Category: Klint Kubiak

Dennis Allen says he’s not at fault for bizarre timeout vs. Broncos

Dennis Allen says don’t blame him for a bizarre timeout against the Broncos. He threw Klint Kubiak under the bus for that one:

What was with the New Orleans Saints timeouts before halftime in Thursday night’s loss to the Denver Broncos? It was an odd move when the team was down by multiple scores and set up deep in their own territory with just 11 seconds remaining, and it led to some irritation both from fans in attendance and the broadcast booth; Amazon Prime play-by-play announcer Al  Michaels grumbled something about having to wait a little longer to check the catering spread.

And according to Saints head coach Dennis Allen, it was offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak who signaled for a timeout.

“He got a little excited over there on the sideline,” Allen said Friday, via Nola.com’s Rod Walker. “He and I discussed that. That won’t be a problem moving forward.”

It was an odd moment, complete with the broadcast cameras picking  up Spencer Rattler mouthing, “What are we doing?” on his way back to the sideline between plays. Kubiak was trying to will the offense into putting some points on the board before halftime, having fallen to a 16-3 deficit after a Wil Lutz field goal on the previous drive.

But after Rattler gained a single yard on his first pass to Alvin Kamara followed by a 5-yard pickup on his next checkdown, everyone was ready to just go into the locker room, catch their breath, and pick up where they left off. The Saints were set to receive the opening kickoff for the second time after the break anyway.

But according to Section 5, Article 1 of the 2024 NFL Rulebook, assistant coaches like Kubiak are not supposed to be able to signal a timeout. Not that it stops them from trying:

The Referee shall suspend play while the ball is dead and declare a charged team timeout upon the request for a timeout by the head coach or any player (not a substitute) to any official. If an assistant coach signals for a timeout and it is inadvertently granted, the timeout will stand.

So they’ll need to be more clear about who can request those timeouts in the future, as Allen said. But that doesn’t mean he should be throwing his play caller under the bus. Allen didn’t have to name anyone, especially since he could’ve defended his coach and avoided an admission about violating NFL rules in the process, but he chose to anyway. The Saints are in a bad spot during their five-game losing streak and what looks to be their fourth year out of the playoffs. Allen might be feeling the pressure.

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Klint Kubiak listed as one of the most impactful coordinators of 2024

Klint Kubiak was the Saints’ biggest offseason acquisition, and he’s delivered on those expectations. He needs to keep it up:

Klint Kubiak was without a doubt Dennis Allen’s biggest offseason acquisition for the New Orleans Saints. This was the belief before the season started, and he’s showing why many were excited about the hire. Bleacher Report has Kubiak as one of the most impactful coordinators through three weeks.

The Saints offense looks nothing like last year’s unit both conceptually and production-wise. The most impressive part of the transformation is the skill positions are the same guys. It’s still all Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed at wide receiver. But Alvin Kamara has looked rejuvenated, and Derek Carr  has looked much-improved.

Taliese Fuaga and Lucas Patrick are the only true additions, but it’s a clear difference. Keeping it at the offensive line, Trevor Penning has played better after moving to right tackle. The offensive line as a whole performed much better than expected in the first two weeks before Erik McCoy went down in Week 3.

The Saints ranked second in points per game under this new system. The team has been using creative formations and motion frequently. Carr is taking advantage of the higher use of play action. Kamara is on pace to break last year’s rushing total by Week 8. If your offense is primarily the same but it looks and performs different, then the most logical place to look is the offensive coordinator. Kubiak has delivered on high expectations early on,  but he needs to keep it up through a long season.

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