The Seattle Seahawks are allowing the NFL’s annual “Hard Knocks” series to take us behind the scenes and the first episode with the defending Super Bowl champions gave us a peek of the first day of training camp, the first day of padded practice, and the Navy’s Blue Angels stealing the show.
The Blue Angels typically play no role in an NFL training camp.
But somehow, at the climax of Tuesday night’s episode, there they were roaring across the sky over the Seahawks and making some of the millionaire professional athletes and coaches react like wide-eyed kids.
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More of that in a minute. But firstly, you should know that it is rare for the defending Super Bowl champs to allow dozens of cameras to be placed throughout their training facility and have players and coaches mic’d up so the viewing public (and opponents) can watch their meetings and practices, while listening to typically private conversations.
But the Seahawks are graciously allowing it this year and we saw plenty in this episode, from insights on practice fights, to intel on contracts.
And then we got to Seattle’s first padded practice. The last time the Seahawks put on their pads?
“In San Francisco” for Super Bowl LX, coach Mike Macdonald said.
The shot then cuts to the Seahawks, on their field in pads, thudding each other up and perhaps being a little more physical than that … until you hear the roar of jet engines overhead.
Players and coaches look skyward and six blue and yellow F/A-18s scream past in formation, a trail of white smoke in their wake.
“Yes, America!” Macdonald exclaims. “Blue Angels, baby, let’s go!”
“America!” linebacker Ernest Jones IV exclaims.
And this is the moment we see that admiring fans have come to watch the Seahawks practice. And the admiring Seahawks are instead watching the Blue Angels practice for their Aug. 1-2 Boeing Seafair Air Show.
“How can you not watch the Blue Angels?,” Macdonald asks rhetorically.
The Navy flight that buzzed the Renton, Washington training facility on the Southeastern shore of Lake Washington lasted much of the football team’s first padded practice.
It seemingly served as the soundtrack to the workout.
“Man, we got football, an air show …” Jones said.
It was awesome. And when it was over, Macdonald gathered his players in a huddle and delivered a message.
“Tell you what, men, that was a helluva practice,” the coach said, “Ain’t it great to be back in pads, playing football? It doesn’t get better than this, little Seahawks style, America. We got the freaking Blue Angeles!”
The annual HBO series will follow the Seahawks all the way through training camp, the preseason, and until the final roster cuts. The series airs every Tuesday evening and then streams after that.
This 2026 premiere was obviously a little different than most because this episode closed with about two solid minutes of the Blue Angels preparing for their flights instead of the Seahawks preparing for more football.
Priorities.
America.
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