Hard Knocks Power Rankings The ax comes

All good things must come to an end, and so must all mediocre things. This season of HBO's "Hard Knocks" wrapped up with its season finale Tuesday night and, unfortunately, this year's installment falls more into the mediocre pile.Over the past five weeks we've spent our Tuesdays with the , getting to know the ins and outs of the team's training camp and breaking down which characters and storylines have been Chris Bassitt Jersey most enjoyable during the run.With the NFL preseason mercifully coming to an end and the regular season starting, it's time for a final installment of "Hard Knocks" Power Rankings.8. Did you hear? He retired! Wow.In all seriousne s, I didn't expect the finale to open up with Luck's surprise retirement, but I suppose it makes sense considering the magnitude of the story around the NFL. However, if you're going to lead off with that, I'd like to see more than one reaction to the news. All we got was one coach basically saying "it's sad, but everyone has to retire at some point" and that was it. No reaction from Gruden. Nothing from Carr, or any other players. It was just kind of a tease. 7. One player that we hadn't seen or heard much from throughout this season was Trent Brown, the Raiders' newly signed offensive tackle that came over from the in free agency. He finally got a few scenes in the finale as he played the role of supportive teammate and, let me tell you, that dude is BIG.Listed at 6-feet-8 and 380 pounds, Brown is the heaviest player in the NFL. But seeing those numbers on a page is one thing ... seeing him dwarf other grown men on the football field is another. I mean, when he stood up next to during this scene I might have dislocated my jaw. I audibly gasped at the size of Trent Brown during last nights Hard Knocks Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) Even HBO's cameraman had to execute an emergency tilt because of Trent Brown's stunning enormity. It was like watching was in 'Happy Gilmore.' Then, Trent Brown had another scene in which he sat listening to linebacker go on a mini-rant about being injured and on a roster bubble for the first time. Trent Brown didn't really say much, he just sat there listening and looking oddly content/carefree while Marshall spilled his guts.I came away from the finale feeling like I needed more of Trent Brown this season. He seems like a gentle giant and I was completely mesmerized by him any time he was on screen. I just want to watch this absolute unit go through an average Marcus Semien Jersey day, is that too much to ask?6. This shirtOne of the most memorable moments from this season came from the very first episode, when proudly displayed his inability to pronounce "salmon." It was frequently referenced throughout the rest of the season, from players joking about it to even some gameday signs. But just when I thought the bit had run its course, Tuesday's finale featured Abram wearing this shirt and I still got some joy out of it.5. Not surprisingly, Nate Peterman and his quest for the backup quarterback job got plenty of run during Tuesday's finale, and he got a ringing (and hilarious) endorsement from Jason Cabinda's mom during the fourth preseason game. Sorry, Mike "The Other One" Glennon.Last week, we addre sed Peterman's rising likability factor, due in large part to his endearing wholesomene s. That remained on display during the Raiders' fourth preseason game, even as he got absolutely creamed by an oncoming pa s rusher. Unfortunately for Peterman, that hit ultimately landed him on IR with an elbow injury and delivered a speed bump in the road to QB2 after a relatively impre sive preseason. The Nate Peter-man comeback epic, though undoubtedly still very much on, will have to wait a while. Dagnabbit.4. Mark DavisThis season has had a disturbing lack of Mark Davis, which is an extremely unfortunate development for anyone hoping for a look into one of the NFL's most intriguing enigmas. But the finale brought a brief cameo from Davis inside his late father's office at Raiders HQ, and he was looking like a real cutie patootie.I Mark McGwire Jersey can't be alone in saying that I was hoping for a lot more Davis this season, if only for a better understanding of how he operates on a day-to-day basis. He's an extremely interesting character -- seemingly light years more interesting than a lot of his players -- and I just can't help but feel like we mi sed a great opportunity to Dave Henderson Jersey get to know him a little better while witne sing some riveting television. I mean, at the very least they could have shown us footage of him getting a haircut. Not to mention the fact that it would have made sense to involve Davis more considering the Raiders are in the proce s of relocation. That's a huge deal, but "Hard Knocks" didn't even make the first mention of Las Vegas until the last 15 minutes of the season. Like, imagine you had no idea that the Raiders were moving to Vegas and you watched the whole season only to find out that piece of information like 10 minutes before the closing credits. That's a ma sive storyline that just got completely overlooked, for some reason. Pretty wild.3. Antonio BrownThis was Antonio Brown's most endearing episode yet, although that's not saying a whole lot considering he was either mi sing or a big-time bozo through most of the first four episodes. But we got a very cute scene with Brown and his young son in the first half of this episode, plus a look at the receiver's proce s in selecting a new helmet.When he finally decided on a lid, he was very proactive in garnering feedback, and he got a wide variety of responses. It was fun to see some humor brought to the ridiculous Fernando Rodney Jersey helmet saga, especially after HBO sort of under-delivered on the topic earlier in camp. Credit to Brown for rolling with the punches and having a good time while also finally showcasing the full scope of his talent on the field in a Raiders uniform. This catch was insane ... even if he pushed off a little.This season also closed out with one of HBO's famous workout montages featuring AB in a pool. It was a perfectly ridiculous way to end things.2. Jon GrudenIf you've followed the column this year, you'll know that Gruden has carried most of the weight in the entertainment department during this season. That shouldn't really come as much of a surprise, either, considering he's basically a made-for-TV crazy person. He was once again great in the finale, whether he was freaking out about Metallica coming on the radio in the wee hours of the morning, or chasing around his quarterbacks like an absolute screaming madman ... Who needs Khalil Mack when you have Jon Gruden rushing the pa ser? uSTADIUM (@uSTADIUM) ... but the sneakiest highlight from the coach came during the final preseason game when he was fully prepared to talk that s--t about .That's a bold chirp from a guy with Nathan Peterman on his roster, but I love it. 1. Fringe GuysNo surprise here considering the final episode always hinges on who's staying a