Buccaneers to be featured on HBO's 'Hard Knocks'

— -- TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will appear on HBO's "Hard Knocks" for the 2017 season, the team announced Wednesday.

It will be the first time the Bucs, which finished 9-7 last year and narrowly missed the playoffs under rookie coach Dirk Koetter, will appear on the series, which is airing for a 12th time.

"It was very appealing to us. [It's a] young, charismatic roster," said NFL Films' Mark Dissinger, who was joined by Peter Nelson of HBO Sports at the team's facility for the announcement. "I think the fact that this is clearly a team on the rise, a team I would imagine would pique national interest.

"I'm sure the fans here in Tampa are really excited, but this an opportunity to get? Jameis [Winston], Mike Evans, Gerald McCoy, to get some of those names out to a more national audience."

"Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers" will debut Tuesday, Aug. 8 at 10 p.m. ET and will feature five episodes culminating the week of the team's regular-season opener.

Eight NFL teams were in consideration -- the Bucs, Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans, the latter who also finished 9-7 and have an exciting young quarterback in Marcus Mariota.

Titans coach Mike Mularkey, however, was not a fan of the idea.

"I just think that's an unnecessary distraction for us," Mularkey told The Midday 180 on 104.5 The Zone in Nashville. "There is not a lot of glitz and glamour to what we do here with our football team, our philosophy, our organization. We're not looking for anything more than we need on an everyday basis."

Koetter, however, doesn't believe there will be any distractions. He appeared on the show when he was the offensive coordinator with the Atlanta Falcons in 2014, along with defensive coordinator Mike Smith, who was then the head coach in Atlanta.

"I don't buy that," Koetter said. "I think it will not only be good for Bucs fans but for NFL fans around the country. We've got some great young guys here. I think there are some good stories there."

He said he will encourage players to be themselves rather than filtering what they say in front of the camera.

"We're not trying to hide anything over here," Koetter said. " I think there [are] some great stories to tell. I think the players have some great causes they're behind outside the building. ... I think that's the thing you try not to do. I think it's corny if guys are faking it. So we'll probably go with the 'no faking it' rule."

Other teams that have been featured on Hard Knocks include the Ravens (2001), Cowboys (2002, 2008), Chiefs (2007), Bengals (2009, 2013), New York Jets (2010), Miami Dolphins (2012), Texans (2015) and Rams (2016).