The nadir of the Washington Redskins' season came in Week 9, when coach Mike Shanahan told reporters following a loss to the Carolina Panthers that the remainder of the season would serve as an "evaluation process."
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The comment was taken by many as a sign that Shanahan had raised the white flag on the 2012 season. It became a big story, one that reportedly upset some Redskins players.
But while Shanahan was being roasted in the press for his choice of words, the coach made it clear to his players he hadn't given up on them. Cornerback DeAngelo Hall told NFL.com's Albert Breer that Shanahan gathered the team in a meeting room that week and put the standings and schedule on an overhead projector.
"Coach came in there and showed us that at 3-6, we still had a chance," Hall told Breer. "We knew if we came out there and take care of business -- and we knew we had to play the Giants again, we had Dallas twice, Philly twice, we knew we had a chance to write our own fate. ...
"(Shanahan) was like, 'Listen, man, I'd never say anything like that to you guys. I still feel like we've got a chance.' And guys saw that and were like, 'Damn, we've played bad and we still got a chance.' "
Three wins later, and the Redskins are only one game behind the New York Giants in the NFC East with four to play. That chance still is in play.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.