I'm surprised no one here is talking about Phil just tossing Tom Watson under the bus, then driving over him, then reversing just to make sure. It was VERY interesting to see that happen in the immediate post-game news conference, with Watson two seats away. Was he over the line, one more example of the selfish Americans? Or was he right to say what said when he said it, so it would get everyone's attention and put the entire US Ryder Cup process under scrutiny now so that maybe something can change later.
Now, I think Phil is right, though it was hard to watch, and I felt for Watson. I thought Watson was awesome in his M-Th pressers, but man, he sounded like a man without a plan once the matches started. He sounded overwhelmed, angry st the players, and as if he had no clue his players might not perform well for him just because he's Tom F'in Watson. And the US (or PGA of America, more accurately) seems also to be without a plan. This seems to be in both the micro and macro level.
Bring Azinger back. Find two guys you want in the Captain's pipeline who won't be playing (Stricker? Furyk? Jerry Kelly? Justin Leonard? Stewart Cink?) and make them vice captains. Find one older but not OLD GUARD player who has the respect of tour guys and who has played Ryder Cup before and have him be the 3rd captain, responsible for keeping the guys who don't play in the right frame of mind, and "into" the matches even when not playing. A few former captains might be great here - Davis, Lehman, or even guys like Fred Couples or Kenny Perry. Then everyone get on the pod system boat, and row together in the same direction. There's your damn template. Tweak as necessary with the help and input of former captains. Have continuity with the vice captains that are in the pipeline. Stop reinventing the wheel.