The nightmares let Bucs live a dream.

Mr. Warren Sapp, historian and menace, cited as precedents the work of the Purple People Eaters, the Steel Curtain, the Cowboys who brought Doomsday and the Fearsome Foursome of a time before time--before football became so important it needed Roman numerals.

All those great defensive units were the beating hearts of dynastic teams. Which is what we see now in Mr. Sapp, Simeon Rice, and their playmates in menace, the Buccaneers, for whom we the media have been so lax in our creative duties that we have yet to give them a roguish handle.

One thing is different, Mr. Sapp said, about those historic teams and his Buccaneers: "I don't think any of them had to face an offense like the one we faced." A smile of warm contentment moved across Mr. Sapp's broad face as he added, "And we put a choke hold on 'em."

So we might call these Bucs the Chokers, except that anyone doing that would have to face Mr. Sapp and explain his reasoning. No, thankee.

Better to try another line of thought, this one suggested by Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon, who came to the Super Bowl as the NFL's MVP after as near perfect a season as any flinger of the hoghide ever dreamed of.

Said poor Gannon after throwing five balls to the Bucs, three returned for touchdowns: "A nightmarish performance."

Dear Mr. Sapp: Is it safe to call you and your buddies The Nightmares?