The NFL’ 25-’26 regular season inches closer in Episode 3 of Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Buffalo Bills. The third episode continues to explore the players and coaching staff on and off the field, like Ed Oliver, Jimmy Ciarlo, and Connor McGovern. The drama of Hard Knocks: Training Camp Episode 3 remains with the game itself, while the rest of the third episode continues to shine a light on the team’s unique culture.
On the heels of the breaking news last week, Episode 3 of Hard Knocks: Training Camp kicks off with the solidified deal between the Buffalo Bills and James Cook. The RB1 and the organization were able to come to a deal at 11 p.m. EST on August 12th (just after Episode 2 aired). Cook isn’t the most expressive player—as seen in Episode 3—but it’s clear that he’s been itching to practice with his teammates. Watching him not just study tapes but actually run plays at the top of the episode was electrifying. The chef is back in the kitchen. Let James Cook!
Buffalo Bills Players Jimmy Ciarlo and Ja’Marcus Ingram Are Hungry for a Roster Spot
Something I admire about head coach Sean McDermott is his ability to give a great locker room speech. At the top of Episode 3 (in addition to James Cook’s extension), he speaks to the team before practice, particularly players striving to make the 53-man roster, by emphasizing the hunger they need to go after plays. A player showing that type of drive on the field is linebacker Jimmy Ciarlo. He made some key tackles during the first preseason game against the New York Giants. After a torn ACL from last season while on the New York Jets, Ciarlo didn’t think he would be jumping back onto the field and making as much of an impact as he has. Yet here he is, fighting for more reps in practice and a chance to prove himself on the official roster. Plus, Ciarlo has an infectious personality, much like K. J. Hamler. I’m rooting for you, Jimmy!
Another player who is showing his hunger for the game in a different way is cornerback Ja’Marcus Ingram. Last year, so much of the Bills’ ethos was treating each game one week at a time—never looking too far ahead and always striving to win the week. Ingram is taking this a step further by choosing to be present one play at a time. By verbally reminding himself of this affirmation and by walking the field with a sports psychologist after practices, Ingram, in Episode 3, is a reflection of the importance of mental health in sports. Football is a mental game as much as it is physical. Ingram’s rhythm highlighted here is a valuable lesson, one that can be centering during high-pressure games and plays. I do hope we can see and hear more from the Bills team psychologist(s) and chaplain in a future episode.
Hard Knocks Features Cowboy Ed Oliver and Chef Connor McGovern
Episode 3 continues the trend of spotlighting players’ personal lives, including hobbies that fans know little about. Such is the case with defensive tackle Ed Oliver and center guard Connor McGovern. Starting with Oliver, he’s been on the Bills roster since 2019. Bills Mafia has known Oliver for over six years. And yet, there’s something so endearing and charming to see him with his horses at the stable, bringing running back Ty Johnson along for the ride. Oliver is a Houston boy who grew up riding horses, so he knows what he’s doing. I don’t think the organization and trainers love that Oliver (and Dion Dawkins, for that matter) has such a risky hobby on the side. Still, I was in awe at his total control while horseback riding as Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” played non-diegetically.
Meanwhile, you have Connor McGovern and his biweekly pizza tradition. It started innocent enough. Being with the Dallas Cowboys during the COVID-19 lockdown, McGovern took it upon himself to learn how to make homemade pizza. When he joined the Bills in 2023, he told some of his teammates about his culinary hobby. While they were 5-5 during the 23-’24 season, he hosted a pizza party before they played the New York Jets; they won that game. Since then, McGovern and his family host a pizza party with the offensive line every other week. It turns out the Bills are as sports-stitious as me. NFL players, they’re just like us!
Don’t Stop Billievin’: The Buffalo Bills Are Built Different Than the Rest of the NFL
If it wasn’t clear already, the culture of the Buffalo Bills is unique. I watch a lot of interviews of various movie and TV casts gush about how they’re a family and bond so well. It’s one thing to talk it up for the press; it’s another thing entirely to really live that out. Team culture matters to performance. Between McGovern hosting pizza parties, the entire team engaging in improv night, and Josh Allen himself texting the offense how much he misses them just after returning from training camp in Rochester, NY… this is not the norm for professional football teams.
To put this in TV terms, the Buffalo Bills remind me of Ted Lasso’s AFC Richmond post-Season 1, Episode 6 “Two Aces.” When I started watching Ted Lasso in 2020, I immediately connected with the fictional team because they reminded me of the Buffalo Bills. Similar colors, years of being counted out, endearing players, etc. It was just obvious to me. After the team “lifts the curse” that injured Dani Rojas (Cristo Fernández), the culture of AFC Richmond changes. They have movie/pillow fight nights together while on the road; they spend Christmas together at the Higgins’ household; and they even perform their best Sound of Music homage to their beloved gaffer. No one is forcing players to spend time with each other outside practice, and no one is forcing Bills players to attend pizza night at Connor McGovern’s during training camp. They just want to. That’s rare.
Yes, it’s frustrating watching the Bills lose in a blowout game during the preseason, which is highlighted during Episode 3. Yes, there are areas of concern that need to be addressed before the season opener game against the Baltimore Ravens. But I’m not as worried because 1) It’s the preseason, 2) Last year, when the Bills lost to the Chicago Bears in the preseason and they still made it to the AFC championship, and 3) This team is built different. They are a team in every sense of the word. As a Bills fan, it’s encouraging for me to see that my favorite team is actually a team. Even though this episode comes after two weeks of crushing preseason defeats, Hard Knocks: Training Camp continues to spotlight the bond between Bills players and the values that make the Buffalo Bills the team that they are, one worth sticking around for and even one worth coming back to (yes, I’m looking at you, Gabe Davis!).
What are your thoughts on Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Buffalo Bills Episode 3? Let us know in the comments below.
First Featured Image Credit: ©Warner Bros.