Saints don't seem thrilled about potential "Hard Knocks" opportunity

The New Orleans Saints are one of the final teams under consideration for this season of HBO's Hard Knocks. If you ask the Saints, they'd be fine missing out.

Whether it be the popular training camp edition, or the new in-season iteration, the New Orleans Saints have never been the subject of HBO's Hard Knocks. It's a program that has become a staple in NFL culture, and fans really seem to enjoy it, especially if their team isn't featured. From the looks of it, the Saints themselves appear to agree with this mindset.

The notion is that it puts the team under a microscope, which can easily lead to scrutiny, especially in this social media age we find ourselves living in. Not only that, it can also pile on some added pressure, which is never good, especially if a team has aspirations, and are favorites, to win the division.

Head Coach Dennis Allen made his opinion on the matter very clear.

There you have it. If the head honcho isn't on board, that should be all the reason not to accept an invitation. Of course, that's never the full story.

Some teams in the running, like the Chicago Bears, have made it clear they have no intention of starring on the show this season. While the Saints haven't publicly declared anything, it seems that signs are pointing towards the negative.

At the end of the day, HBO's Hard Knocks has become pretty close to appointment television for hardcore NFL fans, and even casual. That said, it's kind of like the Super Bowl in a way, where it's better in some aspects if your team isn't in it, so you can relax and enjoy yourself. Obviously the goal for the New Orleans Saints and everyone else is the Super Bowl, but that doesn't mean Hard Knocks has to be a pitstop to get there.