‘Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Oakland Raiders’ Episode 3 Superlatives

Best moment: Mike Mayock gives an ultimatum

Episode 2 of Hard Knocks ended with Antonio Brown showing up to practice, and everything was going smoothly in last night’s episode until—as everyone knows—the superstar receiver left camp because of the helmet issue. We saw all week that head coach Jon Gruden was fully behind AB, but general manager Mike Mayock knew he had to get the situation under control, so he gave a statement to reporters that forced Brown to make a decision. He showed up the next day.

 

Worst moment: Antonio Brown makes his case

I joked last week that Jon Gruden could probably play Two-Face in the next Batman movie because of how he can go from calm to fired up, but based on his one-on-one interaction with the camera last night, Brown’s personality might actually be a better fit for the role. It was strange to see AB try to pin the blame on everyone else for him not wanting to follow the helmet rules or be with the team, but hopefully Mayock’s ultimatum (combined with the support from Gruden, creating a good cop/bad cop routine) will make him definitively “all in.”

 

Funniest moment: Frank Caliendo impersonates Jon Gruden

I wouldn’t be able to do this moment justice by trying to explain it, so here’s a preview for those who didn’t watch.

 

Tonight on #HardKnocks…Gruden brings in a guest close to his own heart.
⁣@FrankCaliendo pic.twitter.com/wI7fS4hTGt

— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) August 20, 2019

 

Also, if you didn’t know, there’s always a credits scene, and last night’s featured more Caliendo impressions.

 

Underrated moment: Jon Gruden discusses Rodney Harrison

The Raiders drafted safety Johnathan Abram because he’s a hard-hitting, old-school player, so it was pretty amusing to see him basically zone out when his head coach was talking about Rodney Harrison, causing Gruden to remark, “you don’t even know who he is.”

 

Best quote: Mike Mayock

“At this point, we have pretty much exhausted all avenues of relief. So, from our perspective, it’s time for him to be all in or all out.” (on Antonio Brown and the helmet saga)

 

MVP: Mike Mayock

In his first year as an NFL GM, Mayock had three first-round picks (including one pick in the top five) that may either may or break the franchise—but his handling of the Antonio Brown situation was arguably the most important thing he’s done or will ever have to do in his new career. Especially because Mayock apparently had to be convinced to trade for Brown, his decision to open himself up for criticism shouldn’t be overlooked.