We could be watching Jameis Winston and company this season on HBO’s Hard Knocks.
After missing the playoffs this past season and not having a rookie head coach anymore, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers put themselves in prime position to be featured on HBO’s hit series Hard Knocks.
In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last couple years, Hard Knocks is a series that shines light on NFL team’s training camp. From practices, to team meetings, to player and coach interviews, to scenes of players being released during the final team cuts, Hard Knocks has it all.
Now it appears it could very well be Tampa Bay’s turn to showcase how they run their practices.
According to Tampa Bay Times Rick Stroud, the Buccaneers believe they’ll be assigned for HBO’s 13th season of the hit series.
Stroud spoke to Buccaneers team co-chairman Joe Glazer about the potential possibility of being featured on Hard Knocks.
"“I think our players are at a point in their maturity that they would be able to handle it,” Joel Glazer said. “They recognize what goes along with it. We’ll always be supportive of the league. Nobody is rushing to the podium for that necessarily. But I do feel I have great confidence in this team.”"
Stroud reports that the Buccaneers vowed full cooperation if indeed they’re pegged to be showcased on this season’s series, but have asked the league to let them know this week if that’s the case.
One of the worst kept secrets in the league is that no team wants to be featured on the HBO series.
Team’s prefer to keep all their info and private matters in house and Hard Knocks makes that extremely difficult.
Former Jets and Chiefs head coach Herm Edwards explains why Hard Knocks will never go away, despite its unpopularity among teams and players.
"“But if you’re part of the league, you understand it takes the fan behind the curtain,” said Edwards. “As a coach, the biggest concern is that guys get out of character. Some of your guys, it’s hard to have a conversation with. Then the cameras show up and they become a movie star trying to build their brand.”"
Edwards also believes this opportunity will be good for the Buccaneers in terms of national exposure and especially for third-year quarterback Jameis Wintson’s maturity.
"“Jameis would be the star and all over it,” Edwards said. “He would be great for them. He’s an emotional guy and he’s going to say some stuff. Coming out of Florida State, not everybody liked him. But the nation would learn more about the quarterback that they didn’t know, and ultimately, I think that could be good for him.”"
Next: 2017 NFL Mock Draft: Jets take quarterback in the 1st round
For now, we’ll have to wait and see if the Buccaneers do actually get picked to be featured on this season of Hard Knocks.