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Smith says he's a better coach because of Chicago Bears

Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith says there are parallels from his previous job, as Chicago Bears head coach from 2004-12, to his current gig as the boss man at Tampa Bay.

Smith's first Bucs team stumbled to a 2-14 record last season, but they're at 6-8 in Year 2, as they prepare to host the Bears on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.

In Smith's first season in Chicago, the Bears went 5-11 but flipped the script the following season, going 11-5 and earning a playoff berth. His Bears teams were a combined 81-63 in the regular season.

Smith was fired after his final team went 10-6 but just missed the playoffs. The Bears haven't had a winning season since, going a combined 18-28.

"We were a lot better later on than we were early on," Smith said, "and that's kind of how we are right now. Last year was a tough year for us.

"But we started building the program. We're headed in the right direction. We've made a lot of strides. We're going to eventually be a team that people have to deal with."

Smith's third team in Chicago ended with the Bears' most recent Super Bowl appearance after a 13-3 regular season. His young Bucs have shown flashes of maturing into a title contender not too far down the road.

"I like our young ballclub," Smith said. "And I'm excited about having another opportunity to hopefully get another win this weekend."

Smith and the Bucs have hitched their wagon to quarterback Jameis Winston, this year's No. 1 overall draft pick and the probable offensive rookie of the year.

The Bucs also start two rookie offensive linemen: second-round left tackle Donovan Smith (34th overall) and late-second-round guard Ali Marpet (61st overall).

Winston's go-to wide receiver is 2014 first-round pick Mike Evans. The defense starts undrafted rookie Jude Adjei-Barimah at cornerback.

Sunday's game is the second straight against a team that has a prominent place on Smith's resume.

Last week the Bucs were beaten by the Rams in St. Louis, where Smith's work as defensive coordinator propelled him to the Bears' top job. The 31-23 loss dropped the Bucs out of the playoff race.

But it won't be huge reunion this week. Only six players on the Bears' roster played for Smith: Jay Cutler, Robbie Gould, Matt Forte, Alshon Jeffery, Shea McClellin and Sherrick McManis.

Forte has only fond memories of his five years with Smith.

"He's himself all the time as a coach," Forte said. "What you see is what you get with Lovie. He's just a cool coach to be around. He's down to business (almost) all the time, but you can joke with him.

"It was great playing for him. I'll always have respect for him."

Smith was well known in Chicago for his stoicism on the sidelines, which wasn't always appreciated by the fans or the media.

"I loved that about him," said Forte, who couldn't help but smile as he recalled the times when Smith became "irate."

"In the locker room, at halftime, usually when we were against the Packers, he'd get upset," Forte said. "If we weren't in the game that we were supposed to be in at halftime, and if he was really mad, he said 'Jiminy Christmas.'

"Because Lovie doesn't curse, he'd say, 'What the (crud)? Jiminy Christmas.' If he said that, that's when he was a little angry."

Smith believes the lessons he learned in Chicago have made him a better coach in Tampa.

"My experience there helped me be better prepared for a dream job down here," he said. "When you're a head coach nine years at a place, you've kind of been in every situation that could possibly come up, dealing with just about any type of player.

"All of that allowed me to be a better coach as I've come down here."

• Follow Bob's Bears reports on Twitter @BobLeGere.

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