In most coach’s bag of motivational tricks, the sticks far outnumber the carrots. Do it right or run a lap. Do it right or get demoted. Do it right or watch from the bench… or worse yet, watch from the stands.
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe spent some of the early season at third string on the depth chart after a slow start to training camp. It appeared new Coach Todd Haley was near the end of his patience with Bowe, a No. 1 draft pick in 2007 whose promising rookie season gave way to a sorry sophomore campaign in which he seemed to be the only one unconcerned with the key balls he dropped. It wasn’t inconceivable that Haley would make the ultimate disciplinary statement — cutting his most talented receiver... or would he?
When coaches make these moves, we reflexively applaud, partly because we are grouchy when millionaires squander their athletic gifts, and partly because almost all of us can remember a time when a kick in the pants sent us down a better path.
Can we be scared straight?
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