Category: Darren Rizzi

Darren Rizzi on late takeaway vs. Falcons: ‘Biggest play of the game’

Darren Rizzi called Tyrann Mathieu’s interception the biggest play of the game as it swung momentum in favor of the Saints late against the Falcons.

The Atlanta Falcons were down three points, but they had the New Orleans Saints on the ropes in the fourth quarter. It appeared the Saints were about to let another game slip through their grips, until Tyrann Mathieu intercepted Kirk Cousins on the Falcons’ second to last possession of the game.

In his post game press conference, Darren Rizzi said, “Honey Badger’s interception at the end of the game is maybe the biggest play of the game.”

It’s definitely on the short list and hard to find another play that felt like such a turn of events. That’s what makes the play special to Rizzi. The interception happened at a moment where “started to lose momentum a little bit.”

The interception didn’t put the game away, but it stonewalled the Falcons on their closest attempt to tying the game or taking the lead.

The Falcons were at the Saints’ 44-yard line when Cousins threw the interception. The drive prior Younghoe Koo missed his third field goal of the game. The Atlanta offense was figuring out how to move the football, while New Orleans had stagnated.

Mathieu’s interception stripped the way of points away from the rival, and they didn’t get close to scoring on their only other possession.

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Saints interim coach has one goal for the team’s home crowd

The Caesars Superdome hasn’t held the same magical homefield advantage as of late. Interim Saints head coach Darren Rizzi is on a mission to change that:

Darren Rizzi has a major goal as New Orleans Saints interim head coach that goes beyond wins and losses. He wants to restore a “domefield” advantage in New Orleans.

There was once a time where the Caesars Superdome was on the list of places opposing teams didn’t want to go. That magic had faded away. The Saints haven’t had a winning record at home since Drew Brees retired, going 2-5 at the Superdome in 2021 (not counting a “home” win in Jacksonville due to Hurricane Ida), 4-4 in 2022 (discounting their “home” loss in London), and 5-3 in 2023, with a 2-3 start to this season’s home slate. That’s a 13-15 home record altogether.

After knocking off the Atlanta Falcons, Rizzi declared, “We are going to get this dome back to where it used to be and that was just the start.” Part of restoring the aura has to do with winning games. The Saints hadn’t been doing that at home or on the road lately, so Rizzi was concerned if the fans were going to be bought in. He clearly underestimated how much the coaching change reinvigorated the fanbase.

That mistake won’t be made again. Rizzi complimented the home crowd by saying, “our fans were incredible today.” He credited the fans’ engagement for forcing the visiting Falcons into some errors, such as jumping offsides.

He knows this city wants a winner and the team wants to give them that just as badly. This is just one win, but that’s how every winning streak starts.

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Darren Rizzi explains late-game conversation with Payton Turner

Some Saints fans noticed Darren Rizzi stumbling into Payton Turner late in their win over the Falcons. The coach said a congratulatory shove gave him a stinger:

New Orleans Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi drew a lot of questions after his team’s 20-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons, but one of them focused on what exactly happened in his late-game interaction with defensive end Payton Turner.

Toward the end of the game, it almost looked as though the coach’s legs had gone numb and that he had lost his balance before he hugged Turner and spoke with him. It also appeared that Rizzi lost balance during the moment, though he walked off the field normally following the incident.

Rizzi said he yelled at Turner with roughly 30 seconds left in the contest because Turner was celebrating before the game had ended.

“So, (I was) screaming at him. So, he’s spraying water and I ripped his (redacted), quite frankly,” Rizzi began. “So, when the game was over, he wanted to get me back, so he came up to me and I wasn’t looking and he jacked me up from the back.”

The interim coach, who won his first game in the position and has instilled a new sense of optimism within the team and the fan base, said that he’s fine after his left arm went numb and that it is nothing new considering that he’s had a “history of stingers.” Still, the sudden loss of balance almost brought his legs out from under him, so he grabbed onto his player for support.

Rizzi and the Saints will look to build upon this statement victory as they head through the final stretch of the season. That journey will start with a matchup against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Nov. 17. Kickoff is set for Noon CT at the Caesars Superdome.

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How does Darren Rizzi’s new position impact his future in New Orleans?

Becoming Saints interim head coach could lead to Darren Rizzi leaving New Orleans in 2025. Their next coach may want his own special teams coordinator:

History suggests Darren Rizzi will either be the New Orleans Saints head coach or not be on the staff at all in 2025.

There have been 23 interim head coaches in the last 10 years. Antonio Pierce, Doug Marrone and Mike Mularkey are the only three to be retained as full-time head coach. Other than those three, none of the other interim head coaches were on the staff the next year.

Losing Rizzi would be big loss for the team. He’s one of the league’s leaders in special teams. This is evident my his efforts, and success, to change the kickoff rules. Rizzi spearheaded that.

On top of his schematic contributions on the field, he’s has displayed great leadership. Rizzi is the type of coach you’d want to remain from the previous regime.

However, Rizzi may feel slighted if he didn’t get the job and not want to return to his previous position. The incoming coach also may not want last year’s interim still on the staff. Both are reasonable reasons why Rizzi could move on in this situation.

Saints players had custom ‘Merry Rizzmas’ shirts ready for Darren Rizzi’s promotion

New Orleans Saints players were ready when Darren Rizzi got promoted. Some wore custom ‘Merry Rizzmas’ shirts around the locker room:

Darren Rizzi, the new interim head coach of the New Orleans Saints shared a few strong and emotional comments during his debut press conference on Monday. Despite all those comments being very cut and dry, he also had a few funny observations come up from his promotion.

Specifically one regarding T-shirts that Saints players had printed out last season, around Christmastime, in regards to him. These shirts read “Merry Rizzmas” a play on Rizzi’s last name and what he referred to as the “word of the year” in 2023.

“I got guys in the locker room (they) were wearing ‘Merry Rizzmas’ shirts,” Rizzi said, “You know Bink and those guys had the ‘Merry Rizzmas’ shirts. I didn’t even know what ‘rizz’ meant to be honest with you, I’m not a big social media guy. So, all I was told was I made the word of the year last year with r’izz.'”

Seemingly Khalen “Bink” Saunders was the one making this happen, and he followed up the quote on Tuesday saying he will wear his shirt on Wednesday as well. Some fun jokes developing around the Saints facility as they look to their new interim head coach to improve the team. Maybe it’s the start of a vibes shift in a positive direction.

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