May be some truth to this playoff idea Gary Shelton, The St.Petersburg Times, published 19 December 1994 Someone alert the media. Sam Wyche mentioned the "P" word again Sunday. Playoffs, he said. And you know what? This time, nobody laughed. There were no guarantees this time. No emotional statements in the heat of victory predicting that the Bucs were going to ride a lightning bolt into the next post-season available. This time Wyche stood in an interview room, as calm and collected as a coach can be while his team is on a winning streak that has not been matched in 15 seasons. He didn't bring up the subject of the Bucs and next year's post-season, but he didn't run scared from it either. And darned if he didn't say the word. Playoffs. "It's possible," Wyche said following the Bucs' 17-14 victory over the Redskins, the team's fourth consecutive win. "I think we'll be better next year. If we play the way we're playing from the start we'll have every opportunity." As statements go, this is somewhat short of a guarantee, but we've all been there before, haven't we? A dozen months ago, there was much mocking to be shared when Wyche made his ballyhooed statement that the Bucs would make the playoffs this year. This time, however, it doesn't sound so far-fetched. This time, it sounded logical. The Bucs, after all, are on the second-longest winning streak in franchise history, and they look as if they have learned the difference between winning close and losing close. It is easy to imagine the streak extending into the next regular season, and the next playoffs. "Sure," general manager Rich McKay said. "We feel we can make the next step." Okay, okay. It probably doesn't happen. There almost certainly will be a new owner. There will probably be a new quarterback, possibly a new coach. If a new owner doesn't come aboard quickly, competing in free agency will be difficult. But four straight victories allows this thought: What if the team can stay together as much as teams do in this era of free agency? What if there is no change of locale, no change of coaching, little change among key personnel? Could this team make the playoffs? The answer: Yes, it could. There is sufficient talent, there is now sufficient experience. Finally, there is sufficient effort. Granted, there still are problems. Washington's receivers gave the Bucs' cornerbacks fits. Craig Erickson had a tough day throwing deep. Tampa Bay's receivers dropped one for every two they caught. And the Bucs left a lot of points unclaimed. But the Bucs played hard, and they hung around and they managed to win. And the best thing winning does is enable you to picture it happening again in the future. Wyche said his players even broke into a chant of "Super Bowl, Super Bowl" after Sunday's game. "We're playing good enough to be in the playoffs," said linebacker Hardy Nickerson. "I don't know about next year. But if we had gotten in this year, I think we're playing good enough that we could make a run. We didn't win some of the games we should have won early. Chicago. New Orleans. Seattle. If we had two more victories, we'd be right in the middle of it." Despite the ones that got away, however, this remains the most promising Bucs' situation in years. An upset over Green Bay on Saturday and the Bucs break the streak of 11 straight seasons of double-digit losses. A win and the Bucs finish 7-9. Tomorrow, the world? "This team has seen the light as far as playing hard," quarterback Craig Erickson said. "I see good things for it in the future." Good things? Like in playoffs? "Oh, no," Erickson said, laughing. "I'm not going to pull a Sam on you. No guarantees." The thing is, no one wants guarantees. What fans want is hope. Streaks such as this one - no matter what point it is in the season, no matter who it is against - provide such hope. So say it on your own. Roll it around your tongue. Try it on for size. Playoffs. Sounds nice, don't you think?