effort of the people on-site is very impressive.”

A 24-person NFL Films crew will live in the city of Cincinnati as the Bengals will hold camp at Paul Brown Stadium, shooting more than 1,250 hours of footage shot over the course of the series.  Camera and sound crews will be given unencumbered access to the players’ and coaches’ meeting rooms, training rooms, living quarters and practice fields.

Last summer’s edition of HARD KNOCKS marked the first time the series premiered on Tuesday nights and it proved to be a resounding success; the five-part prime-time series on the resurgent Miami Dolphins averaged 4.1 million viewers per episode making it the second most watched HARD KNOCKS in a decade.

It will be the second time in five years for the Bengals.

From John Reedy of the Cincinnati.com:

While the series has been popular with football fans because of the inside access it gives them, it is the bane of existence for head coaches. Only one other team had expressed serious interest in appearing.

The Bengals were the team in 2009 and won the AFC North with a 10-6 record. When asked over the past couple years about possibly doing the series again, coach Marvin Lewis has been leery of making a return, but with a young team and a more mature locker room, this might be a good time to do it again.

However, the reasons why Lewis did the series four years ago could ring true this time — he has a young but mature roster and he feels like they can handle it. It will also give Andy Dalton and A.J. Green more national recognition.