Hard Knocks: Detroit Lions — Aidan Hutchinson sings Michael Jackson and fans go crazy

Football fans are craving just about anything football related so close to the NFL regular season and Hard Knocks is back to satisfy that need. 

The long-running docuseries is here with season 17, chronicling the Detroit Lions’ training camp. Whether you’re a Lions fan or not, the Hard Knocks season premiere provided a number of memorable moments that have people buzzing.

The Detroit Lions are one of the oldest franchises in the NFL, but they are also one of the most maligned. The Lions have never won a Super Bowl and have more often than not found themselves in the lower half of the NFL standings. Head coach Dan Campbell knows this and kicked off the season with a NSFW speech about the mentality he wants his team to have that he believes will get them into the upper echelon of the NFL.

But the highlight from the team’s early meeting was the showmanship of rookie defensive end Aidan Hutchison.

Many teams like to welcome their rookies to the NFL in embarrassing ways. The Lions apparently do so by having the newcomers perform in front of all of their teammates. Hutchinson, who was the second overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, did an a cappella rendition of the Michael Jackson classic, "Billie Jean." He fumbles the first line of the song, which earns a roar of laughter from the room, but he won them back (and fans on social media) with his second go-around. Take a look:

Fellow rookie Malcolm Rodriguez also performed in the premiere, opting to do a salsa dance. Wonder if these rookie performances are going to happen throughout the season? Whoever is up next has a high bar to clear.

Hutchinson was one of the few current players that got a spotlight in Hard Knocks episode 1. Instead it was former players who are now coaches that proved to be a focus, specifically Duce Staley and Aaron Glenn. 

Dan Campbell, who himself played in NFL, has built his coaching staff with a number of former players: Mark Brunell, Antwan Randle El, Kelvin Sheppard, Hank Fraley and more. But two of the most prominent are assistant head coach/running backs coach Duce Staley and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who clearly have not lost their trash talking edge.

During practice the two were shown constantly jawing at each other like they were the ones suiting up and hitting. It was intense and hilarious:

The final big moment of the episode came from running back Jamaal Williams. Asked by Campbell to give a speech at the end of the team’s first practice, Williams fires off an impassioned message that would have just about anybody ready to run through a brick wall.

We’ll see how that translates onto the field, as Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Detroit Lions episode 2 should feature footage from the Lions’ first preseason game. 

Hard Knocks episode 1: additional highlights

• Campbell hasn’t let go of some of his old player habits, as he did up/downs with his team despite, as he put it, having a "jacked up wrist" from falling in his house.
• Undrafted rookie Obinna Eze, who is going to be fighting for a roster spot, shared his college recruiting experience (he went to Memphis, though did eventually transfer to TCU) as someone coming from Nigeria still relatively new to football
• The end credits were a blast, with outtakes that featured Duce Staley laying his ground rules for team meetings and … ahem … we’ll just say bathroom etiquette and Dan Campbell unable to resist a "deez nuts" joke.

New episodes of Hard Knocks air Tuesdays at 10 pm ET/PT on HBO and HBO Max. All episodes are on-demand on HBO Max.