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So this is interesting. Dennis Allen’s first addition to the New Orleans Saints coaching staff was Doug Marrone, who worked for the team as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach from 2006 to 2008. And while NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Marrone will have “a key role” on the offense staff, NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill says Marrone isn’t expected to be named offensive coordinator — and the Athletic’s Katherine Terrell observed that teams filling coordinator positions must interview at least one minority candidate in compliance with the NFL’s Rooney Rule.
Honestly, that’s kind of a relief. The Saints could really use some fresh eyes in the offensive coordinator role. While Marrone has a history of coaching up linemen and leaning on his running game, he’s flamed out in a couple of NFL spots before and putting him in another high-profile spot may not be the best move. Let him do what he does best and focus on one or two positions, or maybe a specific phase of the offense.
Wouldn’t it make sense for Marrone to be named running game coordinator? The Saints have been highly volatile in that area over the last four years, and maybe he can stabilize it. Look at the numbers and their league ranking:
| Rushing yards per game | Yards per carry | First down conversions (rushing) | |
| 2021 | 117.1 (15th) | 3.9 (28th) | 113 (15th) |
| 2020 | 141.6 (6th) | 4.6 (10th) | 147 (2nd) |
| 2019 | 108.6 (16th) | 4.3 (18th) | 97 (14th) |
| 2018 | 126.6 (7th) | 4.3 (17th) | 134 (T-2nd) |
A lot of that variance has been due to injuries (Alvin Kamara missed six games with injury over this span, which limited him when he was active; Terron Armstead, Andrus Peat, and Ryan Ramczyk have also each missed 18, 23, and 8 games since 2018, respectively) and an overreliance on Taysom Hill’s designed runs across nine starts. It’s not sustainable.
On the other hand, Marrone’s struggle to get Alabama running with consistency was the biggest complaint he heard from Crimson Tide fans this past year. If not for a top-ten draft pick at left tackle (Evan Neal) and a Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback (Bryce Young), their offensive line would have faced greater scrutiny outside Tuscaloosa. It isn’t encouraging that he was hired on Jan. 25, 2021 and replaced by Feb. 1, 2022. They clearly weren’t happy with the results.
So maybe his approach didn’t translate well to coaching college linemen. It’s also possible that Allen and the Saints are aware of that and envision a different role for him, maybe in the passing game. Wherever Marrone ends up, the Saints will have to move some coaches around. Change isn’t always a bad thing, but there has to be a vision behind it. And there are obviously more moves on the way. Let’s see when the next shoe drops.
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