A to Z Sports

Five best moments from the first episode of HBO's 'Hard Knocks' with the Chicago Bears

By Kole Noble,

21 hours ago

The first episode of HBO's hit documentary series "Hard Knocks" with the Chicago Bears has been released and the following article will have major spoilers for the opening episode of the new season.

Already from the jump, you can tell there's a new energy brewing inside Halas Hall heading into the 2024 season and for good reason.

The Bears front office did an incredible job overhauling both sides of the roster going into training camp. After viewing the first episode of the show, here are the five best moments from the opening episode.

1. Theo Benedet Speedo Karaoke

We already have the betting favorite to be the star of this season's Hard Knocks in undrafted rookie offensive lineman Theo Benedet.

The 6'7, 305 pound offensive lineman signed with the Bears soon after the 2024 NFL Draft ended out of the University of British Columbia. After shining during the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl, Benedet put himself on the NFL radar and the Bears made sure to keep tabs on him throughout the year.

Benedet was drafted with the 15th pick in the CFL draft but opted to instead sign with Chicago days prior, giving up a chance to be a Day 1 starter in favor of fighting for a roster spot in the NFL.

During the first episode of Hard Knocks, Benedet put on quite the show during the rookie performances. Benedet performed a rendition of "God Bless the USA" shirtless with fellow offensive lineman Kiran Amegadjie standing behind him playing a cymbal.

The best part of his rendition wasn't the singing itself, it was the fact that Benedet was wearing throwaway pants and after ripping them off, he had nothing left on but a bald eagle speedo. Head coach Matt Eberflus hilariously noted that he wasn't going anywhere near the "stage" until the rookie put some clothes on.

Unfortunately for the rookie, Benedet suffered an injury during the preseason opener while blocking for a field goal and the episode showed that he could miss up to four-five weeks of camp, which could likely be the majority of the show and drastically affect his roster chances.

2. Matt Eberflus Learning From Nick Saban

The best coaches never stop learning and seeing Eberflus outsourcing advice from Nick Saban, arguably the best college coach of all-time, shows the kind of leader Eberflus really is.

From what was shown during the episode, Saban mainly was walking through how Eberflus should go about developing his first overall pick, Caleb Williams, and how he should handle all the monumental expectations coming his way.

No one knows better than Saban, who coached some of the best players that entered the league during his extraordinary coaching career at Alabama. The best part was seeing the practice overlays of Eberflus working through exactly what Saban was explaining to him while standing next to Williams during practice.

3. QB Slip-n-Slide

The Bears had an interesting practice drill that took place with the quarterbacks Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent, Brett Rypien, and Austin Reed.

When a quarterback gets out of the pocket and goes on the move, it's important to know not only when to get down, but how to as well. That's exactly what the Bears quarterbacks practiced with quarterbacks coach Kerry Joseph, with help from a slip-n-slide, outside of Halas Hall.

The drill proved to be worth it during the Hall of Fame Game against the Houston Texans. Rypien, the Bears veteran addition to the room, played the majority of the game and during his first drive in the game scampered for a nine-yard run. At the end of it, Rypien demonstrated a perfect QB slide to avoid any hits, just as he practiced.

4. Greatest Intro of All-Time Makes a Cameo

It can't be a real Chicago sports documentary without a reference to the Chicago Bulls' dominating 1984 to 2004 run in the NBA. In that span, the Bulls led by superstar Michael Jordan won six NBA championships and has been a defining moment for Chicago sports ever since.

In that era, the Bulls had the greatest starting lineup intro music ever, something that still holds true to this day. Hard Knocks was able to use the legendary music during the start of the episode to set the stage for the city's new franchise quarterback.

Even long-time Bulls announcer Ray Clay had a brief cameo in the segment. Here's the full clip that will surely have you ready to run through a brick wall.

5. Matt Eberflus Haircut Highlights

I just couldn't resist including this. The transformation of the team's head coach going into Year 3 is one of the best any coach has ever had. The new-look Flus has been the subject of many headlines all offseason and of course HBO had to include a haircut highlight reel in the first episode.

And it couldn't be done without including an interview with Kelly Eberflus, whom the team's head coach said was responsible for his new-look.

The best part was Hard Knocks including another great comparison by adding a picture of Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds next to Eberflus while sitting in the barber chair getting trimmed up. His aura cannot be beat heading into this season.