On Friday, the Buccaneers officially opened training camp and, with that, the filming for Hard Knocks kicked into high gear. The crew from NFL Films has spent the past several months compiling footage, but this was their first day filming training camp on the fields at One Buccaneer Place.
This is the first time that the Bucs have been featured on the HBO series, and things appear to have gotten off to a smooth start.
"Well, it's only been one day but I thought the Hard Knocks crew integrated seamlessly into practice," Buccaneers.com Senior Writer/ Editor Scott Smith said. "I mean, you noticed their presence but it didn't seem to affect how the team went about its business at all. Obviously, these people are pros and they've done this many times before."
"They were busy after practice, too, gathering what I guess you would call lighter stuff, players with their kids, autograph signings, things like that. Only they know what they got today and what they're going to use, but I see what they meant when they talked about shooting 1,500 hours of footage. It really makes you look forward to that first show on August 8."
The crew captured tons of excellent footage, including a shot of cornerback Josh Robinson with Jason Licht's family after practice.
The camera crew was also excited to hear from the Bucs' Pro Bowl wide receiver, Mike Evans.
It's no secret that countless hours are filmed to create just one minute of footage for the actual show, as Scott mentioned. We won't know what makes the cut until the first episode airs in less than two weeks.
