HBO announces Buccaneers will be featured on 'Hard Knocks'

TAMPA (FOX 13) - Dirk Koetter's been here before.

"I like watching the show. I wish I wasn't on it," said the Buccaneers head coach.

Like it or not, the Bucs will be featured on this summer's edition of "Hard Knocks." A first for the team, but not for everyone involved.

"When we did it in one of my prior stops, the thing I came away with more than anything else, was how professional the crew was," said Koetter.

On any given day during the show's taping, there will be six cameras, and up to 10 coaches and players wired at practices. For every minute of footage that makes the final cut, there are about 350 minutes you won't see.

"That's, you know, the type of dedication our crew needs to have to really showcase what it's like to be in a NFL training camp, which is the goal," said the director of "Hard Knocks," Matthew Dissinger.

That includes the tough moments too, like when a player receives the news he's being cut from the team.

"You know, unfortunately, that makes for great reality TV," said Bucs general manager Jason Licht. "The fans want to see that."

For a handful of coaches and a dozen players, this is not their first time in front of those "Hard Knocks" cameras. That means there's already a level of trust between the team, and the show's producers and directors that it will provide a true glimpse into Buccaneers training camp.

"We're not trying to hide anything over here," said Koetter.

"I think the thing that's corny is if guys are faking it. We'll  probably go with the 'no faking' rule."

"Dirk's awesome about that; he lets guys be themselves," said Licht.

The Bucs say the extra cameras won't be a distraction for them.

"It's a TV show. The real TV shows are Sundays in the fall," said Koetter. "So that's the ones I'm worried about."

The additional attention won't change their regular routine. Training for game days is still the Bucs’ main priority.