Category: Dennis Allen

Dennis Allen’s defense hasn’t learned how to close out tight games

The Saints’ struggles to keep offenses out of scoring position late in games was on full display against the Falcons, but this problem traces back to 2022:

For the second week in the row, the New Orleans Saints defense had a chance to close out a game and failed. This is beginning to feel like a regular occurrence for them, and this is one of those times the eye test and statistics tell the same story.

Whether it’s a Paulson Adebo pass interference penalty or Jordan Howden running into Marshon Lattimore for a coverage bust, the Saints defense has struggled to close the game. Dennis Allen’s unit is supposed to be the strength of the team, but they’ve failed in the biggest moments. Holding onto these late leads is a weakness of the unit. Costing the Saints’ victories in back-to-back weeks has brought the weakness to the forefront.

But the trend extends beyond the past two weeks. Since Allen was promoted  to head coach, the Saints are 0-4 when opponents start drives between 2:30 and 1:00 left in regulation while leading by 6 points or fewer. The last two games fall in this category, and the defense faltered in two similar situations in 2022.

The situations vary in those four games. There have been times where the opponent needed a touchdown to win and times where a field goal sealed the deal. Against the Bengals in 2022, the Saints gave up a touchdown on the first play of the drive.

Regardless of the situation or score, the Saints defense has never stood tall under Allen’s leadership. He may coach up a strong defense for 58 minutes, but he hasn’t taught them to be clutch for the final 120 seconds.

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Saints are the first team to score 24 points, allow no TD’s, and lose in 40 years

The Saints are the first team to score more than 24 points, allow no offensive touchdowns, and lose in 40 years — and they did it last time, too:

The New Orleans Saints played another frustrating game on Sunday, squandering a late lead and giving too many opportunities to their opponents to make a big play. That’s become a concerning pattern during Dennis Allen’s tenure as their head coach.

You could argue the defense did its job by not allowing a single touchdown to be scored by the Atlanta offense, even if they had other flaws under the hood — a leaky run defense and too many penalties in pass coverage, among others. But at the end of day most teams would expect to win after scoring 24 or more points without allowing any touchdowns by the opposing offense.

After all, teams that hit those benchmarks hadn’t lost those games since 1983. And the team that did it last? The Saints themselves, coached by Bum Phillips, in their regular season finale. The visiting Los Angeles Rams scored a safety, a 72-yard punt return touchdown, a 31-yard pick-six, a 43-yard pick-six, and a 42-yard field goal for a combined 26 points. The Saints themselves managed just 24 points in that loss.

Sound familiar? Just like we saw from Dennis Allen’s team, the Phillips-coached Saints couldn’t get out of their own way. Their exciting 2-0 start is well behind them now. Allen must figure out how to get out of this slump at 2-2 and knock out the two-time Super Bowl champs next Monday night. If he can’t, they might fall too far behind in the NFC South title race to pick themselves back up.

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Dennis Allen responds to C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s claim the Saints are a dirty team

C.J. Gardner Johnson called out the Saints for having a culture of cheap hits and playing dirty. Dennis Allen denied that notion:

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith took a hit from Khristian Boyd that led to him suffering the concussion. In that play, Smith was being pushed back by New Orleans Saints defenders before the hit. There didn’t seem to be ill intent involved.

After the game, Smith’s teammates C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Jordan Mailata called the play dirty. Mailata kept it at that, but Gardner-Johnson went further and connected the play to the culture of the team.

Dennis Allen responded to a question about the play, but his answer leans towards a response to Gardner-Johnson’s culture point. Allen was straightforward on Monday, saying, “I don’t think we play dirty. I don’t think we ever have played dirty. It’s not the way we coach it, not the way we teach it.”

Allen instead said his team plays hard, and honestly, that’s what the play looked like. Boyd appeared to just be playing through the whistle. You wish he would have let up in hindsight, but this doesn’t look dirty.

Allen made sure to dispel the notion that the Saints are a dirty team by reiterating “dirty” is an inaccurate description of how they play or coach.

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After 3 games, it’s clear Saints are reducing Cameron Jordan’s role

After three games, it’s clear the New Orleans Saints coaching staff are reducing Cameron Jordan’s role. It just comes down to who can make the most plays:

Did you know Cameron Jordan played the second-fewest snaps in a game of his career on Sunday? The New Orleans Saints defensive end was on the field for just 20 snaps while taking a backseat to younger teammates Carl Granderson (55) and Chase Young (53) against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Jordan managed just 17 snaps in last year’s game with the Detroit Lions — his first since suffering a serious ankle injury, and that remains his career-low. He played 27 snaps in Week 1 (46% of the total) and 34 reps in Week 2 (49%), but that count dropped to 20 (28%) in Week 3.

Jordan was the best player on his side of the ball in New Orleans for more than a decade. But those days are behind us, and the Saints are making adjustments to cope with their new reality. Just ask head coach Dennis Allen.

“I think you’re gonna see more of Chase and Carl,” Allen said Monday, pointing out that those two have been too effective to keep off the field. The other side of that coin is that Jordan hasn’t been effective enough to take snaps from them.

Father Time is undefeated. He’s beaten Drew Brees and Jordan’s own father Steve Jordan, who found great success in 13 years with the Minnesota Vikings. Anyone who has watched Jordan play in recent years has known this day was coming. He only had two sacks last season. Jordan had 8.5 sacks the year before but five of them came in two games.

The signs of his decline have been there for those willing to acknowledge them. It’s why the Saints have poured so many resources into defensive end searching for his successor — signing Young in free agency, developing and extending Granderson, and spending high draft picks on guys like Marcus Davenport, Payton Turner, and Isaiah Foskey. It’s just a shame so few of those players have stepped up into the vacuum created by Jordan’s decline.

Between rotating in other players more heavily and moving him inside to defensive tackle occasionally, the Saints are trying to find ways for Jordan to continue helping the team. He’s under contract through 2025 but we’re clearly approaching the end of the line. And whenever Jordan hangs up his cleats to pick up a microphone for a job in the media, we’ll be ready to support his Hall of Fame candidacy.

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Dennis Allen still hasn’t won three games in a row

New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen still hasn’t won three games in a row. And after an ugly showing in Week 3, it’s time to reset the counter:

It’s time to reset the counter. New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen still hasn’t won three games in a row after an ugly showing in Week 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles. There was a lot of optimism going into this game that Allen’s team had turned the corner — blowout wins over the division-rival Carolina Panthers and much-hyped Dallas Cowboys in the first two weeks teed up what should’ve been a narrative-busting win with Philly.

But it wasn’t to be. Allen’s defense bent until it broke and couldn’t keep up with Saquon Barkley and Dallas Goedert late in regulation. The offense had no answers for the aggressive Eagles defense, and now the Saints have fallen back to 2-1.

Still, that’s tied for the best record Allen has ever had after Week 3. The Saints went 2-1 last year, too, but before that Allen’s teams were either 1-2 or 0-3 in his first four years as a head coach. The challenge now becomes staying over .500. Last season they fell back to Earth at 2-2. Now they have an opportunity to improve to 3-1 with a win on the road against the Atlanta Falcons. A 3-1 record would be Allen’s highest win total after Week 4.

Last week we praised Allen for getting back to .500 as the Saints’ head coach, but now he’s fallen back under that threshold with an 18-19 record. Just breaking even can’t be enough for this team if they want to get back to the playoffs. Win three in a row, and then four. Keep it going until you’re in a playoff game. If Allen is going to lead the Saints back to national relevance he’ll have to sustain success week in and week out. But that’s easier said than done. The last three or four years of Saints football are proof of it.

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Dennis Allen gives update on Taysom Hill’s status heading into Week 4

Dennis Allen said he’s ‘hopeful’ Taysom Hill can return from a bruised lung as the Saints prepare to face the Falcons in Week 4:

Dennis Allen and the New Orleans Saints were without one of their biggest weapons during Sunday’s 15-12 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, and it showed. They badly missed Swiss army knife Taysom Hill after setting such a high scoring output the first two weeks.

The Saints knew they were facing a tough task in filling the void. Hill has a unique and versatile skillset that can’t exactly be replicated by any single player… or even group of players for that matter.

And not having him in the fold for next week’s road matchup against the Atlanta Falcons could make a world of difference. Fortunately for the Saints’ case moving forward, Allen offered an optimistic update on Hill in his postgame press conference Sunday.

“We ended up deciding to rule him out. I’m hopeful that he’ll be ready to go next week,” Allen said.

Hill was ruled out on the Week 3 injury report with a chest injury, which was reported by Jay Glazer of FOX Sports to be a bruised lung. Whether or not Hill takes the field when the Saints face the Falcons at Noon CT/1 p.m. ET in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday will be something to keep an eye on.

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Dennis Allen explains why he quoted Kendrick Lamar in his postgame speech

Dennis Allen used a perfectly-timed Kendrick Lamar quote after the Saints’ victory over the Cowboys. We can thank his son for that:

https://twitter.com/jeff_nowak/status/1836493511979602315?s=46&t=_U0UBmCWxF2s5xLnGQ2rFQ

Dennis Allen was feeling good after the New Orleans Saints dominant performance over Dallas Cowboys. So good that he quoted Kendrick Lamar’s hit single “Not Like Us.” When addressing the team after the game, Allen told his players “sometimes you gotta just pop out and show ’em.”

Allen added his own flair to the quote, and the team exploded. Willie Gay can be seen jumping into the frame as Allen walks off.

The song is the biggest hit of the year, so it’s no surprise Allen has heard it. The surprise was that he quoted it after the game.

We have Allen’s son to thank for this clip. Allen explained the moment by crediting his son for exposing him to the rapper’s work: “I wouldn’t say (Kendrick Lamar is) on my playlist, but my son was with me out at training camp and so we heard that song plenty of times.”

Allen heard the song so many times that he found the perfect moment to use the quote. The Saints game versus the Cowboys was a moment for the Saints to pop out and show ’em. That’s exactly what they did with another 40 point performance. Allen gets an A-plus for the reference and timing. Maybe he’ll be able to grab a photo with Lamar when the 17-time Grammy winner visits New Orleans to perform at Super Bowl LIX.

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Dennis Allen says Derek Carr has ‘been freed up’ in Klint Kubiak’s offense

Derek Carr looks more comfortable and more confident in Year 2 with the Saints. Dennis Allen has two reasons why, and it starts with Klint Kubiak:

Derek Carr has looked noticeably more comfortable in his second year with the New Orleans Saints. You can see it in his demeanor, but also the way he plays.

Why is that? The most obvious answer is new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. Though he didn’t mention Kubiak’s name, Dennis Allen’s answer to the question alludes to the change in philosophy and offensive leadership.

Allen believes Carr has “been freed up a little bit in terms of not having to control every single thing on the line of scrimmage. He’s able to really go out there and play.” That is thanks to Kubiak.

Carr spoke about the trust he has in Kubiak and how Kubiak’s command of the offense frees him up. It’s no coincidence that same language was used by Allen.

The head coach also praised the offensive line and credited them for making things easier on the quarterback: “Our offensive line has done a good job of protecting him. I think that’s always been the case I feel like when Derek is able to be protected, he’s pretty good at throwing the football.”

Carr hasn’t dealt with too much pressure through two weeks. When he has, he has dealt with it better than he did a year ago. His numbers, outside of completion percentage, won’t jump out at you. Carr has been efficient, though, while also delivering the explosive play.

Throw the numbers away. Carr looks comfortable and confident within the offense. Under Kubiak, Carr is allowed to play more free, and the offensive line has provided him with the time to pick defenses apart.

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Dennis Allen credits the run game for quieting Cowboys’ pass rush

Limiting Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence was pivotal. The Saints did it by running the football and avoiding must-pass situations:

Stopping Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence was a key to victory for the New Orleans Saints against the Dallas Cowboys. Their ability to rush the passer is the defense’s greatest strength, yet Derek Carr didn’t see much pressure on Sunday.

Taliese Fuaga and Trevor Penning did a good job winning that matchup in the pass and run game. Part of stopping the Cowboys unit was running the football. Dennis Allen looked at the diminished impact of Lawrence and Parsons and felt “part of it was we were able to run the football.”

Alvin Kamara caught a touchdown, but his 115 rushing yards were equally as effective in slowing down the pass rush.

“When you’re able to run the ball and you’re able to put yourself in manageable situations, you’re not having to get into a dropback passing mode where they can unleash their pass rush,”  Allen explained.

That’s exactly what they did. The Saints only faced third down on eight occasions in this game. Just four of them were longer than 4 yards. One was a kneel-down and another was when the Saints were running out the clock and keeping the ball on the ground.

This means New Orleans only faced two third downs of more than 4 yards. The Saints were rarely in must-pass situations, and it kept the Cowboys’ best assets from getting active.

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Dennis Allen shares update on Taysom Hill’s chest injury

Dennis Allen shared an update on Taysom Hill’s chest injury during Monday’s press conference, but was short on details about what’s ailing him:

The New Orleans Saints have had some injury concerns the past few weeks with key players like Marshon Lattimore and Taliese Fuaga missing time at  practice, but they’ve fought their way to a 2-0 record in spite of it. However, the Saints did pick up another concerning injury in Week 2’s win over the Dallas Cowboys.

Taysom Hill had to visit a Dallas hospital for further evaluation after leaving the Cowboys game with a chest injury. Thankfully, he made the trip back to New Orleans with the team and initially, it seems to not be a major concern. Saints head coach Dennis Allen spoke on the injury in Monday’s press conference after Week 2.

“Taysom’s doing good, he feels good, and I don’t know if we’ve gotten all the results back on (the testing) he went and had some more imaging today,” Allen said. “I think we avoided anything real serious.”

When pressed by ESPN’s Katherine Terrell on whether Hill would have a more detailed listing on this week’s injury report, Allen declined to specify.

“We’re just gonna go with chest,” Allen responded. “That’s what it’s going to say on the injury report. He has a chest injury, it’s nothing that’s serious, and so he’ll be in the rehab process just like everybody else is and we’ll kind of go from there. Look I think sometimes there’s things that are precautionary, you want to make sure everything is okay, and so we went about whatever that normal medical procedure is and Taysom flew back with us on the plane, and he’s back with us today so we’re just monitoring throughout the week, see what he can do, see what he can’t do, and go from there.”

So things are trending in the right direction for Hill, though it’s too soon to say whether he’ll be available for Week 3’s home game with the Philadelphia Eagles. This is a positive sign that Hill stuck with the team and reported to the facility with them on Monday, and that Allen believes it is at this time an issue that could be viewed more as precautionary. We’ll just have to see how this situation develops during the week ahead.

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