The Dallas Cowboys got a big win on Sunday over the Minnesota Vikings. It could have been partially because coach Mike McCarthy leaned on an unusual motivational tactic in Saturday’s team meeting.
According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, in a bid to “hammer” the team’s weekly objectives, McCarthy brought in watermelons at the meeting and pulled out a sledgehammer. Each watermelon represented an objective, and McCarthy began smashing each of them with a sledgehammer.
The players loved it, with Pelissero saying they “roared” their approval. In fact, when it came time for McCarthy to hammer away at containing Dalvin Cook, defensive lineman DeMarcus Lawrence jumped up and demanded to do it himself.
The Cowboys won 31-28, putting them in decent position in the NFC East race.
It wasn’t long ago that McCarthy was questioning his players’ lack of leadership. Maybe he’s figured out a way to get to them. Who would have expected it to involve sledgehammers and watermelons?
