FRISCO, Texas – For those scoring at home, the Dallas Cowboys won by an average of 40 points after adding monkey buttocks to their game plan.
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy revealed an unusual tactic on Monday that he used to motivate the players ahead of the Atlanta Falcons’ 43-3 demolition on Sunday.
“It’s a powder,” McCarthy said Monday from the Cowboys headquarters at The Star. “We made a point. It looked fine on a PowerPoint presentation. If you’ve ever seen a can of Monkey Butt, get it.
“It’s expressive in the cure.”
The Cowboys were furious, embarrassed and disappointed after a 30:16 loss to the Denver Broncos that hovered 30-0 in the middle of the fourth quarter. Then: You were motivated. McCarthy decided to take up this topic and coined the game preparation last week as “RAW” or “Red Ass Week”. The mascot: The red-backed monkey from the anti-friction powder against pain, itching and redness in chafing. McCarthy showed the team the picture of the can on a PowerPoint presentation and passed a can through the locker room.
What better antidote to an ass kick than powdered calamine?
“I highly recommend it if someone has never used it,” said McCarthy. “I don’t want to go into my personal hygiene here, but ‘RAW’, Red Ass Week, was the topic. We have put an emphasis on correcting the events of the past week. I thought our players did a great job. Just had fun with it.
“Another way of concentrating.”
The Cowboys briefly stopped confirming their flat performance against the Broncos on November 7 was a sign of arrogance. But several members of the organization, including quarterback Dak Prescott, admitted the team may have fallen victim to overconfidence after a winning streak of six games, including wins in enemy street stadiums, in extra time, and without major stars like Prescott.
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Against the Broncos, the Cowboys’ offensive struggled to find rhythm and their defenses lacked adequate physicality. They bounced back well against Atlanta this week, with the offense scoring touchdowns on all five trips to the red zone while the defense only kept Atlanta in third place at 1 in 11. Even the special teams blocked a punt and scored a touchdown. The Falcons were 33 points behind at halftime and they would not score again.
Winning the statement, in the spirit of Monkey Butt, reduced the friction that festered after losing it.
“Football is so much about the mental and the emotional, especially this time of year,” said McCarthy. “Our business, you focus on the same thing every week. But I think the reality is to be redundant and try to emphasize the same things over and over again.
“You have to keep it fresh.”
The Cowboys are next to travel to Kansas City with the best offensive in the league (31.6 points per game) and the best offensive by yardage (433.9). You will compete against the Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders and New Orleans Saints in a 12-day course. The need to prepare mentally and emotionally while saving yourself physically remains. The monkey butt motivation won’t.
“I don’t think I’m going to talk about the red ass again, so you can take comfort in it,” McCarthy said. “I just think you’re trying to put an accent to keep it fresh for the guys. It’s good to laugh. I probably don’t think I have a lot of personality, but I do have a little.
“At the end of the day, you have to have more than a chance or two to get a point. And that’s all we tried this week. “
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Jori Epstein on Twitter @JoriEpstein.
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