Jim Irsay says Colts will not be doing Hard Knocks this year

As I’m sure most Colts fans are aware, there was a possibility that the team could have been doing Hard Knocks this year during training camp.

That’s because teams can be forced to do the show if, 1) they haven’t made the playoffs in either of the past two years; 2) they have a returning head coach; and 3) they haven’t appeared on Hard Knocks in the last decade. So since the Colts fit all three criteria, they could have been forced to do the show this year.

But at least according to owner Jim Irsay, they won’t be.

“That’s not going to happen this year,’’ Irsay said, according to CBS4’s Mike Chappell. “Someday I’m sure we’ll end up doing it. This was just not an ideal year for us.’’

What wasn’t ideal about it? Well, the Colts have a new general manager and a quarterback recovering from shoulder surgery... and the same head coach... and with the team staying at home for camp it would actually give fans a chance to see a bit of what goes on.

Those tongue-in-cheek comments aside, even though I’m sure it’d never be an ideal time for the Colts to do Hard Knocks it seems like they do have some reasons. Though it’s possible for a team to be forced to do the show, it seems like most of the time the league finds a willing participant. It seems clear that the Colts were not that this year, so while nothing has been announced regarding Hard Knocks, Jim Irsay says the Colts won’t be a part of it.

He did say, however, that he’s sure the Colts will wind up doing Hard Knocks at some point, though it might be a while. If they do change coaches next year (which is a possibility), then I’m sure it wouldn’t be an ideal year for them in that regard. And I’m sure there are other factors that would make the Colts hesitant to do it, but Irsay at least makes it sound probable that the Colts will do it at some point.