It's Too Early To Panic, But The Clock Is Starting To Tick Martin Fennelly, The Tampa Tribune, published 20 October 2003 They've lost as many as they've won. They've been as bad as they've been good. They've been a juggernaut and they've been jugheads. The last time the Bucs played the west side of America, they were kings. Now look. Forget the three-hour time difference. My watch says 3-3. My watch says the 49ers trounced them, 24-7. And it could have been worse. My watch says once a game is lost, it stays lost. They only recall governors out here. My watch says Terrell Owens could have held up the Bucs defense by the ankles and autographed it with his Sharpie. My watch says the defense got shredded for 458 yards and the Bucs offense offended with four turnovers. My watch says the Bucs didn't lose their third game last season until December. My watch reads like Simeon Rice's watch. ``I think it's still out in front of us,'' Rice said. ``But I think we should put that Super Bowl bid on hold a little bit and iron out what's in front of us. ... Right now, we're living in a storm - and it's raining hard.'' On the Bucs' second play from scrimmage under perfectly sunny skies, Brad Johnson threw a perfectly good pass to Michael Pittman, who flubbed it, 10 thumbs' worth, into the arms of a 49er. San Francisco scored a few plays later. When the Bucs weren't killing themselves - Thomas Jones' third-quarter fumble comes to mind - they were mere bystanders as the 49ers, desperate for a win, played as if their season was on the line, which it was. The Bucs' season was not. They played like it, too. Sunday wasn't like those first two losses, which provided a false sense of security. That fluke missed extra point against Carolina. That fluke comeback by Indy. If they're not careful, the Bucs are going to fluke themselves into real trouble. But this was no fluke. The Bucs defense was torched. You have to go back almost two weeks, to the last four minutes of the Colts game, to find something like this. It was no fluke. The 49ers had 306 yards of offense by halftime. By halftime. The field was littered with would-be Bucs tacklers, particularly on a short pass to Owens that he turned into a don't-trade- me back-breaker - 75 yards with Bucs flailing and falling in his wake. The Bucs' only moment, a 75- yard TD catch by Keenan McCardell, was but a whimper. Even when the 49ers tried to hand it back, with botched field goals and other mistakes, the Bucs refused all gifts. What they really need is a good watch. Mine says 3-3. Spin it all you want. It's 3-3. Carolina lost Sunday. The Bucs missed a chance to close. They've got more problems than Carolina. Like injuries. Like which Bucs will show up any Sunday. Will it be the bunch who dominated at Philadelphia, Atlanta or Washington? Or will it be the guys who eased into the Carolina game, eased out of the Indianapolis game or were simply outclassed Sunday? Look, there's no need for panic. It's a long season. This team isn't about to panic. What won the Bucs a Super Bowl is still inside them. But it might as well have been at the bottom of a mine shaft Sunday. They have 10 more games. A lifetime. Four of the next five are at home, starting with 5-1 Dallas. 5-1 Dallas? Oh, and the Bucs are 0-2 at home. Sometimes, last season seems like a really long time ago. ``That party we had is over with,'' Rice said. ``That parade ... it's done. We got to get these victories. That's all that matters. All that title, banner, ring ... that was good for last season. That's good for the offseason.'' My watch says 3-3. My watch says it's raining. How hard? Time to find out.