Buccaneers Officially Announce That They’ll Appear On “Hard Knocks”

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made it official on Wednesday and announced that they will appear on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” this summer.

“A tremendous amount of hard work goes on behind the scenes to prepare for an NFL season and HARD KNOCKS does a great job every year of giving the fans the type of unprecedented access that only NFL Films can provide,” said Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht. “Our fans will get to know our players, coaches and support staff like never before.”

“The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have everything we look for when it comes to Hard Knocks,” said NFL Films Senior Executive Director Ross Ketover.  “A young, dynamic team filled with big names; an experienced coaching staff focused on taking their squad to the next level; and high expectations in a division that has represented the NFC in the past two Super Bowls.  Our sincere thanks go out to the Glazer family and the entire Buccaneers organization, as well as our longtime partners and friends at HBO Sports.  Our goal is to eventually feature every NFL franchise on a season of Hard Knocks, so we are thrilled with the opportunity to showcase a team for the first time and show football fans everywhere what the Buccaneers are all about.”
“We have multiple coaches who have prior experience with Hard Knocks, so I have a good understanding and appreciation for how HBO and NFL FILMS work with the players and coaches to document all that goes on in preparation for the upcoming season,” said HC Dirk Koetter. “We have a roster full of players who will be focused on competing and improving each and every day during training camp. It will be good to give our fans that rare opportunity to see just how much work our entire organization is putting in to prepare for this season.”

This will be the 12th season of “Hard Knocks” and will air five episodes beginning on Tuesday, August 8 and concluding on September 5.

Tampa Bay was one of eight teams that could have been forced to appear on the show this summer if there were no volunteers. That list included the Ravens, Browns, Titans, Colts, Eagles, Bears and Saints.