“Absolutely, that’s got to be the mentality, and that’s a weekly thing,” Canales said. “It’s a weekly discipline that we have to get back to work. We have to focus on the task at hand. It’s a true championship moment. ‘Shirts and hats’ games, it’s what you work so hard for all year. It’s right in front of us. It’s going to be fantastic. We’re excited about it, and that’s enough. That’s enough for the guys to understand this is your shot. This is the last shot we have, and I think the important part for me is when you truly get to this moment where this is the last game unless you win, that’s got to be the focus on a weekly basis. This is the only one we have. This is it. It requires everything of us.
“It requires a discipline to block out external distractions, different things that might take you away from your normal preparation physically, mentally, emotionally, just making sure that we get ourselves fresh and completely prepared so we can be confident and fast on game day. This is truly it. This is what you preach about, and it’s a great reminder for the group, and I just, I can’t wait to get the guys back in the building tomorrow so we can get right to it with the game plan.”
Since this is a condensed week, a few things are changing other than the stakes. For one, Canales gave players Monday off in place of their normal Tuesday, and they’ll go through their usual week of practice starting Tuesday. That means they didn’t do the full “tell the truth Monday” routine, but Canales said that after watching the film of Sunday’s loss to the Seahawks with coaches, they’ll address specific things individually with players tomorrow.
They want to learn from the mistakes of Sunday, but with only one game left that matters, that’s where all the focus is this week.