Nincompoop of the Week: Week 9 at Falcons

I know I’m late. No one remembers the nincompoops from last week, but here we go.

Terry Fontenot – Why is Terry a Nincompoop? Terry chose to pick Bijan Robinson over Jalen Carter. He could’ve also picked one of the excellent receivers coming out, traded back, and picked up Will Mayo Levis and many other options. Bijan is a fine player and would have been a great player 20 years ago. They picked Bijan up and signed a bunch of old vets on the defense and just ignored the QB spot. This sounds like an excellent plan to win in the 1980s. The Chicago Bears would be proud. Terry is planning against a bad division. He plans to win 8-9 games a year and hopes it’s enough to top the NFCS. That’s a losing plan. Terry, you’re a nincompoop and you’ll be looking for a new job soon.

Arthur Smith – Why is Arthur a Nincompoop? Arthur is a defensive coach. He helped build solid defenses for years. It should be his specialty. Arthur let his team blow a lead against an opponent that had lost two QBs in two quarters. Josh Dobbs had been with the team five days. He didn’t know that playbook or the players he was playing with. To let the Vikings win that game with basically a pre-season level game plan for three quarters is inexcusable.

EDIT: Arthur Smith started as a defensive specialist. He then switched to offense. Either way, you can’t blow a lead to a QB that has been with the team 5 days. I’m the Nincompoop for not verifying what I remembered in my head.

Fans Rooting for Losses – Why are these fans Nincompoops? Life is too short to root for losses. It is one thing when the team has been eliminated, but now? That makes no sense. Are they new to the Vikings? Some of the best seasons in the last 30 years have been with a backup QB. Some of the worst were when the team started 5-0. Also, draft position doesn’t mean crap. Penei Sewell would’ve been the pick for the Vikings if they got to choose their OT. They traded back and got Darrisaw who is the best LT in the game right now. Penei is a really good player, but could you imagine giving up an entire season just to draft him over Darrisaw? Look at a redraft from every draft for the last 30 years. The order never looks even close to the order of the picks. Worrying about draft position is what March and April is for. Enjoy the fun team.

Frank Reich – Why is Frank a Nincompoop? I get to list this one because I am very late writing this article. Frank decided to kick a 59-yard FG with less than 2 minutes remaining in a game at Soldier Field. The kick came up extremely short and they lost the game. It was 4^th and 10 and neither option was great, but that option was dumb. Even if they make it, the Bears have plenty of time on the clock to march down the field and get a FG (not that Bagent strikes fear in your heart). The FG was more likely to be made than the 4^th and 10 being converted, but the game was more likely to be won if they go for it. This is where analytics and the lack of understanding comes in. Frank looks at which is more likely to succeed the FG or the 4^th down. He didn’t look at which is likely to end up in a win, which means more. In the last 10 years kickers are 46% from exactly 59 yards. Let’s say the Panthers have a 30% chance to win if they make it (need to get to OT after that). That means kicking it gives you a 13.8% chance at winning. 4^th down conversion was 30% chance from what I saw. However, that likely gives you a 60% chance at winning. That’s an 18% chance to win by going for it. The team would still have to finish it with a TD or kick a shorter FG with no time to go to OT. It was also a missed opportunity to let Bryce Young lead a winning drive and build some confidence on a nationally televised game. Dumb decision for that game and dumb decision for your future. Frank, you sir, are a nincompoop.