Not-so-happy homecoming for McCown

The pregame pleasantries were expected for the former high school football coach who pleasantly surprised the Bears by quarterbacking them to 3 wins in five starts last season.

"I talked to different guys. The list is long," said Josh McCown, Tampa Bay's 35-year-old first-year starting quarterback, who was back in Chicago on Sunday.

"I just really appreciate having gotten to spend time with those guys. There are good men in that (Bears) locker room. I'm thankful that my life has crossed paths with those guys."

During Sunday's game at soggy Soldier Field, McCown saw a little too much of former teammate Stephen Paea.

The defensive tackle, who's having the best season in his four-year NFL career, notched his fifth and sixth sacks of the season, after totaling 6 in his first three seasons in the league.

Paea also was credited with 3 hurries, including a first-quarter hit on McCown that resulted in an underthrown ball and interception by safety Chris Conte.

"I know what kind of player Stephen can be," McCown said after turning the ball over three times and getting sacked five times in a 21-13 loss to the Bears. "That front played really, really hard today. They got after it."

Funny enough, the Bears won the way they often did during Lovie Smith's nine years as head coach - by creating turnovers. Lots of them. They had a season-best-tying 4 (counting a fumble by wide receiver Vincent Jackson), which led to either good field position or points … or both.

The Bears scored 14 points off Tampa Bay turnovers.

"I think most teams win with that turnover ratio as much as anything," said Smith, the Buccaneers' first-year head coach, after his former team spoiled his return to Chicago. "There are a lot of guys on the other side, defensive players, that bought into that."

So much for a happy homecoming for McCown, who signed a two-year, $10-million contract with Tampa Bay following last season. The Buccaneers were up 10-0 at halftime, only to cough up the ball three times in the third quarter and fall behind 21-10.

"Disappointed," McCown said. "We came out and started the game the way we wanted to. Third quarter killed us. Man, our defense played good."

With his 2-win Bucs needing a victory "in the worst way," Smith said, the coach lamented his team not capitalizing more on the Bears' first-half woes. Tampa Bay sacked Jay Cutler three times and in the second quarter dropped a pair of would-be interceptions, including one by ex-Bear Isaiah Frey.

"The defense did some good things," Smith said. "But their defense outperformed ours, taking the ball away four times."

For the coach whose 84 wins are third best in Bears history, Sunday wasn't a day for reminiscing and catching up with old friends.

"I've been away from here for a period of time now, so I've had a chance to see a lot of people," said Smith, whom the Bears dismissed on New Year's Eve 2012 after the team missed the playoffs for the fifth time in six years.

"I wasn't into family reunions or anything like that today. I have lifetime friends here. I don't need a game to see them. We won a lot of games here at Soldier Field, (made) a lot of great memories. But this is a bad memory right now."

Ninth loss in 11 games aside, it wasn't all that unpleasant for McCown.

"When you get to see people that you love, it's cool," he said. "That was the best part of it. Other than that, it was a football game. It was a football game that we should have won."

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