Warrick Dunn says the Bucs won't be thinking about their ugly history Sunday.

For the historically impaired, the Bucs and Rams met once before in the NFC Championship Game -- 20 years ago, in fact -- and produced one of the biggest stinkers this side of "The Mike O'Malley Show." Frank Corral kicked three field goals for the Rams, Tampa Bay quarterback Doug Williams was injured in the second half, the Bucs produced just 177 yards of total offense and didn't even cross midfield until midway through the third quarter, and the Rams won 9-0 to earn a Super Bowl berth opposite the mighty Steelers.

Predictably, they were drilled, 31-19.

That NFC title game, which was played in a downpour, has lived in infamy for 20 years. It spawned two decades of rampant futility for both franchises -- years of dread that seemingly will end Sunday when the teams meet at the Trans World Dome for the right to meet either Tennessee or Jacksonville in the Super Bowl.

"This is the funnest game of the year," Tampa Bay's Warren Sapp said. "It's the biggest game of the year. We're confident, poised and ready to kick this thing off."

Given the track record, who would have thought a Buccaneer -- or a Ram, for that matter -- would be using the terms "funnest" and "biggest" in regards to a January football game?

How bad were the Bucs? After that 1979 season, they played in two more postseasons, but also had two two-win seasons in the 1980s. When current owner Malcolm Glazer bought the team in 1995, Tampa Bay had a 19-year winning percentage of just .307. The team had 12 straight 10-loss seasons in day-glo, tangerine-colored uniforms that have since been replaced by more imposing red-and-pewter.

How bad were the Rams? They actually played in the 1989 NFC Championship Game, losing to San Francisco 30-13. For the next nine years, they were the NFL's worst team (45-99). They moved twice: once to Anaheim, where they were slowly treated with indifference, and then to St. Louis, where they were treated as heroes but rarely played well enough to earn the status.

Which brings us to Sunday, when the two poster children for NFL ineptitude meet. Isn't there something beautifully Rozellian about the dregs of the '80s and the dregs of the '90s playing for a chance at the first Super Bowl of the '00s?

The players, most barely in grade school 20 years ago, say the past is passé.

"That has nothing to do with what we are trying to accomplish and what they are trying to accomplish," Bucs running back Warrick Dunn said. "I think right now each team is thinking about the present and worrying about right now. So whatever happens in the past, that was in the past. We have no control over that."

They do have control over the future. The simple analysis says it's the Rams offense - the NFL's best, averaging 400.8 yards per game - against the Bucs defense - the NFL's best, allowing just 267.5 yards per game.

But there might be a better indicator. The Rams had the NFL's second-ranked defense (293.6 yards allowed per game). They led the league in rushing yards allowed and quarterback sacks. The Bucs were unable to move the ball effectively last week against Washington, which had the NFL's worst defense except for expansion Cleveland.

"It will be fun for people who really like football to watch that matchup," Bucs coach Tony Dungy said.

Tampa Bay also has shown an alarming tendency to fall behind early. The Bucs spotted Washington a 13-0 lead early in the second half before rallying to win last week, 14-13. The Bucs failed to score in the first quarter in nine regular-season games this season as well.

"We've started quickly just a couple of times all year," Dungy said. "Obviously, it would be great to start fast, but if we don't, we've been in that spot all year where we've played from behind."

The Rams seem oblivious to trends. "We have a chance to win the NFC Championship if we play really well," St. Louis coach Dick Vermeil said. "And we plan to play extremely well. So does Tampa Bay."