The Buccaneers and HBO officially announced on Wednesday afternoon that they are partnering up for this year’s edition of “Hard Knocks.” Contrary to the reaction of some fans, yes, Tampa Bay can handle the spotlight.
Judging by some of the reaction to the news that the Buccaneers will be featured on HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” you’d think the team is bringing a literal circus to training camp. Fans harp on the “curse” and “distractions” that come along with the show. Some already think Tampa Bay’s season is a lost cause. Frankly, that’s just a ridiculous overreaction.
People point out the overall record of teams on the show. However, no one seems to mention the teams’ records the year before they appeared. In multiple years, teams went into their television appearance after finishing with a poor record. The full breakdown is below, courtesy of the NFL Media Research Group:
5 of the 11 teams to appear on Hard Knocks have made the playoffs. Will the Buccaneers make it 6 of 12? pic.twitter.com/s7kxv2F0I8
— NFL Research (@NFLResearch) April 19, 2017
Five teams made the playoffs and six of the past seven teams met or surpassed their win total. The overall record of 86-90 isn’t stellar, but five of the 11 teams that appeared had fewer than eight wins the year before. The Bucs went 9-7 last season. Interestingly enough, both teams that were featured after 9-7 seasons went on to make the playoffs after being on the show. The Cowboys went from 9-7 to 13-3, while the Texans stayed at 9-7 but made the postseason. The one knock (pardon the pun) is that only one team actually won a playoff game after starring on HBO.
Basically, the “curse” isn’t really a curse at all. It’s practically a myth. And while we’re playing “MythBusters” here, we can move on to the idea that the camera crews are a distraction to the team.
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Remember, the team consists of grown men. Most of them have enough tenure to know how to go about their business. And for those who are still young and adapting to the league, there are veterans on the team to help out. Guys like Gerald McCoy, Robert Ayers and Demar Dotson are around to keep things focused.
And, even if he’s only going into year three, Jameis Winston is the type of leader that can handle this. He is as focused as they come. Sure, his charisma will shine through when he’s on camera. But he knows the priority and his consistent hard work will be an example for his teammates. The thing is, though, most of these guys don’t really need help. They’re professional football players, not reality TV personalities. They know how to handle their daily work. That won’t be affected by the presence of cameras. It’s a certainty that fans themselves, despite the fact that they won’t even be on camera, are taking this news harder than the players.
Speaking of knowing how to handle business, we haven’t even gotten to head coach Dirk Koetter and defensive coordinator Mike Smith. These guys have been around a long time. And actually, they’ve been on “Hard Knocks” before, back when they were in Atlanta. In Wednesday’s press conference, Koetter said he didn’t like that he’ll be on the show. However, he did acknowledge the professionalism of HBO’s crew and expressed his confidence in the team’s ability to deal with the attention.
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Bucs fans complain that their guys don’t get enough attention. Well, here’s some attention. The players are professionals and they can be expected to handle the spotlight without issue. It’s safe to say that they’re ready for their close-up.