Quitting

It's not what you think or some of you may hope, I am not quitting the blog or reporting on the NFL. What I want to do is point out the signs of NFL team that has quit towards the end of their fruitless season which may be.

With the NFL regular season coming very close to an end the games become an interesting watch on what teams that are out of playoffs that are still playing hard. For their jobs, their team, the game itself and most importantly right now their coach's football lives. After this past weekend games I see two NFL teams that have completely given up on this season and the message being sent by their respective coaches.

Out of all the teams that are below .500 this past football weekend (12 teams) only 3 of them was thoroughly outplayed and looked to be wishing they were elsewhere. The other nine teams either won their game or played it very close, showing effort and willingness to keep a firm hold on their jobs for next season. Lets start with a short breakdown of the effort teams.

The Carolina Panthers faced the toughest match-up for any of the below .500 teams this weekend with a Sunday Night match-up against the Minnesota Vikings. This game was clearly more important for the Vikings who are chasing the Saints for a chance at home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. The Panthers have suffered through an injury plagued, quarterback retarded season. The Panther fans called for Matt Moore for a long time after watching Jake Delhomme throw pick after pick and finally received their wish, but only due to an injury. Even though it is almost a certainty that coach John Fox will be out come the end of the year, especially since Bill Cowher lives right in the Panthers backyard. The Panthers came out strong both on offense and defense and completely dominated the Vikings 26-7. This team is veteran laden with an influx of some guys who weren't even in the league at the beginning of the season and yet they gave it to one of the best teams in the NFC conference. This team though well out of the playoff race and lacking superior NFL talent has not given up on themselves or their coach.

• The Winners

The Cleveland Browns started out looking as bad as any team in the league this season, but have come around in the past month to play some serious defense and what almost looked like an NFL offense. This weekend they found offense through special teams and running the ball in beating another hapless squad the Kansas City Chiefs 41-34. Coach Eric Mangini has been under constant scrutiny all season long, but may have found his team's ear with his commitment to tough defense and mistake free offense. What happens to Mangini is yet to be seen no that Mike Holgrem has agreed to be the team's president, but if his team's performance over the past few weeks in particular is any indication is that this team has not quit on themselves or Mangini himself.

The Oakland Raiders have me eating my own words. This team will never be mistaken for a offensive juggernaut, but what they do do is play very hard and have all season long. Even with a horrible quarterback JeMarcus Russell playing in the game the Raiders went into Denver and beat the Broncos 20-19. I have been very wrong about the Raiders, the defense is good and when not shooting themselves in the foot on offense this team is very competitive. My feelings that coach Tom Cable is an ASSHAT will always remain, but it is more than clear that team plays hard for themselves and him.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers are inconsistent and that isn't very surprising since they are starting a rookie quarterback. This team may be even better record wise if they went with Josh Freeman from the beginning of the year. Since he was started until the middle of the season he has been up and down more than a high-rise elevator. This weekend was an up week for both the Bucs and the young quarterback when they traveled across the country to beat the Seahawks 24-7. This team which is still under complete rebuilding mode, but play as hard as they can and fight for year head coach Raheem Morris.

• Close But No Cigar

The Bills, Chiefs, Lions and Rams all played in close games, but ultimately fell in their games this weekend. The Bills played tough against a division foe Patriots and lost 17-10 and have shown toughness and resiliency through a injury plagued disappointing season. The Chiefs played in a shootout with the visiting Browns and lost 41-34, the win showed the league even further the teams lack of depth in giving up two return touchdowns. The team didn't give up after being behind most of the game which still shows the want to, to improve and stay on the team. The Lions went down 17 early and are playing back-ups at both quarterback and running back. The defense shored up some shaky early play and tied the game late only to lose 24-17 to the Cardinals. This team still lacks experience and top-tier defensive talent, but from all accounts has not given up on improving even further this season. The Rams are the worst team in the league and are missing the most important position on the football field (quarterback), but gave their home fans something to root for in taking the much more talented Houston team to the brink in the loss 16-13. This team has a lot of youth and a ton of bad veteran talent. They are far from getting back to the days of the Super Bowl, but have shown little quit thus far.

• Overmatched

Both of these teams, the 49ers and Redskins have been like a yo-yo all season. The Niners stared out very strong, but lack of consistency at quarterback and a ton of youth all over the field has been the team's demise. After a big win over the Cardinals last week the Niners traveled to the East coast to be handed a 27-13. Without the answer at quarterback they are still a ways a way, but this team has shown a strong desire to play the game and improve each and every week. The Redskins have been in close games all season long and have been playing much better as of late, especially on offense. This Monday Night though they were shown they are still a bit away from competing for the division. The Giants came in and beat down the Redskins 45-12, but even with the loss the team has played very good defense all season and dealt with turmoil and injuries like true professionals.

• The Quitters

The Chicago Bears handed this game to the Baltimore Ravens even before they left to face off in Baltimore, losing 31-7. The entire organization started pointing fingers at each other for who was at fault for another disappointing season after the loss to the Packers the previous weekend. Coach Lovie Smith may or may not be safe, but players are questioning his defensive scheme and Jerry Angelo's personnel decisions. Jay Cutler has been a bust and have little to no communication with offensive coordinator Ron Turner. With all the in-fighting, finger pointing and lackluster play this team is bound to finish 5-11 a far cry of what was thought after they traded for Jesus (I mean Jay) Cutler. Lets not forget Chicago that football is a team game and one player cannot win alone, so without decent talent all over the field this team will be in big trouble for the next 5+ years.

The Seahawks have suffered from major injuries all season long. From quarterback Matt Hasselbeck in and out of the line-up, to missing the lynch pin to the offensive line all year in (LT) Walter Jones. Injuries can never be an excuse in the NFL as all teams suffer them at some point in time during a season, but the pile has seem to have grown to large for the what's left of the roster to care what happens from here on out. The proof is in the 24-7 loss to the Buccaneers at home this past weekend. There also has been turmoil in the management in the Seahawks organization with the recent firing of GM Tim Ruskell and the team's pursuit of having Mike Holgrem comeback and rework what he started so many years back. Which isn't going to happens with Holgrem agreeing to becoming the Browns president. So now the Seahawks are left without a GM, a search for a new one, a possible lame duck coach, an aging team and a ton of injuries to rehab. If I played their I may want to give up on the rest of this season also.