TAMPA, Fla. — The Lovie affair ended in Chicago a few years ago. But Lovie Smith’s return to the Windy City as coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers finds the Bears in much worse shape than when he left.

Smith was fired in 2012 after a 10-6 season, something that still doesn’t sit well with the 13 players who remain on the Bears’ roster from that season.

Under second-year coach Marc Trestman, the Bears are 4-6 and there are claims that he has already lost part of the locker room.

For that reason, Smith will likely be well-received when he returns to Soldier Field for Sunday’s 1 p.m. game.

“I think that when you think of Lovie here, you’ve got to put him the category of with the great coaches of Chicago, ” Bears linebacker Lance Briggs said. “You have George Halas, you have Mike Ditka and then you have Lovie Smith, who comes right after that.

“When you think of Chicago, you think of defense and Lovie did a great job of maintaining the tradition of great defense in Chicago. The thing that he was able to do with his teams is leading the NFL in a crazy amount of takeaways — we took the ball away an awful lot over his years. It was a special time, it was fun and special teams — watching Devin Hester break records — and it was a special time.”

Those are the qualities that Smith has been slow to instill in his Bucs team. Last week, they finally used that formula to post their second win and beat the Washington Redskins, producing six sacks while forcing three turnovers, including an interception return for a touchdown by cornerback Johnthan Banks.

Meanwhile, the offense has improved with the return of quarterback Josh McCown to the lineup. He passed for 288 yards and two touchdowns and no interceptions in a 27-7 win at Washington last week for a 137.5 passer rating, making it the third-best game of his career.

Rookie Mike Evans simply took over the game in the second half and finished with 209 yards receiving and two touchdowns.

“Yes, it’s what we envisioned Josh playing football like he did this past Sunday,” Smith said. “And for him to continue playing ball like that.”

The Bucs are better as an offense since McCown went 0-3 as a starter before tearing a ligament in his right thumb in Week 3 at Atlanta. The offensive line is more solidified and Evans has emerged as a force in the passing game.

McCown credits the Bears for resurrecting his career. He was brought to Chicago by Smith but has his best performance under Trestman.

“Every now and then, you click with somebody who sees it the way you see it,” McCown said. “As a player, the way they call the game or the way they see the game, so to speak, it kind of hits your brain the same way. I think that’s what allowed me to play the level I played at for Marc.”

Remarkably, the Bucs (2-8) still are only two games out of the division lead in the dreadful NFC South. They haven’t won two in a row this season. Those are all motivations. But the players know that Smith wants this game Sunday at Chicago.

Briggs still is trying to understand why Smith would be fired in Chicago after a 10-6 season, despite missing the playoffs.

“You look around the league especially after that year and of all of the coaches that got fired, there was one gleaming difference with Lovie and all of those other guys and then even some of the guys that were retained didn’t have a 10-6 season,” Briggs said. “Right now, we’re fighting for a 10-6 season because everyone knows that 10-6 gets you in.

“We just so happened to be 10-6 that year in an NFC conference where everybody was 10-6. It was unfortunate and it was a sad day knowing that he would be gone, but at the end of the day like you said it’s a business.”

Isaiah Frey, also let go by the Bears, said he expects the team to be extra motivated for their coach on Sunday.

“We’re going to do everything we can to make sure he comes out with a victory in that game,” said Frey, who was a rookie in Smith’s final season with the Bears in 2012, joining the Bucs in October after he was cut by Chicago. “I’m looking forward to it. I’d be lying if I were to say I didn’t have this game circled since right when I signed here. I’m excited for this game.”

NOTES: RB Doug Martin, who missed the past three games recovering from an ankle injury, was limited in practice Wednesday. … LB Lavonte David has a hamstring strain and was limited in practice. … CB Alterraun Verner, who did not play last week against the Redskins, was limited in practice (hamstring).