It’s official, DeSean Jackson is a Tampa Bay Buccaneer. The Buccaneers are one of eight eligible teams to be on HBO’s Hard Knocks. Does the popularity of D-Jax put them over the edge for favorites to be on the preseason show?

The Buccaneers have been unfortunately an afterthought, popularity wise, compared to most other teams in the NFL. They are not as popular as the Steelers or Cowboys are but recently are a franchise on the rise. With HBO’s highly successful NFL Hard Knocks, if the Buccaneers were to be chosen, it could be a boost for the organizations popularity. Recently the Bucs have been picking up steam, but does the popularity/infamy of DeSean Jackson help or hurt their chances.

As of right now DeSean Jackson has 943,400 Twitter followers, Jameis Winston, the next closest, has 270,300. While Twitter followers don’t give a proper characterization of overall popularity, that is a significant jump in people interested in one guy. HBO is definitely interested in ratings and guys with character are attractive television plots. Do you think Hard Knocks super star Rex Ryan would be as recognizable today if he wasn’t on the show. He was a part of ESPN’s Super Bowl pre and post game show and has the opportunity to continue with the media conglomerate this season if he wants to. DeSean Jackson is definitely a character on the field, does that make him a character on camera as well?

Jackson has a certain “it” factor that has given him an edge on the field. Remember the Miracle at the New Meadow Lands, Jackson was a major factor in that astounding comeback. His cockiness can get on many people’s nerves. As a player, however, he can blow by the best with his elite speed. If he is anything off the field like he is on the field HBO should be drooling at the opportunity to get access to the Buccaneers locker room. The Buccaneers do have some intriguing personalities on the roster currently in Jameis Winston, Mike Evans, Gerald McCoy, and even head coach Dirk Koetter. Multiple media outlets would love to see the Buccaneers locker room as well because they jump all over everything Winston does wrong because of his questionable past. Drama usually makes quality television.

Personally I would love to see the Bucs on Hard Knocks for many reasons. Mainly I want Winston to shove it in everyone’s face how good of a person he actually is. I also think DeSean needs to prove that he’s willing to give his best effort to this franchise. Some fans may call it a distraction. However if you can’t handle cameras in practice how are you going to handle the attention in the Super Bowl.