Detroit Lions: Jon Gruden, Raiders an 'excellent choice' for 'Hard Knocks'

They can't say no, no matter how much they'd want to, so the Detroit Lions have taken to promoting another team for the HBO series "Hard Knocks."

Both Lions coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn joked at a forum for season ticket holders Monday that the Oakland Raiders would be an ideal fit for the reality series that goes behind the scenes of an NFL training camp.

“I think Jon Gruden is an excellent choice for that show," Patricia said. "I think the Oakland Raiders and everything they‘ve got going on right now would be fantastic viewing for everybody to watch."

The Lions and Raiders are two of five teams that can be compelled to take part in a series that got its start way back in 2001.

The Lions have never appeared on the show, but the Raiders, playing their final season in Oakland before moving to Las Vegas, with the No. 4 pick in the draft and a big personality in Gruden, are considered the more attractive option for TV.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

4th & MONDAY: Our NFL newsletter always brings the blitz

WHO WILL GET KYLER MURRAY? Teams that could draft Heisman winner

The NFL exempts teams from appearing on "Hard Knocks" if they have a new coach, if they've made the playoffs in either of the last two seasons, or if they've appeared on the show at some point in the last 10 years.

Only the Lions, Raiders, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers and Washington don't fall into one of those categories.

"Nobody wants to do it," Quinn said. "Except Oakland."

Patricia joked that he wouldn't want to take part in the show because "I would get a lot of phone calls from my mom at night." But there are more practical reasons why the Lions want to keep cameras away, too.

The last three teams to appear on "Hard Knocks" have finished with losing records, and Quinn said the show can give opponents valuable insight into scheme and personnel.

"One of my guys in scouting watches that show," Quinn said. "If we’re playing them that year, we DVR that show, we watch that show, we might glean a little thing about a personnel matter or a scheme thing. That’s something that other teams always do. I know we do it, we did it at our previous team (the New England Patriots), I’ve done it here. So it’s real.

"Is it going to be a matter of a win and loss? I’m not sure, but we take the stuff that we do behind our doors pretty privately and pretty securely so that’s something that definitely is a factor."

The Lions play the Raiders – and Giants and Washington – this fall.

Follow Dave Birkett on Twitter @davebirkett