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Arians would fight effort to force Hard Knocks onto Cardinals

Arians

The NFL has decided that, if there are no volunteers for Hard Knocks, the league will appoint someone to do it.

Cardinals coach Bruce Arians nevertheless insists his team won’t comply, if it ever comes to that.

“I think it’s a total distraction, and I think it’s an embarrassment to players,” Arians told Bill Polian and Alex Marvez of SiriusXM NFL Radio. “I think when players are released, some of the things that are said between coaches and players are too personal, and nobody else’s business.”

Asked if he’d fight an involuntary Hard Knocks assignment “tooth and nail,” Arians didn’t hesitate.

“All the way,” Arians said. “All the way.”

We agree with Arians’ point. At a time when the league has suggested that it would like to find a more “humane” way of ending employment, the easiest tactic would be, you know, to not film the interaction and play it on national TV.

Still, Arians will lose, if push ever comes to shove. The requisite number of NFL owners have agreed to the new rule.

And if/when a team tries to fight the Hard Knocks assignment, the show may become even more compelling. Indeed, one of the most memorable moments of a largely forgettable 2013 edition of the series came when linebacker James Harrison was doing all he could to avoid the cameras and microphones. Five episodes of the coaches and the players doing that would be a lot better than a kick-ass Oklahoma drill scene surrounded by several hours of filler.