It's a sad sacking, 24-10 Michelle Kaufman, The St.Petersburg Times, published 13 November 1989 Forty-eight hours before Sunday's 24-10 loss to Minnesota, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their coaches had a lengthy rap session. Not too many players pass through Ray Perkins' office door voluntarily, so he called the meeting in hopes they'd tell him what was on their minds. Several players spilled their guts. Quarterback Vinny Testaverde, one known to keep his feelings to himself, was the first to speak. They offered Perkins constructive criticism, and he offered some back. They asked for a little more freedom. He asked for more dedication. They discussed the state of the team, and how they needed to stick together after a four-game losing streak. The meeting didn't alter the direction of the Bucs season. Sunday they lost their fifth consecutive game and seventh overall, much the way they lost the other six this year - by falling behind early, rallying, but making mistakes at crucial times. In the end, even the most productive of meetings couldn't neutralize seven Minnesota sacks, at least a dozen more hurries, and Wade Wilson's 55 yards worth of scrambling. The Vikings, 7-3 and leaders of the NFC Central Division, were just too much for the Bucs. What the meeting did do, judging from the raised chins in the Bucs locker room, was tighten the bond between players that often loosens in times of trouble. No doubt, some Tampa Bay fans have written off their 3-7 team. At least two of the 56,271 who showed up Sunday wore brown bags over their heads, and others shouted obscenities over the stadium railing as the Bucs scurried into the dressing room. Some members of the media joked about the chances of the Bucs going 3-13. But the men in uniform appeared self-assured that there are better times ahead, beginning with next Sunday's game at Chicago. Following the Bears, the Bucs play Phoenix, Detroit, Houston, Green Bay and Pittsburgh. “How do we keep our sanity?” linebacker Ervin Randle asked. “By leaning on each other and giving each other strength. Nobody outside is going to give it to us. Those of us that are stronger than others have to give encouragement to the guys that need it. It's like when there's a death in the family. People pull together.” Added right tackle Rob Taylor: “It's frustrating week after week. The temptation is there to doubt our ability to win, but if we get to that point, we might as well cash it in, and nobody in this room is the type to do that. We know we can compete in this league, we just haven't had success lately.” Defensive end Reuben Davis, a big reason Herschel Walker was held to his lowest rushing total as a Viking (48 yards on 18 carries), said there's nowhere to point a finger. “It's not one guy, or one position, or even the offense or defense that's to blame,” Davis said. “It's just that we don't do what we have to when we really need to. We did a good job against them all day, and then on a crucial drive, when we needed to stop them, we couldn't.” The drive he spoke of was in the fourth quarter. The Buccaneers had closed a 17-0 deficit to 17-10 when James Wilder caught a 5-yard Testaverde pass and pushed it over the goal line as he was about to be tackled. Thirteen minutes remained in the game. If the Tampa Bay defense could've held the Vikings scoreless on the next possession, as they had in quarters 2 and 3, the Bucs offense would've had plenty of time left to tie the score and, perhaps, salvage a win. They couldn't do it. The Vikings marched 76 yards on 13 plays, 29 of them by fullback Rick Fenney, and scored on a 1-yard leap by Walker. They ate up nearly eight minutes in the process, giving the Bucs little chance to get back in the game. Defensive coordinator Doug Graber said he was encouraged by what he saw of the defense until that point. “I can live with the way we played today, except for that drive,” Graber said. “When we needed to make the play, we didn't. We had a chance there to keep the momentum going, and we didn't get the job done. I wish I knew why, but I don't have a magic answer.” Randle said the problem had more to do with the Bucs' lapses than talent on the Minnesota offense. Buccaneers defenders converged on Walker all day, making him look mediocre. Randle said: “I wasn't impressed with him at all. I thought a lot more of him before we played him. They say he's in the same class as Eric Dickerson. He's not. Rick Fenney is probably a better running back. We shut him down. We just didn't stop them in some key situations.” The Bucs offense blew a few chances as well. Down 17-0, Sylvester Stamps recovered a fumble by Vikings punt returner Leo Lewis at the Minnesota 8-yard line. The Bucs managed only 4 yards in three plays and had to settle for a 22-yard field goal by Donald Igwebuike. The next time it got the ball, Tampa marched all the way to the Vikings 3. Facing fourth-and-1, Perkins elected to have Lars Tate run a sweep. Safety Joey Browner shoved Tate backward a yard, and the Bucs came away empty-handed. “Fourth-and-goal,” recalled Testaverde, who was 18-of-28 for 165 yards with no interceptions. “If we make that, it's a whole different game.” Guard Tom McHale said: “We fought our a---- off and were given opportunities to score, but we didn't capitalize. We get down to the goal line and can't get in. That was the difference in the game.” For those Perkins critics who feel his play-calling was too conservative and to blame for the Bucs' inability to move the ball, think again, said left tackle Paul Gruber. “You cannot beat a team like the Vikings by passing all day,” he said. “The teams that beat them are the teams that run against them. The Giants ran the ball 42 times, passed 16, had only six completions and allowed five sacks. They won the game 24-14. Once you fall behind the way we did, you're forced to pass, and they know it.” The Vikings jumped ahead in the first quarter with a 41-yard Rich Karlis field goal, a 27-yard return of a fumble recovery by cornerback Reggie Rutland, and a 3-yard reception by tight end Steve Jordan. “Three-and-seven doesn't sound good,” said receiver Bruce Hill, who fumbled the ball that Rutland scooped up and returned. “There's no way this team should be 3-7. I thought for sure we'd be at least 5-5 at this point. We're just playing too inconsistently to win.” What else is new?