Bucs Should Consider Hard Knocks
June 20th, 2023
Team Glazer has an opportunity.
It’s been six years since the Bucs were featured on the HBO training camp reality show Hard Knocks.
Under NFL rules, the Bucs can’t be forced to do it this season. But the NFL is looking desperately for a team.
Apparently, the teams eligible for the show (aka teams the NFL can force into doing it), aren’t interested except for Washington. However, ProFootballTalk.com reports the league doesn’t want that to happen because the Commandos are in the process of selling the team.
So the NFL wants a club to raise its hand.
Joe would applaud the Bucs being that team.
Tampa Bay opened the 2017 Hard Knocks season 2-1, so you can’t sell Joe on Hard Knocks being a distraction that messed up the club. The Bucs didn’t implode until late October — a tradition of The Lost Decade — and rebounded a little in midseason when quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick replaced injured Jameis Winston and won two games to up the Bucs’ record to 4-6.
But more important, Hard Knocks would be a ton of fun for fans of a Bucs team that trends boring right now.
Head coach Todd Bowles is not a flamboyant character and many Bucs stars are very chill dudes, including Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Vita Vea, the top defensive backs and more. Heck, Lavonte David openly said he hid from the Hard Knocks cameras back in 2017.
Still, Joe thinks the Bucs have enough personalities to attract the interest of Hard Knocks.
The rookies are a fun bunch, and a quarterback competition with Baker Mayfield is very intriguing. And there are strong personalities across the roster, including Devin White, who is the kind of guy to be super motivated by the Hard Knocks cameras. And new playcaller Dave Canales is an engaging guy who wouldn’t be phased by the attention.
Joe also suspects HBO would love the Bucs having two practices and a preseason game in New Jersey this summer with the Jets. That would let HBO get Aaron Rodgers film and build an episode around that experience for the large New York audience.
Back in 2017, Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said Hard Knocks was a positive experience and he shared a lot of love for the production crew.
So why not, Bucs? Do it for the fans.
(To clarify, Joe is not advocating for the in-season Hard Knocks show to follow the Bucs, only the training camp edition. While Joe loved the 2021 Colts “In Season,” Joe believes that actually could be a distraction.)
June 20th, 2023 at 10:34 am
Nope, nope and nope. Bucs need to fly under the radar this year. Besides being on hard knocks is bad luck.
June 20th, 2023 at 10:37 am
I don’t think so. The Bucs aren’t a draw for anyone but Bucs fans, and many of them are laying low after three years of success. I say, sit down, relax, root for the team and let’s see how we come out the other side in 2024. Hard Knocks, with the Bucs, is a reality show we don’t need to watch right now.
June 20th, 2023 at 10:39 am
The Bucs DO NOT need any additional distractions. It would probably turn into the Devin White show. It you want lots of drama that would be the story. Say”Devin White” a hundred thousand times. Then you’ve got a good preview. No Thanks
June 20th, 2023 at 10:45 am
NO JOE!
June 20th, 2023 at 10:45 am
Todd Bowles would put everyone to sleep with his “Cleveland Brown” impersonation…
June 20th, 2023 at 10:46 am
No.
June 20th, 2023 at 10:50 am
You forgot the moxie!
June 20th, 2023 at 11:03 am
The Jets just declined Hard Knocks lol so we can take the Aaron Rodgers motive off the table. We don’t need Hard Knocks, nor do we need outside distractions like the Bucs press pool asking Devin White about Tom Bradys’ divorce last year or was I the only one that thought it was kind of cringe to ask a teammate about another teammates marriage failing? Hard knocks can kick rocks
June 20th, 2023 at 11:12 am
Hard Pass. Bowles is already in over his head this season. We dont need to see him overwhelmed in real time spouting BS and making excuses.
June 20th, 2023 at 11:38 am
As much as I like hard knocks this would be a hard No. This season is lost and a lot of the cap money is going to players not even on the team to makeup for pushing the can down the road. We don’t need this crap show to be seen nationally. It’s going to be hard enough for Bucs fans to have to watch this season.
June 20th, 2023 at 11:38 am
No!
June 20th, 2023 at 11:51 am
Child Please!!!!
June 20th, 2023 at 11:55 am
No.
June 20th, 2023 at 12:00 pm
No seems to be getting all the attention.
June 20th, 2023 at 12:06 pm
I see people still are on the “We DoNt neEd tHe dIStrACtiOn huRR”
It wasn’t a distraction for the team! Sheesh.
Hard Knocks is tired and played out. Same old same old. I’d be more interested in seeing an in-season version of it like Amazon did a few years ago.
June 20th, 2023 at 12:26 pm
Agreed!
June 20th, 2023 at 12:34 pm
Absolutely, make it happen! I want to see all of the comments from the bunched panty krewe after that is announced. Priceless entertainment all around.
June 20th, 2023 at 12:59 pm
Love it, LFG.
June 20th, 2023 at 1:09 pm
I never thought about what a distraction for the team these sorts of shows would bring. I, too, preferred Amazon’s “All or Nothing” but now I see where any shows like this could possibly hurt the team’s focus.
June 20th, 2023 at 1:26 pm
The team already has their own ‘Hard Knocks style’ production called “In The Current”. If it was done “in house” by our own production team, HBO wouldn’t even need to set foot on the property!
June 20th, 2023 at 1:54 pm
I’m SURE hard knocks will be the reason why the Bucs don’t succeed this year…. #sarcasm
June 20th, 2023 at 1:59 pm
Carlton Davis alone would be worth the watch. That dude is a riot. He was featured in a couple of episodes of “In The Current” on the Bucs website. I rewatched all 7 episodes last week. Brought back some really good and some really bad memories. But most of all it gets the juices flowing for football. The season can’t get here fast enough, with or without Hard Knocks.
June 20th, 2023 at 2:27 pm
I wonder if perennially under-appreciated LB Lavonte David would hide this time around. He’s not a “me” guy, but he’s running out of seasons to let the numbers do the talking, in terms of the HoF. Having the chance to play National-Foil to Devin White might be his best PR move!
June 20th, 2023 at 2:39 pm
NO I don’t agree ..we don’t need the circus in town. A major distraction.
June 20th, 2023 at 3:15 pm
💩
June 20th, 2023 at 3:21 pm
I’m not dead-set against it, but I’d rather they pass. Certainly not in season.
June 20th, 2023 at 3:42 pm
No thank you. If I want tabloid coverage I will frequent TMZ.
June 20th, 2023 at 4:08 pm
After years of being in the media with Brady, I can honestly say NO WAY JOE.
If we want THIS team to succeed, they need to focus on a new offense without distractions.
Fly under the radar and surprise people.
We got younger so they don’t know potentially how to handle that pressure, while also navigating a new landscape in the NFL.
Plus, outside of Tampa, with Brady being gone, this team is NOT interesting yet.
I don’t think HBO would want Tampa.
June 20th, 2023 at 6:28 pm
Heck yes! Let’s do it!
June 20th, 2023 at 7:23 pm
We don’t need Hard Knocks.
June 20th, 2023 at 7:49 pm
1st comment nailed it.
No no no.
June 20th, 2023 at 8:10 pm
LMAO here. Don’t worry. Our Bucs will not have to consider Hard Knocks. They are gonna take more than their fair share of them this season.
June 20th, 2023 at 9:06 pm
yeah why not what is the downside? ok yeah do it!
June 21st, 2023 at 12:02 am
I was excited to watch The 2017 Buc version. I may have even rented HBO for a month or so to do so. It was a bit underwhelming…confirmed Jameis has a major screw loose talking about peeing next to a porch. Also featured a Joe Dirt stunt double at linebacker who was soon after selling cell phones ( or something ). No real personality from Koetter and Saggy Baker confirming he is an absolute turd both on & off the field.
June 21st, 2023 at 3:00 am
Screw the NFL and that $%!#show “Hard Knocks” They and good ole Roger have done nothing but screw the Bucs and their fans repeatedly.
June 21st, 2023 at 8:35 am
Hard Knocks lost me when they covered Oakland, who had like 4 super juicy story lines they could have dived into, and because the team has to sign off on the episodes, those storylines were barely touched. As long as the team has to sign off on the episodes, it won’t be the “all access” product advertised.