Category: Dennis Allen

Dennis Allen shoots down report about Saints’ Michael Penix Jr. trade talks

Dennis Allen shot down a report about Saints’ Michael Penix Jr. trade talks: ‘It was never discussed that we would move up for a quarterback’

The Atlanta Falcons put themselves in the middle of controversy to kick off the 2024 NFL draft by picking Michael Penix Jr. just one month after they signed quarterback Kirk Cousins to a landmark free agent contract — and New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen wants it known that’s a landmine his team wasn’t about to step on.

Dueling reports have said the Saints were among teams looking to trade up into the top 10 picks, targeting Penix, while local outlets have said those conversations never happened. When asked whether they had explored that trade, as had been reported, Allen responded with a flat “No.”

“It was never discussed that we would move up for a quarterback,” Allen continued. “I think any time there’s a quarterback that you think has a chance to be your future quarterback, it’s always something that you’re going to consider. I had heard that report, it was brought to my attention (Thursday) night, but there was zero effort on our part to move up for a quarterback. There’s always discussions about trading up or trading back, but none of those were in an attempt to get a quarterback.”

Allen acknowledged that the quarterback is the most important position on the field, though he noted that the team is happy with the quarterbacks that they have. They didn’t feel a compulsion to chase another quarterback early in this draft, and they didn’t discuss any of this year’s prospects with the 14th pick. It’ll be Derek Carr starting with Jake Haener fighting off Nathan Peterman and Kellen Mond behind him this summer.

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Dennis Allen ranked worst among NFL’s returning head coaches

This isn’t a glowing endorsement for Dennis Allen. The New Orleans Saints head coach was ranked worst among the NFL’s returning coaches by NBC Sports:

This isn’t a glowing endorsement for Dennis Allen. The New Orleans Saints head coach was graded worst among his peers by NBC Sports analyst Patrick Daugherty, clocking in at the bottom of the offseason coach rankings — at least among returning head coaches. The eight first-year coaches were also ranked beneath Allen, but that’s because they’re all relatively unknown quantities.

Unfortunately for Allen, we know exactly what he is and where his shortcomings lie. We’ll let Daugherty explain why Allen was ranked at No. 24 among the 24 head coaches returning from 2023:

“We lost a lot of bad coaches last winter. Arthur Smith, Brandon Staley, Josh McDaniels and Ron Rivera send their regards. That means we are left with the merely mediocre to round out our list. No one is more committed to the bit than Dennis Allen. A defensive coordinator trapped in a head coach’s body, Allen has treated Sean Payton’s leftover offense like a museum heirloom that disintegrates if you touch it. This is an attack that hasn’t innovated in three years, right down to banging Alvin Kamara between the tackles for no reason and rushing Taysom Hill onto the field any time there’s a critical down. Well, it’s not entirely true there’s been no innovation. Allen has decided to find out just how boring Drew Brees-style quarterbacking can become. Andy Dalton pushed the envelope in 2022. Derek Carr reached new heights in 2023. Allen, who admittedly takes care of business on defense, has finally moved on from Payton Ball on offense but replaced it with … Kubiak Ball. Not Gary, but Klint. It’s a fine system in a vacuum. It’s also become mummified under Klint, with no new wrinkles inserted since the Peyton Manning days in Denver. Maybe 2023 49ers passing-game coordinator Klint learned something under coach Kyle Shanahan. That’s what the Saints’ season and Allen’s future employment hinges on: This old Kubiak dog picking up some new Shanahan tricks. I suppose there are worse plans, but I’m not seeing many for 2024.”

That uncalled-for shot at Taysom Hill aside — the Saints have used him on critical downs because he’s more reliable than anyone else, being one of 11 players in the NFL with a positive success rate as both a runner and receiver on 100-plus touches — this is a good assessment of the trouble the Saints have found themselves in.

Allen was either unable or unwilling to replace Pete Carmichael when it was clear he couldn’t call a functional offense in 2022, and he bet big on Derek Carr covering up Carmichael’s shortcomings in 2023. That’s a bet he lost, which is why the offensive coaching staff was overhauled from the top down.

Now Allen is gambling again, hoping that Kubiak will run an offense styled more strongly after Shanahan’s example than what we’ve seen when Kubiak called plays in the past. With the odds stacked against him, he has to be hoping for this plan to pay off.

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Dennis Allen says Saints aren’t finished adding pass catchers, and not just at WR

Dennis Allen says the Saints aren’t finished adding pass catchers, and not just at wide receiver. Does that imply big-time Georgia tight end Brock Bowers is in play at No. 14?

Could the New Orleans Saints make their offense more multidimensional by adding more pass catchers? Almost certainly. They’re still shorthanded at wide receiver, and they didn’t get enough production out of the tight ends last year. The question is where those new additions might be lining up.

When responding to a question at NFL owners meetings about the addition of veteran wideout Cedrick Wilson Jr. to the receivers room, Saints head coach Dennis Allen shared an interesting nugget on the team’s overall approach to reloading on offense.

“I certainly think that’s something, an area in terms of a pass catcher — not necessarily a wide receiver, but a pass catcher, is something we’re going to continue to look at,” Allen mused. “I feel better about our depth now than I did a month ago, but I think that’s still probably a position we’ll look at somebody to add.”

The Saints signed Wilson and Stanley Morgan early in free agency, adding them to a group that includes Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and A.T. Perry. The depth is better than it was in February before Shaheed was re-signed, when Olave and Perry were the only players under contract, but there are still eight spots open on the training camp roster at wide receiver. They’re hardly close to capacity.

But as Allen pointed out, we shouldn’t limit focus to wide receivers. If they can find a tight end who can outplay Juwan Johnson (37 catches for 368 yards) or Foster Moreau (21 receptions for 193 yards), the Saints shouldn’t let those veterans’ presence stop them.

Big-time Georgia Bulldogs tight end Brock Bowers has become a favorite of Saints fans who have watched him tear up the SEC the last few years: Bowers has scored 26 touchdowns in 40 games while finishing the last three seasons with ridiculous stat lines. He had 56 receptions for 882 yards as a freshman in 2021, and improved in 2022 with 63 catches for 942 yards. His production in 2023 was a comparative letdown, but his 56 grabs and 714 yards were better than many tight ends manage in a career.

His skills are obvious as a run-after-catch threat who can force a missed tackle and set up poor pursuit angles by the defense. What’s unclear is whether Bowers will test well enough athletically for the Saints’ college scouting department to approve. They maintain strict standards for the timing and agility drills, and Bowers pulled out of testing at the NFL Scouting Combine at the last minute. He also declined to participate in Georgia’s pro day, citing a a hamstring injury, and plans to work out individually for scouts on April 10. The deadline for teams to host draft prospects like Bowers at their headquarters is April 17, and no contact is permitted after April 24. The first round begins April 25.

The Saints overlooked Kendre Miller’s lack of athletic testing to draft him in the third round last year, but there’s a big difference between the 14th overall pick and the 71st selection they used on Miller. It’s tough to see the Saints ignoring an incomplete scouting report on such a risky pick, at a position known for being slow to develop in transition from the college game to the NFL. But you never know. What’s clear is they feel the offense needs more weapons, and that a young player like Bowers could have a lot to offer.

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Dennis Allen may be more aggressive challenging plays after rule change

The NFL has lowered the bar for coaches to receive a third challenge. Will Dennis Allen be more aggressive with the red flag going forward?

The NFL banning the “hip drop tackle” is the rule change generating the most headlines, but the league approved several other major rules changes at league owners meetings this week. Coaches will now be given a third challenge as long as they won at least one of their first two challenges. This is a small, yet major, shift from the norm.

And it could be a big moment for New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen. He has never taken two challenges in the same game, only throwing the red flag on 7 plays in 34 games with New Orleans. Allen could be the perfect coach to use as an example. In his first year as head coach, he was a perfect 4-for-4. This would guarantee him a third challenge under the new system. In Year 2, he lost all of three of his challenges. Under the new rule, he would still have another shot to earn a third challenge.

Coaches no longer need to be perfect to get the reward of a third challenge. You will likely see coaches be more aggressive with their second red flag if they win their first challenge. Maybe Allen will even lean away from his conservative nature. Coaches are less likely to hesitate when throwing the flag after a successful first challenge.

This should help get more calls correct in the long run. Teams were less likely to challenge close calls because they wanted to play it safe. Lowering the prerequisites for a third challenge will lead to more challenges which should lead to more correct calls.

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Does Saints’ quiet offseason reflect on Dennis Allen’s job security?

Dennis Allen was thought to be on the hot seat heading into 2024, but the lack of aggression in free agency could suggest otherwise:

The New Orleans Saints’ inactivity in free agency could reflect Dennis Allen’s job security. Many have believed Allen is entering the 2024 season on the hot seat, having failed to reach the playoffs in either of his first two years on the job. That may be the case, but the Saints’ moves don’t suggest the team nor Allen feels the pressure. They’ve made limited additions, only signing one player who could be a starter.

New Orleans has never been afraid to make a splash even when it may have seemed the salary cap wouldn’t allow them to. Years of cap gymnastics should show us the Saints will find a way to do what they want. If they aren’t aggressive, one can only assume the Saints don’t want to be. It’s not a stretch to relate that to the organization’s mentality heading into the season.

If Allen truly felt his job was on the line, he should be more proactive in lobbying to improve a team that limped to a winning record in 2023. They’re essentially running it back with their same core players. Maybe the offense just needed a year to build chemistry, which may carry over with the new coaching staff. Maybe Allen just doesn’t know what he’s doing.

Both are plausible explanations, but either way the Saints aren’t moving like a team that feels it needs to be significantly better in the fall. It’s also possible that general manager Mickey Loomis does see a future where Allen isn’t coaching this team in 2025 and beyond. If that’s the case, spending carefully and responsibly on free agents in 2024 to help get the books in order for 2025 would make sense. Allen has his quarterback, his new offensive coaching staff, and a ton of returning starters. How much more does he need to get this team to the playoffs?

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Dennis Allen shares Marshon Lattimore update amid trade speculation

New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen shared an update on Marshon Lattimore amid trade speculation:

Will Marshon Lattimore be playing for the New Orleans Saints in 2024? The Saints reworked their contract with the cornerback so that they could trade him, if they choose, back in the final weeks of the 2023 season.

Don’t get it twisted: trading Lattimore would still be expensive. Prohibitively so before June 1 (costing an extra $16 million against the salary cap). If Lattimore is going to be dealt it will be after the 2024 draft, and after June 1. The deadline: one week before the first game of the 2024 season in September.

Saints head coach Dennis Allen was asked about Lattimore’s future with the team this week at the NFL Scouting Combine. He wants to keep things focused on Lattimore’s health after injuries caused him to miss 17 games over the last two years.

“Look, Lattimore is on our football team,” Allen said when asked about Lattimore’s status. “He’s a good football player. He’s been a good football player for us. Obviously, there’s a lot of things that happen throughout the offseason, but Latt’s a big part of our team right now.”

Lattimore suffered a high ankle sprain when a teammate rolled up on him late in a midseason game with the Minnesota Vikings while he was trying to assist with a tackle; his cleat caught in the turf and twisted his leg awkwardly. The year before he suffered a lacerated kidney and other internal organ injuries after colliding with a teammate to defend a big pass over the top of the defense. Both times he was injured on, essentially, freak accidents while trying to help the team win the day.

A lot of discourse in Saints fan groups on social media has centered on perceived culture problems in New Orleans. When asked about that topic and Lattimore’s role in the locker room, Allen said: “I think it’s about guys we think can help us win football games. Guys who can continue to develop the right kind of culture here, and guys that are willing to do the things that are necessary to succeed. Marshon’s a part of our football team, he has been a big part of our football team. Unfortunately the last couple of years health has been a big factor.”

Hopefully those health issues are behind him. There aren’t many cornerbacks who can run like Lattimore and make plays on the football when he’s in good health. The team is better with him on the field and it’s in everyone’s interests to cross whatever divides have opened up. But the speculation about trading him isn’t going to go away until that September deadline passes us by.

“I think the biggest thing is, let’s get Marshon healthy and let’s see where we’re at as a football team, we’ll get the right guys out there that give us a chance to win,” Allen finished.

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Dennis Allen lays out how Saints revamped their coaching staff

Dennis Allen reviewed the Saints’ offensive coaching changes with what he calls a mix of forward-thinkers and veterans who have “been there, done that” in the NFL:

Dennis Allen’s appearance on NFL Network this week was informative. His description of the New Orleans Saints’ revamped offensive coaching staff is exactly what the team needed. Allen described the staff as a “mixture of some older, veteran coaches that have ‘been there, done that,’ with some younger, progressive mindset kind of guys” led by new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.

The Saints have been in desperate need of youthful energy, so younger coaches like quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko and running backs coach Derrick Foster are welcome additions. But revamping their offensive line development with a couple of experienced Gary Kubiak assistants like John Benton and Rick Dennison is a smart move, too.

For the past two years the Saints have felt like a poor rendition of Sean Payton’s offense. The problem is you didn’t have Sean Payton running it, so the offense felt outdated. Hiring Kubiak was a great first step towards a more modern NFL offense. The “Shanahan System” will feature more pre-snap motion, more movement during the play, and innovative aspects you see in the prolific offense now.

Regardless of it was Kubiak or someone else the Saints needed to be progressive. Grabbing multiple coaches with that forward-thinking mindset was necessary. This will be a drastically different offense aesthetically in 2024. Allen identified how the Saints needed to change their offense and has made the proper steps towards that change.

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Dennis Allen issues statement on hiring new OC Klint Kubiak

New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen issued a statement on the team hiring its new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak:

The New Orleans Saints have announced that Klint Kubiak will be officially hired as their new offensive coordinator, replacing Pete Carmichael — who had been the longest-tenured OC in the league. But change was needed, and it falls on Kubiak to install a new system that can maximize the talents of players like quarterback Derek Carr, running back Alvin Kamara, and wide receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed.

One person who’s jazzed about the pickup: head coach Dennis Allen, who laid out Kubiak’s qualifications and expectations on Wednesday afternoon.

“We are excited to announce Klint Kubiak as our offensive coordinator,” Allen said in a team statement. “I want to thank the various impressive candidates that we interviewed throughout this process. Klint has done an excellent job in a variety of roles in ten years in the NFL and has valuable play-calling experience. He has played an important role in the growth of many players throughout his career, starting with the quarterback position. I look forward to us getting to work as we form our offensive staff and to see Klint lead that group, play a pivotal role in the development of our players on offense and maximize our strengths on offense.”

The Saints met with at least eleven different candidates before selecting Kubiak for the job — some of their first choices were hired by other teams, but their interest in Kubiak started early, and he chose New Orleans over some other opportunities. It’s clear that Allen has confidence Kubiak can modernize their offense and compete each week.

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Cameron Jordan on Saints’ controversial TD vs. Falcons: ‘Say sorry we didn’t go for 50’

Cameron Jordan doesn’t see the problem with running up the score on the Falcons, much less apologizing for it: ‘Say sorry we didn’t go for 50’

The New Orleans Saints ended their season with a flourish — and then some controversy. When the second-string offense and backup quarterback Jameis Winston went rogue to get Jamaal Williams a late touchdown run over the Atlanta Falcons, Saints head coach Dennis Allen responded by apologizing to the other team for their actions.

It was a move that got him lambasted by the Saints fanbase. And one of Allen’s captains and the longest-tenured player on the team, Cameron Jordan, wants it known that he disagreed with Allen’s decision to apologize for scoring too many points on their greatest rival.

“I’m so sorry the locker room really enjoys being a brotherhood,” Jordan joked during an appearance on the Around the NFL podcast this week. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry we punished a rival team. I would do it again. In fact, I would’ve gone for two. The only thing I’m gonna have a discrepancy with is I didn’t understand the ramifications of like, ‘No, they were taking victory formation.’ The ‘Can’tlanta Failcons’ had already acquiesced. They were just trying to get it out there just like their head coach was about to get out there.”

Already unpopular among Saints fans, Allen’s determination to take a stand and tell them to stop enjoying themselves rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. Whatever goodwill he earned for his first winning season in five years as a head coach went with the wind. He has more work to do to convince the team’s supporters that he’s the right man for the job, even as general manager Mickey Loomis continues to cook up bad arguments favoring Allen.

But this isn’t going away. Jordan finished his piece with “Half of my gripe was Dennis ended up saying sorry. And I’m like why would you say sorry? Say sorry we didn’t go for 50.”

It’s unfortunate, but it makes sense that Allen still doesn’t get this rivalry. He doesn’t understand why Saints players and fans dislike the Falcons because his heart’s not in it. He was born in Atlanta as the son of former Falcons linebacker Grady Allen. He grew up and into life with Texas A&M as a student, college football player, and assistant coach; the Aggies have built an unhinged program with strange culture and ideas of sportsmanship, which has defined its relationship with its biggest in-state rival by running from the Texas Longhorns to join a new conference (only for Texas to get the jump on them anyway in the expanding SEC). The sense of rivalry and bone-deep hate isn’t in him.

And Allen’s reluctance to lean into that rivalry and engage with Saints fans (and, apparently, his own players) is going to be a storyline until something bigger happens to overshadow it. Hiring an entirely new offensive coaching staff will help. But Allen has a lot of work to do to convince fans the team he’s leading is worth lending their time and money to support. All we can do is it and see whether he can deliver.

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Dennis Allen disagrees with Peyton Manning on the ‘halftime adjustments’ myth

Peyton Manning insists that ‘halftime adjustments’ are a myth in the NFL. While Dennis Allen doesn’t fully agree with that take, he does think they’re overrated:

Tune into an NFL broadcast and you’ll hear the same line whenever teams head to their locker rooms at the end of the second quarter: it’s an opportunity to make some adjustments at halftime. Coaches will grab a whiteboard and some markers and get into the X’s and O’s to explain what they’ll be doing differently after the break. Captains stand up and fire up their teammates with a passionate speech.

But there’s just one problem: this rarely happens. And there isn’t a bigger critic of the scene than Peyton Manning.

“I don’t think I ever made a halftime adjustment in my entire 18 year career,” Manning said during a recent appearance on the Monday night Manningcast with his brother Eli. “I think that’s the biggest myth in football. You go in, use the restroom, eat a couple of oranges, and then head coach says ‘Alright, let’s go.'”

And a lot of coaches and players agree with him. Logistically, there isn’t enough time to sprint from the field to the locker room and break down film or analyze big plays — if any coaches or coordinators are working from the booth eight or nine stories above the field, they have to hustle into an elevator and work their way through the stadium’s inner corridors to meet the rest of the team. Getting all of that done in 13 minutes is a tall order.

But you’ll find some peopole in football who feel differently, or at least they don’t agree with Peyton’s stance. One of them is New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen, who told NFL Films: “Well I don’t know if I totally agree with ‘halftime adjustments are a myth,’ I think they’re overblown.”

Allen is known for coaching a strong second half. Last year his defense allowed 0.57 fewer yards per play in the second half, a difference of 447.8 yards over the course of the season. They gave up 10 fewer touchdowns after the halftime break than before it. Opposing offenses converted 45 fewer first downs in the second half against the Saints in 2023.

So if it’s not a big sit-down and film study during the break, what is it? Why are the Saints such a strong second-half defense with Allen at the helm? One of Allen’s mentors clarified the point — his predecessor Sean Payton says that while there isn’t a big shift at halftime, coaches are talking on headsets all afternoon. They’re consistently in each other’s ear sharing information and communicating about what’s working and what isn’t. That continuous flow leads to adjustments throughout the game, not just at halftime.

Unless they’re playing in the Super Bowl, anyway. Payton reflected on his and Allen’s win in Super Bowl XLIV, and the 30-minute halftime that came with it. He says that extra time gave players time to change into clean socks and shirts and, most importantly, it afforded him time to think over his approach to the second half. Which meant the iconic “Ambush” onside kick to start the third quarter and a designed drive ending with a Pierre Thomas screen play that saw the running back dive into the end zone for a touchdown.

And who did Payton, Allen, and the Saints beat for that Super Bowl victory? None other than Peyton Manning. Maybe he and his coaches should have spent more time going over their plans at halftime after all.

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