FAB 2. 6 BUCS STORYLINES THAT SHOULD BE ON HARD KNOCKS
Camera crews from NFL Films and HBO will be invading One Buccaneer Place in two short months for the filming of Hard Knocks: Training Camp With The Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While the show’s producers will likely collaborate with Bucs officials and the public relations staff over which players will be featured for the five-episode show, I’ve got six storylines I’d like to pitch.

Marpet’s Transition To Center
Bucs offensive lineman Ali Marpet’s switch from guard to center would be interesting to watch behind the scenes. It would be wise for HBO to feature Tampa Bay offensive line coach George Warhop and the “colorful” manner in which he can get on his troops in the meeting room. Marpet will be battling veteran center Joe Hawley, who’s quite a character, for the right to start and things could get interesting. Marpet will undergo a trial by fire as he’ll be battling the likes of Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, new nose tackle Chris Baker and veteran Clinton McDonald on a regular basis while learning a new position and playing next to Kevin Pamphile and J.R. Sweezy for the first time. The Bucs would be wise to get the camera-shy Marpet some more publicity, as it would help come Pro Bowl voting time.

Bucs LBs Lavonte David & Kwon Alexander – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Alexander’s Ascension
While more publicity could be good for Marpet, the same could be said for third-year middle linebacker Kwon Alexander, who is becoming the heart and soul of Tampa Bay’s defense – even with capable leaders like McCoy, Lavonte David and Robert Ayers, Jr. around. Alexander is as fierce and emotional as they come and him sharing the personal story of the sudden death of his younger brother with the HBO audience would not only strike an emotional chord with the audience, but fans will come to learn about the fuel for Alexander’s fire on the field.

McCoy’s Family
McCoy is not only the engine that drives Mike Smith’s 4-3 defensive scheme, he is also the engine that drives his own family. McCoy’s wife, Ebony, owns Seedlings, a baby and children’s clothing store in South Tampa while she’s trying to juggle twins Gerald Jr. and Germany, who will turn two years old in mid-July, as well as McCoy’s other two children – daughter Nevaeh and son Marcellus. McCoy has vowed to take on even more of a leadership role this season than ever before, but does the same hold true in the McCoy household – or does Ebony run the show? McCoy is a big kid at heart with a love of comic book heroes in print, on TV, at the movies and in video games and his infectious personality would be a hit on HBO.

Winston’s Stardom
There’s no doubt about the fact that Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston will be heavily featured on Hard Knocks. The beauty of working with Winston is that he doesn’t have to do anything special – he’s special enough doing just about anything. Seeing Winston interact in the locker room and in the huddle will be a treat for Bucs fans, in addition to seeing the competitive fire that burns within him as he gets on receivers for not running routes and his offensive linemen for not picking up stunts. Winston’s charisma will carry the Bucs through Hard Knocks and he doesn’t have to go out of his way to illustrate that point. He can simply focus on football and let the cameras capture his brilliance doing ordinary things and having ordinary interactions with his teammates and coaches. Seeing Winston connect with new wide receiver DeSean Jackson on and off the field to develop chemistry will be fun to watch, too.

Bucs K Roberto Aguayo – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Kicking Duel
If I’m general manager Jason Licht and head coach Dirk Koetter I’m insisting that that the training camp kicking duel between second-year kicker Roberto Aguayo and veteran Nick Folk be front and center on Hard Knocks. Kicking field goals and extra points in the NFL is nothing but pressure, and if I’m the Bucs I want to subject Aguayo, the team’s second-round pick in 2016, to as much pressure as possible during training camp. If he can get used to the heat and handle it – and I’m not talking about Tampa’s tropical climate – Aguayo, who was the worst kicker in the NFL last year, stands a chance of beating Folk out and keeping the job if he shows a good deal of improvement. If he wilts in the heat then Folk will win and be Tampa Bay’s new kicker. Either way the Bucs win.

A Canadian Flair With Auclair
There is always that one quirky story line that is so interesting. Last year’s Hard Knock’s with the Los Angeles Rams featured an interesting storyline with backup center Eric Kush and his penchant for tank tops. Hard Knocks also likes to profile a rookie trying to earn a roster spot. So with that said, why not feature undrafted free agent tight end Antony Auclair, who hails from Quebec, Canada? Auclair is transitioning from Canadian football to American football and he’ll be in the tight ends room with first-year tight ends coach Ben Steele and O.J. Howard, Tampa Bay’s first-round pick. It will be interesting to see how he fares in the sweltering heat and humidity at One Buccaneer Place in August after coming from the much cooler climate of Canada. Plus, his dad drives a Labatt Blue beer truck, as Licht pointed out in last week’s SR’s Fab 5.

Notice I didn’t suggest that Howard or Doug Martin be featured? Not that Howard isn’t worthy of being featured on Hard Knocks but he’s going to be playing an integral role on offense this season and needs to focus as much as possible on learning Koetter’s playbook. Howard does have the maturity to handle the added attention and the spotlight of Hard Knocks if he winds up being one of the storylines, though.

Bucs RB Doug Martin – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Martin is media-shy to begin with, and while the HBO cameras would love to document his comeback from being suspended by the league for PED (performance-enhancing drugs), the Buccaneers would be best served to shelter Martin as much as possible from the spotlight and keep his rehab process on track. Martin is expected to play a key role in Tampa Bay’s running game in 2017 after his return from a three-game suspension in Week 4.

The Bucs should honor Martin’s media reclusiveness and have him focus solely on football this August. There are plenty of other storylines that Hard Knocks can focus on, and Martin shouldn’t be one of them.