Raiders on ‘Hard Knocks’: Episode 3 by the numbers
Here’s a close look by the numbers at Tuesday’s third episode of HBO’s “Hard Knocks: Training Camp With the Oakland Raiders”:
3 - Syllables in the word seamlessly
The episode featured several entertaining exchanges between coach Jon Gruden and star receiver Antonio Brown.
It’s clear Gruden is fully supportive of Brown through all his trials and tribulations from head to toe, even if general manager Mike Mayock had to play the role of bad cop when Brown departed camp yet again on Sunday.
Perhaps the best exchange came late in the episode after Brown thanked Gruden for being a “constant supporter.”
Gruden said that wouldn’t change.
“I know you’ve got a lot of people in your ear, because you’re like a corporation that’s kind of gone global,” Gruden told the receiver. “At the end of the day, let’s keep this (expletive) simple. Football comes first. Everybody else is (expletive) way behind. You know what I’m saying? You’ve handled all that seamlessly, beautifully.”
Brown became immediately fixated on the word seamlessly, which he said he would look up.
“Three syllables,” Gruden laughed. “They don’t have those at (his alma mater of) Dayton or Central Michigan (where Brown attended).”
8 - Number of words it took for Brown to become a hero to sports nerds
Brown looked downright giddy while reviewing several charts that represented his activity on the field last season, including how his speed and distance traveled compared to other receivers.
“Men lie, women lie,” Brown quipped. “But the analytics don’t.”
The comment triggered a social media onslaught of analytics devotees singing Brown’s praises for co-signing the math revolution in sports.
It was like the moment in the movies when the homecoming queen agrees to go to the prom with the computer whiz who hasn’t left his room since middle school.
47 - Number of Chargers long-snapper Mike Windt
Windt, the longest-tenured player on the Chargers behind quarterback Philip Rivers, was torched by Gruden during a film session that appeared on the episode.
In a preseason game against the Cardinals, Windt mistakenly walked on the field with the kicking ball during live action because he thought the play was over.
Arizona instead forced a fumble and Windt just dropped the ball in a panic and tried to retreat from the field of play and back to the sideline.
The video, and Gruden’s commentary, drew huge laughs from the Raiders during a film session.
It’s probably not as funny to Windt, who was released by the Chargers hours before the episodeafter nine seasons in San Diego and Los Angeles.
68 - Tight end Darren Waller’s overall rating in ‘Madden 20’
Several players, most notably rookie Johnathan Abram, were fired up to talk to the video game designers from Electronic Arts.
Abram lobbied for himself to be rated higher, but was even more vocal about some of his teammates needing more respect within the game.
He thought Brown should have been awarded the rare 100 overall rating and expressed angst at quarterback Derek Carr and fellow defensive backs Karl Joseph and Lamarcus Joyner being underrated.
The general consensus about the biggest snub, however, was the 68 given to projected starting tight end Darren Waller.
One of the standouts of camp, the converted wide receiver appears on the verge of a breakout season.
1893 - The year recognized as when “Happy Birthday To You” was written
It’s the most recognized song in the English language, according to Guinness World Records.
Yet somehow Gruden doesn’t seem to know the beat.
He attempts to lead a rendition of the song to celebrate Mayock’s 61st, but somehow finds himself way off on the proper cadence to which everyone is so familiar.
Gruden’s sloppy start threw the whole thing off. It was like a group of people who were reading the words, but had never heard the rhythm sung out loud before.
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Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.
