I think there's an underlying belief by many that, while everyone gives the idea lip-service, there's not really any truth to the idea that "being a team" and "creating a great team environment" results in better golf. Watson isn't the first captain to completely ignore his players and then simply say "they're some of the top players in the world, they should have played better" after losing.
I guess most people don't get to play in team events, but even in amateur/high school/college golf it's just an absurd notion. Nobody would argue that at its highest levels golf it isn't just as much about confidence and mental fortitude as it is skill. Yet American Ryder Cup captains and the media that support them seem to excuse the lack of camaraderie with "but he's Tiger Woods, he should shut up and win no matter what the situation is."
The result is just laying more pressure on top of all of the pressure that comes naturally at the Ryder Cup, and guys simply don't play their best golf on average in that atmosphere. Reed's 2 footer, Fowler's chunked chip on 18, Kuchar's duffed pitch on 18, or any number of weak closing holes from the last go-round.
One of the reasons it was so fun to watch Spieth and Reed play is because they are so recently removed from team golf that they had no problem jumping back into that positive, excited mode. Especially compared to Bubba who even looked disinterested while trying to get the fans to cheer throughout his opening tee shots. But you can't field an entire team of 22 year old rookies, and the only way to get the more senior, experienced players into that mindset is to include them in the design and strategy of the team. Whether you do it like McGinley did or how Azinger did doesn't really matter.