Mike Shanahan is not throwing in the towel on the Washington Redskins’ 2012 season.
The head coach called Sunday’s clash with the Carolina Panthers a must-win game. However, the Redskins were stymied by a one-win Carolina team and lost their third straight contest to fall to 3-6 on the season.
“When you lose a game like that, now you’re playing to see who obviously is going to be on your football team for years to come,” Shanahan said following the loss. “Now, we have a chance to evaluate players and see where we’re at. Obviously, we’re not out of it statistically. Now we find out what kind of character we have and how guys keep on fighting throughout the rest of the season.”
He clarified his remarks during an interview with ESPN.com writer Dan Graziano Monday afternoon.
“What I meant by that is, anytime you have adversity, now you’ve got a chance to see all of these guys play every game the rest of the way like it’s a playoff game,” Shanahan told Graziano. “What you want guys to do when there’s adversity is to play harder and play better, and that’s when you see what kind of guys you have in your locker room.”
Shanahan also said it was ‘completely ridiculous’ to insinuate he was giving up on the season. In addition, he does not plan to make any coaching changes during the bye week.
The coach is expected to address the comments further during a press conference with local media scheduled for 5 p.m. Monday.
