TAMPA, Fla. -- Carolina Panthers interim coach Chris Tabor spent the week telling players to have fun over the final six games.
On the surface, his message seemed to be getting through.
The locker room was upbeat and full of smiles in the aftermath of head coach Frank Reich's firing on Monday. There was hope Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be the start of something that could carry over into next season.
But underneath the smiles lurked the frustration of a one-win season in a year when the NFC South was there for the taking with the division-leading Atlanta Falcons at 6-6.