“I’m Going To Go To My Grave Saying That Hard Knocks Didn’t Have An Effect On The 2017 Bucs, Positive Or Negative”
September 19th, 2018
Different views
They will agree to disagree at One Buc Palace.
Head coach Dirk Koetter has a very firm take on the effect Hard Knocks had his club last year, one that clashes with many players’ thoughts, including those of America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston.
Asked on the Buccaneers Radio Network about the differences this year because Hard Knocks wasn’t around, Koetter put his foot down hard.
“I’m going to go to my grave saying that Hard Knocks didn’t have an effect on the 2017 Bucs, positive or negative,” Koetter said. “I mean, Hard Knocks is just a TV show that is about training camp. Yeah, there were cameras around, and yes, maybe some guys played to the camera once in a while. I’m just not buying that Hard Knocks helps or hurts you.”
Joe finds this interesting because multiple players called Hard Knocks a distraction after the fact yet Koetter isn’t buying it. Jameis was a leader in that chorus when speaking on the Ira Kaufman Podcast. You can read his take here.
Joe knows a few things on the subject. Hard Knocks had nothing to do with Nick Folk choking against the Patriots and costing the Bucs a 3-1 record last season, or allowing Tyrod Taylor and Brett Hundley to embarrass them late in games.
Still, Hard Knocks had to be a negative thing. Why? Because if so many players believe it, then that perception makes it true on some level.
September 19th, 2018 at 11:05 am
Excuses, excuses! Moving on.
September 19th, 2018 at 11:15 am
Whats the track record of other teams who had Hard Knocks at training camp? I feel like if most squads who have them in camp come out super flat at the beginning of the season, there may be some validity to saying it might be a distraction. If it was an abberation, might just be who the lazy guys the bucs had on their team *cough* swaggy *cough* and them buying into the hype without proving their worth.
September 19th, 2018 at 11:15 am
yep, excuses. especially if jameis says it- odds are pretty good he’s lying
September 19th, 2018 at 11:16 am
2 words:
Mental Resilience
September 19th, 2018 at 11:18 am
wait, is there some new JW news I’m missing on here?
September 19th, 2018 at 11:18 am
Hard Knocks isn’t any more of a distraction than when a player is mic’ed up every week in the NFL. I went to training camp several times last year and the Hard Knocks crew were like ninja’s. You hardly saw them and they weren’t in anyone’s way.
September 19th, 2018 at 11:21 am
Roughly half make the playoffs.
September 19th, 2018 at 11:32 am
Baker’s attitude had way more to do with things than Hard Knocks IMO. Free agents that get PAID coming in and being the laziest guy on the team are huge issues. Should’ve been cut in training camp.
Irma was also way bigger than Hard Knocks. Losing that bye really freaked the team out.
September 19th, 2018 at 11:34 am
Half the teams make the playoffs because the criteria of hard knocks show itself, I understand it having an affect maybe the first month or so but to blame the whole season on hard knocks is ridiculous, I’m with Dirk on this.
It’s easy for Dirk to come out and blame hard knocks after the season he had, I applaud him for being honest, honestly is something a lot of people like about him.
September 19th, 2018 at 11:44 am
it wasn’t HK….it was bad practices according to dirk……i’ll take his word for it….
#GO BUCS!!!!
September 19th, 2018 at 11:49 am
Jameis getting injured early in the season had more to do with us losing than HK coming to town. Fitz should have played earlier than he did too. Sticking with JW when he was hurt is what cost us games. Trying to act like Winston was ready to go, and him still being hurt, was a bad decision.
September 19th, 2018 at 11:52 am
This is just another instance why Head Coach Koetter is a great Head Coach!!!!!!! He could have easily answered truthfully and said that it was a distraction!!!!!!!!! But what would that solve!!!!!! How would that help this team now!!!!!!!!!!! Instead he covers for his players and owners!!!!!!! He just squashed that story by taking full responsibility and ownership of that past problem!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So unlike incompetent loser lovie who would have point the finger everywhere and blamed everything except himself like always!!!!!!!
#trust the coaches!!!!!!!!!!
#lock up the coaches with extensions!!!!!!!!!
GO Bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 19th, 2018 at 1:56 pm
They don’t call it the Hard Knocks curse for nothing.
September 19th, 2018 at 2:03 pm
It wasn’t Hard Knocks that had Humphries fumble the game away in Buffalo, it wasn’t Hard Knocks that forced Dirk to call an empty backfield shotgun play on 3rd and 1 in Arizona to get Jameis killed and injured (hint: don’t come out in an empty set shotgun on 3rd and 1). It wasn’t Hard Knocks that caused the Bucs defense to completely collapse in overtime in GB. It wasn’t Hard Knocks that forced Dirk to punt on 4th and 3 from the Falcons 40 at home when the defense was completely spent.
The Hard Knocks excuse sounds like an excuse, I don’t buy it.
September 19th, 2018 at 3:43 pm
Hard Knocks isn’t any more of a distraction than “The Current” was this year.
There are cameras everywhere in Pro Football.
Otherwise, we would never have seen Jameis eating W’s.