Tag: Darren Rizzi

Darren Rizzi says making Alvin Kamara a captain was ‘the right thing to do’

Darren Rizzi made the call to name Alvin Kamara a New Orleans Saints team captain, and he says it was far from a difficult decision.:

When news broke last week that Alvin Kamara would be a New Orleans Saints team captain for the remainder of the season, it was easy to wonder why he wasn’t already a captain. He’s one of the faces and biggest leaders on the team. The veteran running back being a captain feels like a no brainer, and interim head coach Darren Rizzi agrees.

It was Rizzi’s call, and it wasn’t a hard one to make. He explained Kamara has been “acting like a captain, practicing like a captain, playing like a captain so why not make him a captain?” All of these points seem like common sense.

“Alvin’s presented great leadership all year,” Rizzi further explained. What Kamara means to the city and organization made this “the right thing to do.”

The cherry on top was how Kamara bought in after the coaching change. To Rizzi, “Alvin Kamara might have been the guy who bought in the most.” That’s the type of move that resonates throughout the locker room. It made an easy decision easier.

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WATCH: Darren Rizzi presents Alvin Kamara with a Week 10 game ball

Darren Rizzi handed a game ball to running back Alvin Kamara following their win over the Falcons. The Saints’ newest team captain played a big part in Week 10:


Darren Rizzi garnered plenty of praise for the way he seemed to instantly turn things around for the New Orleans Saints as he helped take down the division-leading Atlanta Falcons, 20-17 on Sunday.

The Saints were major underdogs and pulled off perhaps the biggest “upset” of the weekend, but Rizzi did not take all of the credit. The coach handed off the game ball to star running back Alvin Kamara, who has been one of the most essential players to the New Orleans offense, but did have some off moments in the victory.

A potential walk-in touchdown reception that slipped right through his hands was something Kamara noted after the game was one of the “lamest” things he has ever done.

The moment between Rizzi and Kamara can be seen here.

Kamara finished out the game with 55 rushing yards on 17 carries, playing an almost exactly equal role in the receiving aspect of the contest as he reeled in five receptions for 54 yards. He did not have a touchdown (outside of the one that almost was), but was a key cog in pulling this one off.

He now totals 715 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 167 carries, tallying 421 receiving yards and one touchdown through the air on 51 receptions. Kamara has been targeted in the passing game 69 times.

With the Saints looking like a competitive team for the first time in months, Kamara and Co. have a chance to stay in stride with a matchup against the Cleveland Browns set for Sunday next on the schedule.

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Darren Rizzi could be a full-time Saints head coach candidate

Darren Rizzi earning another year as the full-time head coach of the New Orleans Saints wouldn’t be the worst thing. He’s a legit candidate for the job:

It’s an overreaction to say Darren Rizzi should remain the New Orleans Saints’ head coach after this season just because he beat the Atlanta Falcons. But continued success should mean he gets a real look, and the Saints will have to hire someone for the job. Rizzi turning a lost season around and earning that opportunity wouldn’t be the worst thing.

For one thing, he’s already a popular locker room presence. Special teams coaches like Rizzi are the few coaches who interact with players in every phase of the game. Whether he’s taught quarterbacks to hold a snap, told linemen how deep to set up for a field goal, or instructed safeties on shedding blocks as gunners, he’s worked with everyone, and he commands a lot of respect inside the building and around the league. He interviewed for the job when it opened up last time, too.

For another, the Saints aren’t set up rebuild on the fly. Annual contract restructuring has made it tough to trade off a bunch of veteran players and sign replacements in free agency. They aren’t resting on a stockpile of draft picks, either. That could make it tough to lure a hot up-and-comer in demand like Ben Johnson to town, and veteran coaches who have seen a thing or two like Mike Vrabel may want more resources to work with.

If the Saints are going to be working under tight salary cap constraints in 2025 anyway, the best approach might be to stick with Rizzi. See if he can weather that storm and field a competitive team with the pieces already in the building. If he can, great — he’ll have a clean slate to work with in 2026 after hurdles like the dead money left over from Marshon Lattimore’s trade and Derek Carr’s contract guarantees have been paid out in 2025. If he flounders?

No harm, no foul. More aging players will have bowed out, the salary cap bookkeeping will be in order, and the next coaching cycle will present more options. Maybe someone already being linked to the Saints coaching search like Aaron Glenn or Joe Brady will be ready to take over with more experience, fresh eyes and plenty of tools, cap space, and draft picks to build their own team.

But we’re really putting the cart before the horse here. Rizzi passed his first test by beating the dirty birds. Now he needs to win back-to-back games and knock out the Cleveland Browns next Sunday. That would do a lot to keep the season alive in a still-weak NFC South. At this stage all we can do (and all Rizzi and the Saints can do) is take things one day and one week at a time.

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Where the Saints are picking in the 2025 NFL draft after Week 10

Looking into where the New Orleans Saints stand in the draft order ahead of the 2025 NFL draft after Sunday’s win over the Falcons.

The New Orleans Saints tank project the team seemed to be on came to a screeching halt on Sunday when the team unexpectedly snapped its seven-game losing streak with a 20-17 win over the visiting Atlanta Falcons. A not-insignificant number of Saints fans were looking to next year’s draft, so how did this impact the 2025 draft order?

Even though this appears to be a season too far lost barring something bizarre, there’s a new sense of optimism surrounding the Darren Rizzi era. Just how far it lasts remains to be seen, but there is no question that things seem to be looking up after the team parted ways with Dennis Allen.

So, what exactly does all of this mean for where the Saints could be picking in the 2025 NFL draft? Here’s a look at where New Orleans stands after the Week 10 victory and their full draft order projection from Tankathon:

  • Round 1, No. 9 overall
  • Round 2, No. 40 overall
  • Round 3, No. 71 overall
  • Round 3, No. 89 overall
  • Round 4, No. 111 overall
  • Round 4, No. 127 overall
  • Round 6, No. 184 overall
  • Round 7, No. 252 overall

The Saints will look to continue to stay on the right side of the win column when they face the Cleveland Browns on Nov. 17 at Noon CT/1 p.m. ET.

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Darren Rizzi on late takeaway vs. Falcons: ‘Biggest play of the game’

Darren Rizzi called Tyrann Mathieu’s interception the biggest play of the game as it swung momentum in favor of the Saints late against the Falcons.

The Atlanta Falcons were down three points, but they had the New Orleans Saints on the ropes in the fourth quarter. It appeared the Saints were about to let another game slip through their grips, until Tyrann Mathieu intercepted Kirk Cousins on the Falcons’ second to last possession of the game.

In his post game press conference, Darren Rizzi said, “Honey Badger’s interception at the end of the game is maybe the biggest play of the game.”

It’s definitely on the short list and hard to find another play that felt like such a turn of events. That’s what makes the play special to Rizzi. The interception happened at a moment where “started to lose momentum a little bit.”

The interception didn’t put the game away, but it stonewalled the Falcons on their closest attempt to tying the game or taking the lead.

The Falcons were at the Saints’ 44-yard line when Cousins threw the interception. The drive prior Younghoe Koo missed his third field goal of the game. The Atlanta offense was figuring out how to move the football, while New Orleans had stagnated.

Mathieu’s interception stripped the way of points away from the rival, and they didn’t get close to scoring on their only other possession.

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Saints interim coach has one goal for the team’s home crowd

The Caesars Superdome hasn’t held the same magical homefield advantage as of late. Interim Saints head coach Darren Rizzi is on a mission to change that:

Darren Rizzi has a major goal as New Orleans Saints interim head coach that goes beyond wins and losses. He wants to restore a “domefield” advantage in New Orleans.

There was once a time where the Caesars Superdome was on the list of places opposing teams didn’t want to go. That magic had faded away. The Saints haven’t had a winning record at home since Drew Brees retired, going 2-5 at the Superdome in 2021 (not counting a “home” win in Jacksonville due to Hurricane Ida), 4-4 in 2022 (discounting their “home” loss in London), and 5-3 in 2023, with a 2-3 start to this season’s home slate. That’s a 13-15 home record altogether.

After knocking off the Atlanta Falcons, Rizzi declared, “We are going to get this dome back to where it used to be and that was just the start.” Part of restoring the aura has to do with winning games. The Saints hadn’t been doing that at home or on the road lately, so Rizzi was concerned if the fans were going to be bought in. He clearly underestimated how much the coaching change reinvigorated the fanbase.

That mistake won’t be made again. Rizzi complimented the home crowd by saying, “our fans were incredible today.” He credited the fans’ engagement for forcing the visiting Falcons into some errors, such as jumping offsides.

He knows this city wants a winner and the team wants to give them that just as badly. This is just one win, but that’s how every winning streak starts.

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Derek Carr gave Dennis Allen a shoutout after Week 10 win

Derek Carr gave Dennis Allen a shoutout after the Saints’ Week 10 win. Even if he isn’t the coach anymore, Carr credits Allen with a crucial role in their success:

The first person Derek Carr gave a shoutout to after defeating the Atlanta Falcons was former New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen, who had been relieved of his duties prior to the game.

It was definitely a comment that caught most off guard and likely irritated some, but it’s important to realize that Allen was his guy, just as he was Allen’s. To a degree, the loyalty is almost commendable and is certainly respectable.

Still, Dennis Allen exited the building on a seven game losing streak, and Darren Rizzi had just won his first game. Many didn’t want to hear “shoutout to DA because he helped us build this. Shoutout to DA because he helped pave the way for us.”

Carr made it clear he loves Allen, but he’s happy for Rizzi. It wasn’t a complete Allen love affair, just statement towards the beginning. There are some fans who didn’t want to hear it at all. It did feel a bit forced because no one asked about Allen. Carr’s loyalty is unwavering, however.

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Darren Rizzi explains late-game conversation with Payton Turner

Some Saints fans noticed Darren Rizzi stumbling into Payton Turner late in their win over the Falcons. The coach said a congratulatory shove gave him a stinger:

New Orleans Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi drew a lot of questions after his team’s 20-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons, but one of them focused on what exactly happened in his late-game interaction with defensive end Payton Turner.

Toward the end of the game, it almost looked as though the coach’s legs had gone numb and that he had lost his balance before he hugged Turner and spoke with him. It also appeared that Rizzi lost balance during the moment, though he walked off the field normally following the incident.

Rizzi said he yelled at Turner with roughly 30 seconds left in the contest because Turner was celebrating before the game had ended.

“So, (I was) screaming at him. So, he’s spraying water and I ripped his (redacted), quite frankly,” Rizzi began. “So, when the game was over, he wanted to get me back, so he came up to me and I wasn’t looking and he jacked me up from the back.”

The interim coach, who won his first game in the position and has instilled a new sense of optimism within the team and the fan base, said that he’s fine after his left arm went numb and that it is nothing new considering that he’s had a “history of stingers.” Still, the sudden loss of balance almost brought his legs out from under him, so he grabbed onto his player for support.

Rizzi and the Saints will look to build upon this statement victory as they head through the final stretch of the season. That journey will start with a matchup against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Nov. 17. Kickoff is set for Noon CT at the Caesars Superdome.

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Alvin Kamara receives a new title for the rest of the season

Alvin Kamara wasn’t a team captain for the New Orleans Saints this year, but Darren Rizzi changed that ahead of his debut as head coach:

This may surprise some, but Alvin Kamara wasn’t one of the New Orleans Saints’ team captains to start the 2024 season. He’s undoubtedly one of the Saints’ biggest leaders. He just didn’t have the title of captain until Saturday. He will now be named a captain for the remainder of the season.

Kamara has been a captain in the past, but he didn’t possess that title this season. It’s rare you ever see captains change in the middle of a season, but moving on from Dennis Allen gives the team a bit of a reset.

Darren Rizzi hasn’t been the interim head coach for even a week, but he’s already making a boatload of changes. His changes to the locker room layout and the speed of practice are the biggest changes he’s made. Kamara becoming a captain feels the most appropriate.

So far, Kamara has a new contract and a new title. The last month has been kind to him

Injured reserve is ‘on the table’ for Saints star wide receiver

Injured reserve is ‘on the table’ for New Orleans Saints star Chris Olave. Four concussions in just three years is a lot for the wide receiver to consider:

Chris Olave won’t be active when the New Orleans Saints kick off with the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, and there’s at least a possibility the star wide receiver won’t play another down this season. Olave suffered the fourth concussion of his brief NFL career last week, which can have long-lasting impacts on his health and wellbeing.

All that’s certain is that Olave has already been ruled out for Sunday’s game. Beyond that, who can say?

“Everything’s on the table,” interim head coach Darren Rizzi said Friday, when injured reserve came up as a possibility for Olave. That determination hasn’t been made yet and Olave is still meeting with concussion specialists and team doctors before making a decision.

A stint on injured reserve would last at least the next four weeks, sidelining Olave for three home games with the Falcons, Cleveland Browns, and Los Angeles Rams as well as the bye in Week 12. But if he’s still feeling symptoms and struggling with this brain injury, the better move could be to end his season altogether. We’ve reached a point where his career in pro football should be considered seriously. Stay tuned for further updates.

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