Report: Bucs bracing for potential 'Hard Knocks' selection

Among the many teams eligible to be picked to be featured on HBO's "Hard Knocks" this summer, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers seem to be anticipating a selection.

The Buccaneers are "bracing" for the possibility and plan to embrace it if they get the call, but have asked the league for a decision by next week, according to Rick Stroud of The Tampa Bay Times.

"I think our players are at a point in their maturity that they would be able to handle it," co-chairman Joel Glazer said. "They recognize what goes along with it. We'll always be supportive of the league. Nobody is rushing to the podium for that necessarily. But I do feel I have great confidence in this team."

Asked about the training-camp series at the league meetings in March, head coach Dirk Koetter expressed confidence that it could actually be beneficial for the continued growth of his team.

"I think it could be good," Koetter said at the NFC coaches' breakfast in Arizona on Wednesday, according to ESPN's Jenna Laine. "I think when a team has not been one of the main faces of the league for a while, I think it can contribute to that."

With a roster full of young talent, Tampa Bay is quite easily one of the most intriguing options for the upcoming season.

Because they don't have a new head coach and haven't made the playoffs in either of the past two seasons, the Buccaneers are one of eight teams that can be selected if another doesn't volunteer.

Others who fall into that category are the Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, and Tennessee Titans.