Well, that’s something. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler shared his take on head coaches on the hot seat around the NFL, but he doesn’t anticipate a shakeup for the New Orleans Saints. After pointing out that Dennis Allen’s team is one of four squads around the league to win three games or fewer to start the season (the Saints finally found their fourth win in Week 11), Fowler suggested Allen has stronger job security than many fans may have given him credit for:
“Would be surprised if New Orleans’ Dennis Allen doesn’t get another year based on the setup there (GM Mickey Loomis, who is embedded, had heavy influence over Allen’s hiring).”
So Allen’s future is tied to Loomis’, which means he might be around for quite a while. Loomis is the NFL’s longest-tenured general manager. He enjoys a tight bond with ownership and has rare power in this league for someone in his position. If he’s content with Allen as his head coach, it’ll take strong external pressure to spark a change.
That’s not good news for fans who aren’t happy with the way Allen’s team started its season. After hyping themselves up as playoff contenders all summer with a roster perfectly set up to compete right away, the Saints are 4-7 with a -18 point differential. They’ve been held to 14 points or fewer in four different games, allowing 28 points or more in just as many outings. And they’re 3-4 in games decided by 8 points or fewer. The Saints haven’t met the expectations they set for themselves any way you slice it.
But, hey. Maybe Loomis and Gayle Benson will choose to trust their decision to hire Allen in the first place and give him a mulligan. Their team has struggled with a number of injuries at every position group, taking high-priced playmakers out of the lineup almost every week. They could chalk it up to bad luck and give him another shot in 2023.
It just isn’t what we would do. We saw enough after 10 games to pull the plug and pivot to someone else, and a 7-point win over a Los Angeles Rams team missing star receiver Cooper Kupp, multiple offensive linemen, and (for the second half) Matthew Stafford doesn’t change that. Maybe we’re wrong, but it’s clear enough from the outside looking in that Allen isn’t the answer for the Saints. It just might take them another year to reach that conclusion.
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