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Congratulations to Dennis Allen on winning the New Orleans Saints head coaching job. The longtime Saints defensive coordinator was the favorite to replace Sean Payton upon his sudden retirement, and none of the candidates they met with were able to sway team leadership into going in a different direction.
That’s because Allen offers something no one else on staff or outside the building could bring to the table: continuity. He’s one of the longest-tenured coaches on the team, and the defense he’s built and maintained has been their strongest unit over the last few years. If he can keep them playing at a high level, they should continue to be competitive moving forwards.
But there’s the problem. The Saints need more than continuity to get back in the playoffs next year. If they just trot out more of the same — a vicious defense and opportunistic special teams squad, hamstrung by a talent-poor offense — they’ll be back on the outside looking in.
So it’ll be fascinating to see what Allen’s plan is to get the Saints offense looking more like what fans are used to. Maybe that means acquiring another Hall of Fame quarterback (because that’s so easy, right?). Maybe it means shaking things up on the offensive coaching staff and bringing in some fresh sets of eyes. Or it could be as simple as pouring resources into that side of the depth chart and hoping they turns into upgrades. Knowing the always-aggressive Saints, we might see a mix of all three approaches. Let’s hope it works out.
Good is the enemy of great. If the Saints look at themselves in the mirror and assume that Michael Thomas will be just as effective two years removed from injury, or that a post-ACL Jameis Winston is a lock to bounce back and take a next step, or that the offensive line depth chart is fine as it is, they risk running into trouble. They can’t afford to be complacent.
Change isn’t always a bad thing, and it’s something Allen needs to embrace where it matters most. The Saints offense was league-average at best in most categories last season, only really standing out in red zone execution during Winston’s early run as a starter. Once he went down, their production in that area nosedived, too. They can’t just run it back with everyone and hope for better luck with injuries.
If it’s time to move on from some position coaches or shuffle responsibilities on the weaker side of the ball, so be it. Maybe some players get offloaded, too. Allen isn’t just responsible for the defense anymore. If he can’t get the New Orleans offense back on track, his tenure may be doomed before it even gets off the ground. That starts with figuring out — quickly — who he wants under center. Now that the Saints have their head coach, they’ve got to go get their quarterback.
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