The opening scene of Hard Knocks featuring the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on HBO brought us not to the sunny shores of Florida's Gulf Coast, but rather a gritty, humble neighborhood in Bessemer, Alabama, the hometown of Bucs QB Jameis Winston.
The cameras shadow Winston as he gives a tour of his grandmother's home, a home he says was more like a "community center" for the number of people that lived there. Winston gives a tour of his room and he shows the exact tiny bed he shared with three other people. He showed us around the "men's bathroom" a small ditch on the side of the house where men "go" when the inside bathroom is occupied. Jameis even stomps on a roach with one of his pristine Jordan XI kicks and then declares "This cockroach havin' a baby! This cockroach havin' a baby, for real! Or they mating. It's one of 'em."
It's an intimate and eye-opening look at the humble beginnings at one of the NFL's brightest young stars and the face of the Tampa Bay franchise.
On the field, Winston doesn't share the spotlight with anyone. Entering his third season, Tampa Bay's coaches, players and staff expect Winston to become an elite QB and lead the Bucs back to the playoffs and beyond.
At one point, head coach Dirk Koetter tells Winston his game compares to star QB Aaron Rodgers, "You play a different style of QB than TB12, you play a closer style to Aaron Rodgers."
Winston is the charismatic, unquestioned face of the franchise and his growth is the main story line on Hard Knocks this season.
The Bad Jameis: Episode No. 1 also highlighted the biggest weakness in Jameis Winston's game: turnovers. Winston has thrown a staggering 33 interceptions in 32 games. He was sixth in the league in picks his rookie season and trailed only San Diego's Philip Rivers in interceptions in 2016 with 18. Despite his impressive skill set, Winston forces the issue by trying to make plays that aren't there.
The Hard Knocks crew highlighted those struggles in training camp by showing training camp footage of Winston getting picked off multiple times in drills.
In a meeting with Koetter, the coach advised Winston to try not force the issue this season like he did in the past.
Leading By Example: Some of the coolest moments in the show feature star defensive lineman Gerald McCoy. A ferocious player during the games, McCoy is truly a gentle giant when the game is over. In the early scenes we see McCoy inside his mansion giving a bath to his two young children and having a playful exchange with his son.
As players report to the team hotel for training camp, McCoy shows up in a red kimono, #hibachi.
McCoy likely won over more viewers during a post practice shot showing him carrying the helmets of several teammates back to the locker room. We hear McCoy say, "You gotta serve before you can lead."
Riley Wap: Rookie linebacker Riley Bullough impressed coaches and teammates with his all-around skills. Koetter made a point to call him a leader during a team meeting. He can run, tackle, get his teammates lined up correctly and sing. Yes, you read that right, the Michigan State product showed out during the rookie talent show by performing his own version of Fetty Wap. The star quarterback was impressed.
Snoop and the McWeapon: The crew introduced us to fifth round pick and potential gem, running back Jeremy McNichols. After practice McNichols was shown on FaceTime with legendary rapper and mentor Snoop Dogg who provided some words of encouragement for the rookie.
Brent and Miko: Towards the end of the episode we saw a teaser for the next episode featuring cornerback Brent Grimes and his wife Miko. Brent has had a noteworthy career in stints with Atlanta, Miami and now Tampa Bay. His wife, on the contrary, has made a habit of snapping on Twitter and made her own headline after an ugly altercation with the cops before a Sep. 2015 game in Miami.
This is must-see TV folks.
Episode No. 2 is next Tuesday at 10 p.m.
The cameras shadow Winston as he gives a tour of his grandmother's home, a home he says was more like a "community center" for the number of people that lived there. Winston gives a tour of his room and he shows the exact tiny bed he shared with three other people. He showed us around the "men's bathroom" a small ditch on the side of the house where men "go" when the inside bathroom is occupied. Jameis even stomps on a roach with one of his pristine Jordan XI kicks and then declares "This cockroach havin' a baby! This cockroach havin' a baby, for real! Or they mating. It's one of 'em."
It's an intimate and eye-opening look at the humble beginnings at one of the NFL's brightest young stars and the face of the Tampa Bay franchise.
On the field, Winston doesn't share the spotlight with anyone. Entering his third season, Tampa Bay's coaches, players and staff expect Winston to become an elite QB and lead the Bucs back to the playoffs and beyond.
At one point, head coach Dirk Koetter tells Winston his game compares to star QB Aaron Rodgers, "You play a different style of QB than TB12, you play a closer style to Aaron Rodgers."
Winston is the charismatic, unquestioned face of the franchise and his growth is the main story line on Hard Knocks this season.
The Bad Jameis: Episode No. 1 also highlighted the biggest weakness in Jameis Winston's game: turnovers. Winston has thrown a staggering 33 interceptions in 32 games. He was sixth in the league in picks his rookie season and trailed only San Diego's Philip Rivers in interceptions in 2016 with 18. Despite his impressive skill set, Winston forces the issue by trying to make plays that aren't there.
The Hard Knocks crew highlighted those struggles in training camp by showing training camp footage of Winston getting picked off multiple times in drills.
In a meeting with Koetter, the coach advised Winston to try not force the issue this season like he did in the past.
Leading By Example: Some of the coolest moments in the show feature star defensive lineman Gerald McCoy. A ferocious player during the games, McCoy is truly a gentle giant when the game is over. In the early scenes we see McCoy inside his mansion giving a bath to his two young children and having a playful exchange with his son.
As players report to the team hotel for training camp, McCoy shows up in a red kimono, #hibachi.
McCoy likely won over more viewers during a post practice shot showing him carrying the helmets of several teammates back to the locker room. We hear McCoy say, "You gotta serve before you can lead."
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) August 9, 2017
Riley Wap: Rookie linebacker Riley Bullough impressed coaches and teammates with his all-around skills. Koetter made a point to call him a leader during a team meeting. He can run, tackle, get his teammates lined up correctly and sing. Yes, you read that right, the Michigan State product showed out during the rookie talent show by performing his own version of Fetty Wap. The star quarterback was impressed.
When you hear @RileyBullough’s rendition of a @FettyWap song 😱 #HardKnocks pic.twitter.com/dawo0pjBrG— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) August 9, 2017
Snoop and the McWeapon: The crew introduced us to fifth round pick and potential gem, running back Jeremy McNichols. After practice McNichols was shown on FaceTime with legendary rapper and mentor Snoop Dogg who provided some words of encouragement for the rookie.
McNichols will look to steal carries from starter Doug Martin, interesting in itself considering both players are roughly the same build and starred at Boise State.Okay, can't say I was expecting a Snoop Dogg cameo in Hard Knocks.— Scott Smith (@ScottSBucs) August 9, 2017
Brent and Miko: Towards the end of the episode we saw a teaser for the next episode featuring cornerback Brent Grimes and his wife Miko. Brent has had a noteworthy career in stints with Atlanta, Miami and now Tampa Bay. His wife, on the contrary, has made a habit of snapping on Twitter and made her own headline after an ugly altercation with the cops before a Sep. 2015 game in Miami.
This is must-see TV folks.
Episode No. 2 is next Tuesday at 10 p.m.
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