It’s A Hard Knock Life For HBO’s “Hard Knocks” As Buccaneers Opt Out

Instead of kisses, they got kicked.  The HBO  football reality series “Hard Knocks” was turned down by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to be featured for the upcoming season.  This is surprising on several levels.

First the Bucs are coming off a very good season.  Wow, that humble pie was hard to swallow.  Even though they aren’t the Atlanta Falcons, whom I loathe entirely by the way, they are still a division rival.

But I still have to give the Bucs their due and commend Head Coach Raheem Morris for the job he hasdone of rebuilding the team.  His bold statement of them being the best team in the NFC shows the confidence he has in the Bucs organization.  I figured that they could use “Hard Knock” to catapult them even further.

Second, from what I understand, ticket sales aren’t that great at Raymond James Stadium and all but one home game wasn’t blacked out for the Bucs last season.  “Hard Knocks” would probably at least sell more game day tickets and create a buzz to entice people to actually buy season tickets.

I understand that we’re not talking about a Superdome situation where Saints season tickets are sold out every year, but half of something is better than all of nothing.

In the end, I think that the publicity might be what is turning the Bucs off.  “Hard Knocks” has a reputation for not only filming team practices, meetings, and preseason games but also filming the cold hard personal issues the team deals with also.  We saw last season with the New York Jets trying to deal with Cornerback Darrelle Revis and his contract holdout situation.

I thought I was watching an undercover sting operation as they secretly followed the negotiations with their camera’s and microphone’s.  With Bucs Cornerback Aqib Talib’s recent arrest for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly firing a gun at his sister’s boyfriend, I don’t think the Bucs organization want an indepth profile made on the matter.

Actually, it’s been rumored that the New Orleans Saints have been considered for “Hard Knocks” on several occasions, but have also politely declined.  Publicity once again I feel being the cause of the decline of the offer.

Saints Head Coach Sean Payton likes his players focused and with all the cameras around, it creates too much of a Hollywood vibe and players may feel compelled to have to put on a show.  I was upset when I first heard this, then thought about what I just stated and quickly was grateful they declined.

It’s like the “Madden video game cover curse”.  You are disappointed your athlete didn’t make the cover, but then thankful they dodged the supposed voodoo.  Can’t be too careful these days.  The lockout is enough of a curse as it is.