Monkey butt for the win.
Following an ugly Week 9 loss to the Broncos, Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy provided his players with [Anti] Monkey Butt, an anti-chafing powder.
Why? According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, McCarthy used it as a way kick his team into gear — and described Week 10 as a “R.A.W., meaning Red-Ass Week.”
McCarthy apparently explained, “In other words [it means] get mad. Take it personally, and then get on the field and take it out on the Falcons.”
He reinforced that message by having Cowboys staff hand out Monkey Butt to players around the locker room. The Cowboys responded with a 43-3 blowout win against the Falcons on Sunday.
“It’s a powder,” McCarthy said about the anti-chafing product on Monday. “We made a point. It looked good on a PowerPoint. If you’ve ever seen a can of Monkey Butt, you get it. It’s expressive in the cure.
“I highly recommend it, if anybody has never used it. I don’t want to get into my personnel hygiene here, but ‘RAW,’ Red Ass Week, was the topic. We made an emphasis based on correcting what went on last week. I thought our players did a great job with it. Just had some fun with it. Another way to focus.”
It’s not the first odd – yet effective – tactic McCarthy has employed as the head coach of the Cowboys. Last year, with the Cowboys struggling to a 2-7 record, McCarthy smashed a watermelon in the locker room before the team rallied for an inspiring win against the Vikings.
During training camp, McCarthy also created the “Mojo Moment,” a reference to “Austin Powers” that described a time for “additional confidence, charisma and performance.”
After McCarthy’s most recent motivational tactic turned out to be successful, Anti Monkey Butt changed its Twitter bio to read: “Fighting friction and absorbing sweat for those who work hard and play hard. Just ask the @dallascowboys.”
Dallas (7-2) visits the Kansas City Chiefs (6-4) on Sunday.