Tag: Fired

Dennis Allen doesn’t view his 18-25 Saints record as a failure

Dennis Allen doesn’t view his time as head coach of the New Orleans Saints as a failure: ‘I look at it as, they just decided they wanted to go in a different direction’

Former New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen spoke with FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer on the “Unbreakable” podcast to share his reaction to his midseason firing. While most of the conversation surrounded the toll on mental health that comes with such a high-profile departure, Allen also reflected on his time with the Saints, which he doesn’t view as a failure despite an 18-25 record and three seasons out of the playoffs.

“When I think about getting fired, I really think about, this is your company, this is your organization, you have the right to do whatever you want with that,” Allen said, via ESPN’s Katherine Terrell. “I don’t look at it as, I failed. I look at it as, they just decided they wanted to go in a different direction.”

Allen is free to feel that way, and it’s probably a healthier decision than to wallow in grief. But Gayle Benson wouldn’t have made the decision to fire him if he hadn’t lost seven games in a row. Better teams like the Detroit Lions haven’t used injuries as an excuse when they’ve hit tough times; their coaches have found solutions to get out of those jams and now they’re in the playoffs.

That’s been an excuse general manager Mickey Loomis has been all too eager to embrace since Allen was let go while making it clear this wasn’t a decision he agreed with.

“I think in this case the circumstances created the record. That’s just the truth and a lot of people don’t want to hear it,” Loomis said, via the team website back in November. He added: “But it just gets back to what stares at you right in the face, is that we’ve had an abnormal amount of injuries including to our quarterback, and we haven’t been able to overcome that. And so, that puts pressure and stress on the organization and ultimately, it was cause for a change.”

Allen and Loomis can rationalize this however they want — but at the end of the day, Benson made the right call to move on. It was clear in November 2022 that Allen wasn’t the right fit for the job. It just took a couple of more years before Benson made that realization, too.

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Dennis Allen details what happened the day he was fired

Dennis Allen told the story of Mickey Loomis firing him, the aftermath and how the New Orleans Saints general manager didn’t support it:

Former New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen joined Jay Glazer on Glazer’s ‘Unbreakable’ podcast, where Allen reflected on the day he was informed he was being relieved of his duties.

The most interesting tidbit of the story was Allen mentioned Mickey Loomis “was not really in favor of this move.” That was evident by Loomis insisting Allen was a good coach after the firing. While there’s something to be said for not kicking a man when he’s down, this felt sincere.

The assumption has floated around since the decision, but Allen’s comments all but confirms this was a Gayle Benson call.

Loomis broke the news to Allen the Monday after the Carolina Panthers loss. Allen said Loomis “came into my office, closed the door, said let’s talk.”

From there he was only able to tell his staff. It was the one request he asked of Loomis. It was important to Allen to do that, because he understood the rest of the staff’s job is dependent on him.

Word of a firing tends to spread quickly. Allen says his pride kept him from wanting to walk to his car with a bunch of cameras in his face from local media, so he wasn’t able to say his goodbyes to the players face to face. Instead, it was mostly over text and on the phone.

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Raiders fire head coach Antonio Pierce after one season

Antonio Pierce is out after one season as Raiders head coach.

Despite Antonio Pierce’s seeming confidence at his Monday press conference he would remain the head coach of the Raiders, Pierce has been fired after one season. The team made the move official early Tuesday afternoon.

Pierce went 4-13 in his only season as Raiders head coach, including a streak of ten-straight losses.

At his Monday press conference, Pierce took to the podium in a Raiders starter jacket and talked about this and Tom Telesco’s plans for attacking the roster in the offseason, adding that the noise about him being fired was only coming from outside the building, not inside of it.

Well, while Mark Davis may not have been making any noise about it, he was apparently quietly considering other candidates for the job to replace Pierce.

It isn’t a big surprise to see the Raiders move on from Pierce after one season. The team that had rallied around him as interim head coach in 2023 was in shambles by the third game of the season, no doubt leading to the ten-game losing streak. It’s hard to keep your job with a streak like that no matter who you are.

Doug Pederson out in Jacksonville, could Saints give him another shot?

Doug Pederson is out of a job, having been fired by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Should the New Orleans Saints give him another shot?

Another head coaching position has opened up early Monday morning, with the firing of Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson.

After a disappointing season finishing with a record of 4-13, Jacksonville will be looking for a new face to build around quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Co. While some may be quick to think that Pederson won’t be considered for a head coaching job in this years cycle, don’t be surprised if the New Orleans Saints give Pederson a shot at the job.

In 2022 when the team handed the keys to Dennis Allen, Pederson was one of the few candidates to interview with the Saints after taking a year off since his Super Bowl-winning tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles. With interest then, would the team be open to bringing Pederson in for an interview?

Historically, Pederson boasts an impressive resume despite a 64-66-1 record as head coach. During his tenure in Philly, Pederson led the Eagles to the playoffs three straight seasons from 2017 to 2019, reaching the Super Bowl in just his second year. A couple years later, Pederson would make his way to Jacksonville immediately turning the team around from a 3-14 season in 2021. Pederson in his first season would finish with a 9-8 record, helping the team clinch their first playoff berth since 2017. Pederson would take the team all the way to the divisional round in the AFC before falling to the Kansas City Chiefs by only a touchdown.

An exceptional start for Pederson to say the least.

Pederson would follow this up with another 9-8 season, but missed the playoffs this time. The expectation was that the team would be able to take that next leap as legitimate contenders in the AFC.

Unfortunately, the team was unable rebound this season ultimately ended up costing Pederson his job in the end. However, with that said there is enough evidence in Pederson’s coaching career that shows his ability to spark life into a franchise.

Something that the Saints desperately need.

When interviewing candidates these next couple of weeks, the league-wide perception is that the team prefers someone with head coaching experience and someone they’re familiar with. Pederson certainly checks the first box and brings a history of success with him, and he could also check the second box depending on what familiarity means for the Saints. Although he does not have direct ties with the team, they do have a good feel for Pederson’s style and what he could bring to a locker room.

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Alabama fires former Wisconsin top assistant coach

Alabama fires former Wisconsin top assistant coach

Alabama Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer dismissed safeties coach Colin Hitschler on Friday, as first reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

The move is a significant one. Hitschler spent one season with the Crimson Tide. The program finished 9-4 after a bowl loss to Michigan. It was Alabama’s first non-double-digit-win season since 2007, which was Nick Saban’s first year in charge. DeBoer is making significant staff changes after that disappointing campaign.

This news matters to Wisconsin because Hitschler was one of Luke Fickell’s top assistants and leading recruiters before leaving the Badgers for the Crimson Tide after the 2023 season. The veteran assistant coached under Fickell at Cincinnati as a quality control coach (2018), senior defensive assistant (2019), safeties coach (2020-21) and co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach (2022). He followed Fickell to Wisconsin, where he held the same co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach title (2023).

Hitschler was a big loss when he left for the Crimson Tide. He was the leading recruiter for Badgers’ top class of 2024 signees offensive tackle Kevin Heywood, running back Dilin Jones, defensive lineman Ernest Willor Jr. and cornerback Omilio Agard, in addition to coaching a strong safety group.

Wisconsin hired Alex Grinch to replace Hitschler for the 2024 season. Grinch has since left to be the defensive coordinator under Scott Frost at UCF. The Badgers promoted assistant defensive backs coach Jack Cooper to fill its safeties coach vacancy last week.

Despite the position being filled, a reunion with Hitschler shouldn’t be out of the equation. The veteran assistant has spent the majority of his career coaching under Fickell. That connection could lead to a support position with a chance to quickly reclaim a primary on-field coaching role.

Fickell is still working to install his program at Wisconsin and recreate the success he experienced at Cincinnati. Proven assistants and accomplished recruiters such as Hitschler should be key pieces of that puzzle.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion.

Mike Tomlin almost makes same mistake as recently fired Matt Eberflus

Mike Tomlin’s questionable timeout management in Week 13 eerily mirrored the mistake that cost Matt Eberflus his job in Chicago.

Fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers were on a seemingly never-ending emotional rollercoaster in the first half of the team’s Week 13 contest against the Cincinnati Bengals. After an awful missed call by the officials gifted Cincinnati a pick-six, fans were able to witness an impressive Steelers’ offensive resurgence, which put Pittsburgh up 27-21 at halftime.

However, a similar mistake that cost HC Matt Eberflus his job in Chicago almost repeated itself with poor time management to end the first half by none other than HC Mike Tomlin.

QB Russell Wilson led an impressive drive with less than two minutes in the first half, but poor usage of timeouts not only prevented the offense from scoring a TD, Tomlin’s last-second timeout call had fans thinking they’d see shades of Eberflus.

Some could argue that Tomlin’s poor time management skills cost the Pittsburgh Steelers their Week 12 matchup against the Cleveland Browns. However, the Black and Gold were fortunate to walk away with a Chris Boswell field goal to end the first half in Week 13.

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BREAKING: Wisconsin fires offensive coordinator Phil Longo

BREAKING: Wisconsin fires offensive coordinator Phil Longo

Wisconsin football fired offensive coordinator Phil Longo on Sunday, according to a release from the program.

The Badgers make the move after struggling offensively in a 16-13 Week 12 loss to No. 1 Oregon. The offense held the team back from a program-defining victory, continuing a worrying trend that dates to the start of Longo’s tenure with the program.

Related: Major takeaways from Wisconsin’s close call against No. 1 Oregon

“This morning, I informed Phil Longo that he will no longer serve as our offensive coordinator,” Fickell said in the program’s release. “After continuing to evaluate the program, I decided we are not where we need to be and believe this decision is in the best interest of the team. I appreciate Phil’s commitment to helping us build our program over the past two seasons and wish him well moving forward. This team still has a lot in front of us, and I am committed to doing everything we can to close out this season with success.”

Longo’s unit ranked 91st in the nation in total offense (363.1 yards per game) and 98th in the nation in scoring offense (23.9 points per game) through 12 weeks in 2024.

There is context. The unit dealt with a season-ending injury to starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke. But it still failed to make any significant progress after showing spurts of success during a midseason winning streak.

Wisconsin makes the move 23 games into the Luke Fickell era.

His move to hire Longo was a significant departure from the program’s history and identity. This decision marks a significant moment for Fickell as he works to build his program. It goes without saying his next offensive hire will need to be the right one.

The Badgers close with games against Nebraska and Minnesota. They need one win to gain bowl eligibility for a 23rd consecutive season.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion.

Internal and external pressure led Gayle Benson to fire Dennis Allen

Internal feedback from players and external pressure from frustrated fans led Gayle Benson to fire Saints head coach Dennis Allen:

Gayle Benson made an unprecedented decision to fire New Orleans Saints coach Dennis Allen this week after the team’s 2-7 start to the season, and it took a combination of internal feedback from players and external pressure from frustrated fans to sway her mind.

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported that Benson and her ownership group “was hearing from the fan base in a way they hadn’t before, and their resolve was strengthened through that, to the point where perception inside the building holds that Allen might’ve been fired Monday even if he’d beaten the Carolina Panthers.”

That lines up with reporting from NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill, who wrote that Benson had spoken with several players to gauge their feel for the team’s direction. And what they told her wasn’t good.

Benson, who inherited the team from her late husband in 2018, had been content to trust Loomis on football decisions. But his trust in a coach with a losing record even before the Saints hired him warranted reevaluation. Loomis later told NOF’s Mike Triplett that he characterized it as more of an “organization decision” than a serious disagreement with Benson.

Still, at the end of the day this is Benson’s team, and this was her decision to make. Allen was a big part of their success in the playoff pushes of 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, but by now it’s clear he wasn’t cut out to be a full-time head coach. He’ll be searching for his next opportunity elsewhere. Loomis and Benson will be looking for their next coach.

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Derek Carr on Dennis Allen’s second firing: ‘This one was harder’

Derek Carr has seen Dennis Allen get fired in the middle of the season twice, but the pill was tougher to swallow the second time:

Derek Carr is far from unfamiliar with the process of changing head coaches. Darren Rizzi will be the seventh head coach of Carr’s career. This is the third time he’s witnessed a midseason coaching change.

This one in particular hits a little different because it’s the second time he’s seen Dennis Allen be fired in the middle of the year. First time it happened was as a rookie with the Oakland Raiders, and the second time was obviously this week with the New Orleans Saints.

“This one was harder. The first one was like three games into my rookie year,” Carr said. That first moment was kind of like a welcome to the NFL moment and left Carr thinking “Dang, this is the NFL?”

It may not have been just four games, but Carr felt like this run was short too. Over the course of three seasons, Carr has played a total of 27 games under Dennis Allen. The pairing hasn’t equated to success, but they’ve closer since Carr’s rookie season, making this a tough pill to swallow.

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Former Saints player details the beginning of the end for Dennis Allen

Dennis Allen’s actions in the 2023 season finale vs. the Falcons was a tough pill for fans to swallow. James Hurst says many players felt the same:

James Hurst retired this offseason, but he saw the separation between Dennis Allen and the New Orleans Saints locker room last year. He even went as far as to say some players wondered if Mickey Loomis would fire Allen at the end of the 2023 season.

Hurst reflects on the aftermath of players going against Allen’s wishes to kneel the ball out against the Atlanta Falcons in the season finale. Hurst was among the crew that opted to get Jamaal Williams his first touchdown of the season. He admits they were wrong but players were disappointed Allen apologized to Arthur Smith instead of having their back publicly.

“Many of the players felt he missed an opportunity there to have our backs, to defend us, even though what we did was wrong, admittedly,” Hurst relayed. Fans were upset Allen didn’t embody what they believed was Saints culture, but players were upset he hung them out to dry. Their preference was a public backing to show a unified front and being reprimanded in private.

Those emotions continued into the next day as players talked negatively among themselves. It was to the point to that when Loomis called a rare post season meeting, players thought it was to announce Allen’s departure.

Hurst capped off his statement by saying, “maybe that was the beginning of the end. That was definitely tough for the players to swallow and something surely some of the guys hadn’t quite gotten over.”

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