Raiders ready for their ‘Hard Knocks’ debut

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NAPA, Calif. (AP) — Quarterback Derek Carr angrily yelling at teammates. Jon Gruden showing a softer, gentler side for some of his younger players and ditching his trademark snarl. Vontaze Burfict politely helping an offensive linemen get off the ground.

What in the name of Al Davis is going on here?

The Raiders may have another month to go before playing games that matter but they’ll be making an early appearance on TV on Tuesday night when the HBO series “Hard Knocks” makes its season debut.

“It’s been really cool to be honest because people get to see us in our real environment,” Carr said. “People (usually) don’t get to see coach Gruden telling some of our rookies how much he loves them. They just see clips of him yelling at people. They don’t get to see me jumping people, competing and talking trash. What it does is it opens up the world to us to show who we really are.”

Ever since the cable network series began in 2001 the Raiders have been mentioned as potential stars of the show. But Davis, the team’s Hall of Fame owner who passed away in 2011, was staunchly against having the cameras invading the team’s practices.

Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock also were initially against it, worried that the cameras and crew documenting players’ every step would be a distraction. Yet here they are. The Raiders, at least this year’s version, would seem to be a perfect fit for the behindthe-scenes series with a cast of colorful characters that includes

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AP ERIC RISBERG In this June 11, 2019, file photo, Oakland Raiders wide receiver Antonio Brown is shown during an NFL football minicamp in Alameda, Calif. The Raiders and their big personalities like Antonio Brown and Richie Incognito are ready to be stars on HBO’S “Hard Knocks.”