Tag: Dennis Allen

This outlet says Darren Rizzi is making a case to stay long-term

It’s tough to go from interim to permanent head coach, but Bleacher Report feels Darren Rizzi is making a strong case to do just that.

The New Orleans Saints are undefeated since Darren Rizzi assumed head coaching duties from Dennis Allen. After only two games, Bleacher Report’s staff of NFL analysts believes Rizzi is forming a case to be the Saints head coach on a permanent basis.

Interim coaches aren’t typically retained after the season, but a strong ending would likely insert Rizzi into the conversation. The way Rizzi has rejuvenated the building feels similar to how Antonio Pierce impacted the Las Vegas Raiders a year ago. Pierce was retained as the Raiders head coach beyond his interim season.

Some would say winning cures all, and that’s the truth. On the other hand, the energy shift transpired before the Saints ever broke their losing streak. The shift partially had to do with moving on from Allen, but New Orleans picked the right person to close out the season as well.

Making a case or entering into the conversation is far from being the favorite. If Rizzi continues to lead the team in a similar fashion as he’s doing now, he deserves an interview during the search.

Darren Rizzi has an opportunity to definitively succeed where Dennis Allen failed

The Saints and Rams met last year with the season in the balance, and Dennis Allen failed that test. A rematch is coming up after the bye. Can Darren Rizzi pass it?

Darren Rizzi has an opportunity to definitively succeed where Dennis Allen failed after replacing the former New Orleans Saints head coach. He’s arguably already done that by ending the seven-week losing streak that cost Allen his job and winning back-to-back games. But their next matchup may tell the real story.

The Saints and Los Angeles Rams met last year with the season in the balance, and Allen failed that test. That loss in L.A. put the Saints so far out of the playoff picture that the remaining games were all for naught. A rematch is coming up after the bye, and we’re in a similar situation. Can Rizzi pass this test?

Maybe so. The Rams aren’t the juggernaut they once were, stuck at 5-5 while going back-and-forth in the win-loss column, but they are a hurdle the Saints must overcome to reach the playoffs this year. If the Rams lose to the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday night, they’ll take the field next week ahead of New Orleans by a single win. Knocking them off and winning three in a row would be a heck of an achievement.

And if nothing else, it would be symbolic. Allen struggled to coach the Saints up when they drew an opponent with a backbone, and that loss to the Rams felt like an indictment for him. With such a big impact on the team’s playoff odds at stake, he wilted. If Rizzi can rise to that challenge it’ll say a lot about where he has this team trending and where he could take them. And he’s got time on his side with the bye week buying a few more days to prepare for it.

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Jameis Winston reflects on how his time in New Orleans impacted him

Jameis Winston spent four years in New Orleans, and he said the city helped him during “that transitional period in my life”

Jameis Winston expressed nothing but love for the city of New Orleans and the Saints as he makes his return as a member of the Cleveland Browns.

Everyone who plays for the Saints doesn’t get chosen by the city when the jersey is off. Winston was one of those players. “The people in New Orleans, I really love them. They really helped that transitional period in my life.”

Winston did start for New Orleans at one point, but he came to New Orleans as a backup to Drew Brees. To be a former first overall pick and not get a starting job requires one to swallow his pride. Winston did that to study under Sean Payton knowing Brees was the starter.

He came to New Orleans to hone his craft. When he did become the starter his time was cut way too short. Through it all he says his “teammates encouraged me, they pushed me.”

It’s clear his time in New Orleans holds a special place in his heart on and off the field.

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Former Saints draft pick spreading his wings with the Eagles

Zack Baun is spreading his wings with the Eagles. It’s hard to call the NFC Defensive Player of the Week a draft bust when the Saints didn’t know how to use him:

Credit where it’s due: Zack Baun is flying high with the Philadelphia Eagles. The former New Orleans Saints draft pick switched teams in free agency, and that decision has paid off. Baun just won recognition as the NFC Defensiive Player of the Week for the first time in his career.

Baun was integral to the Eagles’ dismantling of the NFC East-rival Dallas Cowboys; he totaled 8 tackles (3 solo, with a tackle for loss) plus two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in their 34-6 win. So why wasn’t he putting up those kind of numbers in New Orleans?

For one thing, the Saints didn’t have much of a plan in mind when they traded up to draft Baun back in 2020. To move up from No. 88 to No. 74 (and getting back a seventh rounder in the process), the Saints traded their third rounder in 2021, which wound up falling at No. 91. And once they acquired Baun they didn’t know what to do with him. He weighed in at 6-foot-2 and 238 pounds, which was too light for Dennis Allen to stomach at defensive end, where Baun lined up in college. The coaching staff and scouting department were not in lockstep.

They spent the next few years trying to teach him to drop back in coverage and work in space, but Allen and his coaching staff never developed much confidence in him. After trading up to draft him the Saints picked another  linebacker in both 2021 (Pete Werner, at No. 60) and 2022 (D’Marco  Jackson, at No. 161). He never got a chance in New Orleans, playing almost twice as many snaps on special teams (1,293) as on defense (660) through his 62-game Saints career.

Now the Saints are scrambling for answers at linebacker. Demario Davis isn’t getting younger and the injury bug bit him earlier this year. Pete Werner signed a contract extension this summer but hasn’t proven he can stay on the field either. The Saints already decided Baun couldn’t be part of their solution, but the Eagles have figured out how to get the most out of him. Now we have to wait and see how New Orleans moves next.

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Jameis Winston revenge game has lost its luster without Dennis Allen

With Dennis Allen no longer in the picture, this week’s Jameis Winston revenge game feels markedly different:

The Jameis Winston revenge game has lost some of its allure with the firing of Dennis Allen.

There are two types of “revenge games.” You have matchups like C.J. Gardner-Johnson returning to New Orleans. There was true animosity from the safety. Then, you have games that simply features a player facing his former team, and “revenge game” is used jokingly.

We thought Jameis Winston facing the New Orleans Saints as the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback would be a true revenge game. Without the presence of Allen, there’s nothing to get revenge for.

It was Allen who told Winston he wouldn’t lose his job due to injury then kept Andy Dalton as the starter. It was Allen’s wishes Winston went against to give Jamaal Williams a touchdown against Atlanta.

With Allen gone, who would the ill will be directed towards?

Winston became one of the more beloved players in the Saints’ locker room and by the fan base. Under these circumstances, this is closer to a family reunion than an attempt for revenge.

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Two former Saints offensive coordinator candidates have already been fired

Two former Saints offensive coordinator candidates have already been fired by the teams that hired them. Klint Kubiak must prove he shouldn’t join them.

Two former New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator candidates have already been fired by the teams that hired them this offseason, with the Chicago Bears jettisoning Shane Waldron not long after the Las Vegas Raiders moved on from Luke Getsy.

Klint Kubiak, who the Saints ultimately went with, must prove he shouldn’t join them. Getsy interviewed with New Orleans twice before accepting the Raiders job. Kubiak may have been hired by Dennis Allen but that doesn’t mean Darren Rizzi won’t let him go if the team doesn’t get results. Fortunately, that feels unlikely after the team revived itself with a win in Rizzi’s head coaching debut last weekend.

A big reason naming Rizzi the interim head coach made sense was because it meant little disruption for Kubiak on offense and Joe Woods coordinating the defense. That Rizzi didn’t quickly dismiss Kubiak and go with his own play-caller after being named the interim speaks volumes.

Still, Waldron and Getsy being axed doesn’t necessarily mean the Saints got it right with Kubiak. He’s been too slow to adapt when the defense has countered his game plans, and he didn’t do a good job preparing rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler to start during a string of losses when Derek Carr was injured. Widespread injuries to the offensive line and skills positions played a part, sure, but Kubiak’s unit hasn’t reached the same heights they met back in Weeks 1 and 2.

Hopefully he gets back on track once Erik McCoy returns to the lineup. The Saints welcomed their starting center back at practice last week and waived his backup Conner McGovern on Monday, which probably signals his return. McCoy was vital to Kubiak’s vision for the offense — the Pro Bowler was tasked with setting protections pre-snap, not the quarterback, which took a big load off Derek Carr’s shoulders to start the season. There’s not much reason to think Kubiak’s job is in jeopardy right now, but if the Saints fall back into a slump after beating Atlanta every option should be on the table. They need to know who’s part of the solution, long-term, and who’s part of the problem.

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Week 10 NFL takeaways: Saints got an ‘interim coach bump’ vs. Falcons

The Saints got the “interim coach bump” in Week 10, and that was the biggest takeaway from their win according to Bleacher Report:

Bleacher Report’s staff gives their biggest takeaway from each team every week. Their biggest takeaway for the New Orleans Saints is that the coaching change gave the team a spark. New Orleans fired Dennis Allen after nearly three seasons as head coach and replaced him with special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi.

There were many changes throughout the week that seemed like small moves, but when they’re all compiled together it begins to resemble a culture reset. There was an immediate and different aura around this team and it translated to the field on Sunday versus the Atlanta Falcons. There was more energy, and for the first time in a long time the Saints had game breaking plays.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling had two long receptions from Derek Carr. The deep shot was once the most deadly trait of the offense, but it’s been absent since Rashid Shaheed suffered a season-ending injury.

John Ridgeway blocked Younghoe Koo’s field goal before halftime. There were just plays you didn’t see happening before. Large changes, like interim coaches, are known for sparking change in their first game but continuing that momentum is the difficult part. Only time will tell if Rizzi can keep performances high.

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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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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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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