Last season’s Hard Knocks featured the Los Angeles Rams, and it was — to put it bluntly — boring as hell. But we’re cautiously optimistic that this season with the Buccaneers will be better.

Hard Knocks debuted in 2001, and since then, it’s brought us a behind-the-scenes look at what preseason is like for teams. The series airs every year in August, when NFL fans have been jonesing for some semblance of real football. The show’s unprecedented access keeps us coming back each season.

Some seasons have been riveting, but it varies. It depends on the personalities of players and coaches and how invested viewers become in their futures.

One of Hard Knocks’ best seasons was in 2010 with the New York Jets, mainly because Rex Ryan was a source of constant comedy. He capped off an impassioned speech about the year to come with the best quote of that season.

Hard Knocks gets its first fight Two Bucs players had some good content for Hard Knocks when they got into a fight.

“Let’s go eat a goddamn snack,” Ryan said, and his words live on in infamy.

The Rams last year, on the other hand, didn’t resonate the way some teams have in the recent past. A move to Los Angeles and first-overall pick Jared Goff couldn’t save the season from being a total snoozefest.

There’s reason to think that won’t be the case with the Buccaneers, though, and it’s not just because they’re probably good for a few training camp fights.

"This team, more than any we've ever been around, accepted us with open arms,'' Matt Dissinger, the director of Hard Knocks, told the Tampa Bay Times’ Tom Jones. "We've found the team's stars have been very accessible. They have been very charismatic and compelling. Not to say teams we've done in the past haven't been, but this one more than most.''

Here are five reasons we’re excited for this season of Hard Knocks.

1. There will be an EPIC KICKER BATTLE THE LIKES OF WHICH WE’VE NEVER SEEN.

Seriously, we’ve never seen a kicker battle like this, because who the heck trades up to draft a kicker in the second round and then brings in an established veteran as competition?

That’s exactly what’s happening in Tampa Bay, with second-year kicker Roberto Aguayo facing off against Nick Folk in what is sure to be a position battle for the ages. Aguayo made just 22 of 31 field goal attempts last season, which gave him the worst conversion percentage in the league. He also missed two extra points.

Aguayo struggled early in the offseason and looked to be trailing behind Folk. Aguayo had apparently been making a positive impression so far in training camp, but he and Folk both had a terrible showing on Monday. We’ll see how this plays out on the show.

2. More Game of Thrones talk, please.

Many of us spend an inordinate amount of time discussing this season of Game of Thrones. Who will eventually take over the Iron Throne? Which characters will die next? What’s this weird chemistry between Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow?

Well, guess what? Gerald McCoy and Kevin Pamphile are just like us.

Everyone is still talking about the 11-minute battle scene at the end of Sunday’s episode, and that has to include McCoy and Pamphile. I want to hear what they think about everything that’s happening in Westeros.

We’ll definitely tune in, because we can’t get enough Game of Thrones talk.

3. Jameis Winston’s new offensive arsenal.

The Buccaneers offense was middle of the pack last year and ranked No. 18 in the league for passing yards per game. But this offseason, Tampa Bay gave Jameis Winston a few friends to throw to.

DeSean Jackson should be a solid complement to Pro Bowler Mike Evans. Winston told NFL.com that rookie tight end O.J. Howard is “the fastest, most athletic 6’6, 255 pound guy I’ve ever seen.” Howard adds a whole new dimension to the offense. It will be fun to see these guys on the field together.

Plus, Jackson’s cute kids apparently get some screen time. That’s always a plus.

Evans’ personality is different from Jackson’s, but he’ll still be a star of the show, especially when the team is on the field. Case in point: The connection between Evans and Winston already looks to be in midseason form. (Evans would still get flagged for that celebration during the season, but it’s still perfect for Hard Knocks.)

Video: Jameis Winston throws to Mike Evans, who goes up for crossbar reverse to celebrate. #bucs pic.twitter.com/Zc03dXJkG0 — Greg Auman (@gregauman) August 7, 2017

And Winston will surely do or say something that becomes an instant meme.

4. Just one roster cut deadline.

The most painful part of Hard Knocks is watching players whose stories you’ve become invested in get cut. But there’s good news for this season: They won’t drag out the roster cuts, and the heartbreaking calls to the players who didn’t make it, over two episodes. Instead, it’ll be condensed into one because of an NFL rule change this offseason. Now there’s just one roster cut date, which comes after the last preseason game.

It’s like ripping off a Band-Aid. Let’s just get it over with.

5. It’s not the Rams.

Thank goodness for that, right?

The series kicks off Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET on HBO.