First of all, a little background. I spent most of my career training salespeople and sales managers and part of that deals with what motivates people. Not just the people that worked for me but the people they were trying to convince to make a change. And that's the root of sales, asking people to make change, one of the single hardest things for them to do.
A lot of research has been done with what motivates people to make a change. Is it the desire to gain or the desire to avoid pain? In my experience, the avoidance of pain is far greater because the perception of that is real and gain is yet to be realized.
CC, what's you point? Glad you asked. What's missing with the Dallas Cowboys and has been except when Johnson and Parcells were in place? FEAR
Under the Joneses, where is the fear of failure? That fear is far more motivating for players than the desire to win. That is the driving force in comebacks and the reason the other team doesn't stop the comeback, they do not have enough fear.
If a player doesn't do his job with the Cowboys, what happens? Did you catch Booger in All or Nothing making excuses for Elliott because "he's been through a lot"?
The only coaching change that can really make a difference is one where the HC is allowed to use fear. As mild mannered as Phillips was, he wanted to at least increase fines but was not allowed to do so.
Have you asked yourself why was Parcells able to take Campo's team and turn that around in his first season? Enter fear. Then ask yourself, how was Phillips able to take Parcells team and turn that around? Exit fear. Fear isn't a constant, it has to be used by those who know when to press it and when to back off. Too much fear, risk a shutdown. Not enough fear, risk complacency and good enough is good enough.
Our problemo, mi amigos, is how does fear come to the Cowboys when the owner wants a happy house?
BTW, that Vikings game. Which team do you think had the fear of losing. The team that has the GM that makes excuses for the players or the team that has the HC that openly told his team "no one cares you're beat up and playing on 5 days rest"? All comes down to the same thing, getting the best out of your team and fear has to be present to accomplish that.
