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Eight things to watch on this season's 'Hard Knocks'

It's official: The 10th season of Hard Knocks will focus on the Houston Texans. One of the joys of this great show is its ability to teach us new things about players and coaches we've only known from highlights and fantasy scores. There are no shortage of compelling storylines to follow with the Texans. Here's what we'll be watching for.

1. Up close with J.J.: We're witnessing something special with J.J. Watt, who had a very strong case last season to be the league's MVP in addition to his no-doubter DPOY honors. Watt is in that next level of professional athletes -- think Tyson in his prime, or Jordan, LeBron, Tiger -- where he can sometimes look like a man playing against boys (see Watt's Hard Knocks cameo last year in a 1-on-1 practice session against poor Jake Matthews). Point being, these types of athletes don't come around often and Knocks offers an ideal platform.

2. The Tao of Arian: Texans running back Arian Foster is one of the NFL's great thinkers. And while he's toned down the lovably ponderous nature of his Twitter feed -- these days he's more outwardly passionate about the New York Rangers than science and world peace -- Foster remains the type of compelling figure that makes him a perfect fit for the Hard Knocks model.

3. QB camp battle: It's been awhile since Hard Knocks has been able to sink its teeth into a legit quarterback competition. Ryan Tannehill won a rigged Dolphins competition back in 2012 if you want to count that, but the last true battle came way back in 2007, when Damon Huard and Brodie Croyle battled in Kansas City (yes, we got chills, too). Ryan Mallett vs. Brian Hoyer brings the goods this season -- it feels like a 50/50 battle. I'm also curious to learn more about Hoyer, whose hard-working underdog rep earned him the nickname "Cleveland Springsteen" during his Browns tenure. Full disclosure: I'm the only person who called him that.

4. Clowney's return: Jadeveon Clowney was hyped as the next L.T. before two knee surgeries turned his rookie season and career upside-down. Hard Knocks should give us more access to Clowney during his ongoing recovery from that serious microfracture procedure. Access is good! We don't get much of that anymore!

5. The Bill O'Brien Show: It's only natural that Hard Knocks acts as something of a star vehicle for the head coach. Last season, Mike Smith underwhelmed as a Tevas-wearing low-talker whose staid nature stood in stark contrast to the build-a-bully makeover the coaching staff tried to sell to the team. O'Brien might have a more entertaining personality for cameras, and we're curious to see how a modern-day head coach juggles his day-to-day responsibilities with being a full-time offensive coordinator. Also, there's that chin. That chin was born for the spotlight.

More here.