Feelings vs. Accountability: Why the Old School Still Matters

A Generational Divide—And a Dose of Perspective

As an aging Boomer, increasingly, I hear that generational differences are to account for how individuals view things. No doubt, this is the truth. The big problem with this analysis is that it usually comes with a heavy dose of “my generation has it right.”

There are many choices that do not lend themselves to being a matter of right or wrong. For example, I am not a fan of tattoos. It is pretty obvious that younger generations feel much differently. That is fine by me, even if I do not find it attractive.

It is also true that every new generation faces its own set of challenges. It is untrue that one generation automatically has most things right or wrong. Hopefully, we can agree that, sometimes, the old way of doing it is worth preserving. After all, it would be a strange circumstance if everything new under the sun was preferable.

A Fumble for the Ages

This past weekend, something occurred that still has my head spinning. A National Football League (NFL) game had a show of selfishness and “look at me” with very negative consequences. Arizona Cardinals running back Emari Demercado turned what would have been a 72-yard touchdown run into a safety, giving the ball to the Tennessee Titans.

What exactly did Demercado do? In what has become too common an occurrence, he slowed down before entering the end zone, then did a dramatic ball drop. The ball squirted through the end zone, resulting in a safety.

At the time, the Cardinals were leading 21-6. With the touchdown, they would have gone up 28-6. In the past 20 years, teams ahead by 22 points in the fourth quarter have a record of 1276-1. Instead, what happened is the previously winless Titans prevailed 22-21.

Believe it or not, this same ball drop happened only the week before for the Indianapolis Colts. Wide receiver Adoni Mitchell was on his way to a 76-yard TD when he did his ball drop. Like the Cardinals, the Colts eventually ended up losing to the Los Angeles Rams. The margin of victory was seven points.

Old School Meets New Generation

This is where Old School collides with New Generation. When Demercado reached the sideline, his teammates “tried to console” him. In an era where we are told nonstop about “accountability” in team sports, my reaction would have been to rip him a new one. These are professional football players. It is astounding that they have to be told to make sure to be in the end zone before giving up the ball. It actually gets worse.

In real time, Cardinal head coach Jonathan Gannon unloaded on Demercado, apparently less worried about his feelings than winning the damn game. Multiple times, you can read reports emphasizing “as Gannon walks away, he appears to make contact with Demercado’s right arm.”

So, what happens next? First, on Monday, Gannon apologizes to Demercado and the entire team for his actions. “I just told the team, I kind of let the moment of what happened get the better of me there.” He goes on to say, “so it’s a mistake by me…” It gets even worse.

Demercado essentially gives the game away, and the concern is about his feelings. To put political correctness on full steroids, the Cardinals announced they are fining Gannon $100,000. How about Demercado? There will be “no further disciplinary action.”

Then, we have the talking heads of sports media decrying Gannon for “putting his hands” on Demercado. For this geezer, this all seems borderline insanity. After Demercado acted like a selfish jerk, there seems to be a near consensus that Gannon was in the wrong. For yelling at the lad and having it appear he brushed up against Demercado’s arm.

Have We Lost Our Minds?

Have we lost our minds? When a player in a team game does something especially stupid and selfish, just what is the proper response? Can you even imagine someone telling Mike Ditka he could not raise his voice in anger over something such as this? What about Vince Lombardi? What is sad is that younger folks do not even know who those guys are. I believe when you screw the pooch, you should expect to get yelled at.

Several years ago, the cameras caught Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin loudly expressing his unhappiness with a player on the sidelines. When he was asked if he was worried about this becoming a problem, he provided one more reason why he is my favorite NFL coach. He said: “Around here, it’s their job to get along with me.”

Old School Has It Right

Remember this: Flattened organization charts where coaches must avoid displaying public displeasure when players are selfish and stupid, empowering the players by placing feelings over performance, are bad ideas. In a team game, everyone needs to be pulling in the same direction. It is up to the coach to create the culture to make it happen. The Old School says coaches being upset when players fall woefully short should be part of the arsenal. This time, my strong opinion is that the Old School has it right.