Fans won't want to remember how Bucs played against Bears Tom Zucco, The St.Petersburg Times ,published 1987 When the NFL schedules were drawn up last spring, surely nobody imagined that a players strike would interrupt the season after just two weeks. It seemed like such a remote possibility back then. But if there really is to be a walkout Tuesday, and both sides have assured us there will be, then the last thing you want to be remembered for is an uninspired, demoralizing, mistake-packed 20-3 defeat. You don't want to look like the scabs - before the scabs actually take over. Maybe the Tampa Bay Buccaneers should have come to Chicago and played the Cubs or the White Sox or perhaps a local Kiwanis Club. That way they could have gone home, waited out the strike and felt good about themselves. Instead they met the Bears, triumphant winners in their season opener against the Super Bowl champion Giants and a team that on its worst day is better than the Bucs on their best. If it's true that you're only as good as your last game, the Bucs had better hope for a short strike so they can correct this mistake. Make no mistake, Tampa Bay has improved from last year. There has been progress. At times, the Bucs made life miserable for the Chicago offense. Walter Payton had only 24 yards in 15 carries. And on occasion, the Bucs managed to generate some offense of their own. James Wilder rushed for 80 yards - his highest total in six games. The game plan devised by coach Ray Perkins was a good one. To avoid the inevitable fierce Chicago rush, Steve DeBerg would take a five-step drop and throw short to medium-range passes. That worked for a while - until Richard Dent, Otis Wilson, William Perry and the rest of the Chicago defense began to treat DeBerg like their favorite toboggan. In all, Tampa Bay's performance Sunday was, well, Buccaneerish. Nine penalties for 100 yards. An average gain per play of only 2.3 yards. Four of 15 third-down conversions. Three points. Does this sound vaguely familiar? And then there was Neal Anderson, the man who will take Payton's place. He rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown. Although the Bears spent much of Sunday in that self-imposed state of semiconsciousness they usually lapse into when they meet the Bucs, they still managed to score three touchdowns and keep the Tampa Bay offense frustrated, confused and largely ineffective. They played this one on automatic pilot, personally taking control only when necessary. There was a play midway through the second period that personified this game. The score was Bears 7, Bucs 3. Chicago had a third-and-4 at the Tampa Bay 27. Stop the Bears now and the game turns 180 degrees south. The Bucs' defense had been doing an admirable job. Nothing legendary, mind you, but they weren't embarrassing themselves. But on this one play, the Bears gained control of the game and never let go. Anderson took a handoff, burst through the middle of the line, slipped past the outstretched arms of defensive end Kevin Kellin and scored. That was it. All the good things that came from last week's 48-10 drubbing of Atlanta were negated, proving only that the Falcons use a different calendar than the rest of the civilized world. Unbeknownst to everyone but the Falcons, Atlanta's season really began Sunday with a 21-20 victory over Washington. Everyone who jumped on the Buccaneers' bandwagon last week, here's where you get off. These aren't world-beaters - just human beings who are still two or three years away from contender status. In the dressing room after the game, the Bucs looked as if they had just played the Bears. DeBerg was on crutches and the rest of the players spoke in low tones. To a man, they said they came to Chicago believing they could win. Not just put in a respectable performance. Win. ``We are getting better,`` defensive end Ron Holmes said. ``But we did not get better today.`` Too bad, because they may not get another chance for a long time.