hot seat – Syndication Server

Does Saints’ quiet offseason reflect on Dennis Allen’s job security?

Dennis Allen was thought to be on the hot seat heading into 2024, but the lack of aggression in free agency could suggest otherwise:

The New Orleans Saints’ inactivity in free agency could reflect Dennis Allen’s job security. Many have believed Allen is entering the 2024 season on the hot seat, having failed to reach the playoffs in either of his first two years on the job. That may be the case, but the Saints’ moves don’t suggest the team nor Allen feels the pressure. They’ve made limited additions, only signing one player who could be a starter.

New Orleans has never been afraid to make a splash even when it may have seemed the salary cap wouldn’t allow them to. Years of cap gymnastics should show us the Saints will find a way to do what they want. If they aren’t aggressive, one can only assume the Saints don’t want to be. It’s not a stretch to relate that to the organization’s mentality heading into the season.

If Allen truly felt his job was on the line, he should be more proactive in lobbying to improve a team that limped to a winning record in 2023. They’re essentially running it back with their same core players. Maybe the offense just needed a year to build chemistry, which may carry over with the new coaching staff. Maybe Allen just doesn’t know what he’s doing.

Both are plausible explanations, but either way the Saints aren’t moving like a team that feels it needs to be significantly better in the fall. It’s also possible that general manager Mickey Loomis does see a future where Allen isn’t coaching this team in 2025 and beyond. If that’s the case, spending carefully and responsibly on free agents in 2024 to help get the books in order for 2025 would make sense. Allen has his quarterback, his new offensive coaching staff, and a ton of returning starters. How much more does he need to get this team to the playoffs?

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Report: Dennis Allen ‘is in a good spot’ after 14-18 start with Saints

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Dennis Allen ‘is in a good spot’ with the Saints despite his 14-18 start as their head coach. He isn’t on the hot seat:

There’s no rational explanation for the New Orleans Saints to stand by Dennis Allen as their head coach, but general manager Mickey Loomis and team president Dennis Lauscha appear to be manufacturing one anyway. All they have to show team owner Gayle Benson is another losing record after investing $150 million in quarterback Derek Carr to support Allen’s vision for the team. There are two games left to play against NFC South rivals that soundly beat Allen’s team earlier this season.

But change isn’t on the horizon, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Rapoport’s sources have found little to complain about Allen during his 14-18 run as Saints head coach through two years.

“My understanding is that Dennis Allen is in a good spot,” Rapoport said. “Obviously if it goes horrific at the end of the year, this is always subject to change, life is subject to change, but that is where it stands right now.”

This news come off the heels of the Saints’ inept performance in a Thursday night loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Both teams may have entered the game with matching 7-7 records, but the Rams left no doubt that they were the better team. The Saints didn’t lead on the scoreboard for a single minute in their 30-22 loss, which wasn’t as close as that final tally would imply.

So why stick by Allen? What does he bring to the table when his handcrafted defense is allowing a 95-yard touchdown drive? Rapoport’s explanation reeks of the sunk cost fallacy.

Rapoport continued, “One of the reasons is they’re not getting out of where they are any time soon. Derek Carr is fully guaranteed for next year. Could they move on, I don’t think they want to, it’s expensive if they decide to. You have a roster that’s getting a little older, getting a little slower, it’s still really expensive. Off the edge it’s not as fast or twitchy as you’d like.”

Loomis invested a ton of draft picks in Allen’s vision for the team, with little to show for it. He was fleeced in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles aimed at getting left tackle Trevor Penning last year and Penning has hardly played since getting benched early this season. Loomis traded up for both of the Saints’ picks in the fourth round this year (offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri and quarterback Jake Haener), and those two players have combined for 18 snaps across 15 games.

The cupboard is looking awfully bare. With a complicated salary cap situation and few draft picks to spend on young talent, the Saints are stuck with the roster they’ve built for themselves — and for Allen. He got his quarterback, who hasn’t met expectations, and the defense he’s spent years cultivating is withering. So is there a light at the end of the tunnel if Allen and this group are returning for 2024?

“If they’re going to rebuild, they’re going to have to actually rebuild, and it just doesn’t feel like that’s something you do with a completely new coach,” Rapoport mused. “And you can’t do it next year basically anyway, so it does seem primed for a reboot in New Orleans.”

That’s not the most inspiring message, but it’s the reality the team is in. Rather than bring in a new coach with fresh ideas who can try to rally the group they have, they’re looking to ride it out with Allen and Carr through 2024 and then consider wholesale changes when it’s more affordable. That isn’t going to be a popular move with a fanbase that has already had its fill of Allen and Carr, but that’s the course Loomis and Lauscha must feel is best for their team. They’ve been wrong on almost every decision since hiring Allen so far. Maybe they’re due for getting something right.

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ESPN labels Saints one of the worst potential head coach openings

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell put Dennis Allen on the hot seat and ranked the New Orleans Saints as one of the worst potential openings for a new head coach:

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell recently released his top-10 potential head coach openings this offseason, and the New Orleans Saints made the list. Three coaches have been let go in-season with the Los Angeles Chargers dismissing Brandon Staley after the Carolina Panthers ousted Frank Reich and the Las Vegas Raiders fired Josh McDaniels, so that accounts for three of the openings.

The other seven should be viewed as coaches on the hot seat, which includes Dennis Allen. The entire NFC South is on the list, a great reflection of the current landscape of the division. None of these four teams have met expectations.

New Orleans comes in at eighth on Barnwell’s list. In other words, they are viewed as the third-worst potential job. Only the Raiders and Panthers have less to offer a potential first-year head coach than the Saints, Barnwell says. The cons of an older roster, complicated salary cap outlook, and lack of draft capital overwhelmed the pros of a weak division and star power already on the roster.

It’s understandable for Barnwell to evaluate the Saints like this. New Orleans is getting older, specifically on the defensive side, without many young up-and-comers ready to take over. Alvin Kamara is approaching 30 years old, which is when many teams give up on running backs. The quarterback hasn’t performed well either but some of Derek Carr’s struggles fall on the coaching staff, which Barnwell points to as a reason for optimism — maybe a more creative play caller can get more out of him than Pete Carmichael has.

The roster’s age would be the best reason to say the job is less attractive. New Orleans is built to make one big push but the future is still in the air. There are some building blocks on this team, but it’s understandable why the team is low on the list. The Panthers come in at tenth on the top-10 list while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons rank at sixth and third respectively. Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is the hottest name on the market ahead of the next hiring cycle but all four NFC South teams may struggle to attract him given their various challenges.

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8 college football coaches on the hot seat, including Houston’s Dana Holgorsen

Jimbo Fisher was the first major domino to fall in what could prove to be a wild coaching carousel.

In contrast with the chaos of the college football coaching market the last two years, it’s been a bit of a slow burn to start the 2023 carousel.

As the calendar turned to November, the only Power Five openings were Michigan State and Northwestern, both of which opened for non-football reasons. It looked like we could be heading for a relatively quiet cycle.

Then, a major domino fell. In what became something of a “Black Sunday” for college football coaches, Texas A&M decided to part ways with coach Jimbo Fisher (and pay the $76 million buyout that came with that decision).

Since then, we’ve seen a few more changes, including in the SEC West. Mississippi State fired first-year coach Zach Arnett just 11 games into his tenure after he took over last December after the death of coach Mike Leach.

In the Group of Five ranks, Boise State axed third-year coach Andy Avalos, and San Diego State (and former Michigan) coach Brady Hoke announced his retirement.

These were the first moves to be made, but if history is any indicator, they’ll be far from the last. Here are eight more coaches who find themselves on the hot seat with two weeks left in the regular season.

Report: Pete Carmichael could be on the hot seat if Saints continue to struggle on offense

The Saints aren’t in any hurry to move on from Pete Carmichael. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that their struggling OC isn’t on the hot seat just yet:

The New Orleans Saints haven’t seen enough out of Pete Carmichael’s 21-game run as offensive coordinator to warrant a change. Despite ranking 22nd in scoring last season and 25th through four games this year with their handpicked quarterback under center in Derek Carr, the Saints are determined to take their time in making a move at play caller.

Pittsburgh Steelers fans are experiencing the same frustration with Matt Canada at the helm of a futile offensive effort. Both teams are in a similarly tough spot, and they’re facing similar stakes in the weeks ahead. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports of Carmichael and Canada that “if production doesn’t ramp up, their respective seats will be hot, based on conversations with sources close to the situation.”

But how many more weeks of poor performance do the Saints need to see before they’re ready to give someone else a shot? Two more weeks? Three? Four? The Saints are 2-2 because Carmichael can’t manage the offense effectively and put points on the board. They’re lucky to be 2-2 seeing as their margin of victory in those two wins was just four points altogether; a couple of kicks go differently and this is an 0-4 team.

Carmichael’s tendencies and shortcomings have been well documented. As observed by NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill, his offense ranks last in the NFL in using pre-snap motion and play action on passes, teeing up the opposing defense for easy reads to react to. Take out Rashid Shaheed’s punt return score and the Saints are tied with this week’s opponent, the also-lambasted New England Patriots, for the third-fewest points scored (55) across the league. Only the often-mocked New York Giants (46) and banged-up Cincinnati Bengals (49) have scored fewer.

But maybe Carmichael just needs more time to add more variety to the offense and get better production out of his personnel. Surely an offense with a Pro Bowl quarterback, the league’s best receiving running back in Alvin Kamara, a number of talented tight ends (plus do-it-all weapon Taysom Hill), a wide receiver trio that fans spent all summer hyping up, and an offensive line that’s improved each week will be this bad for much longer? Right?

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Countdown to Kickoff: 5 head coaches with the most pressure to win in 2023

The countdown to kickoff continues with five FBS head coaches who need a winning season this fall.

Few jobs in sports are more challenging than being the head coach of a college football program. In a volatile industry where so much can change in a matter of months, college football coaches are constantly under pressure to win, no matter the circumstances.

For some programs, a period of struggle is acceptable. For others, any sign of struggle is an immediate cause for concern and could put a head coach’s job on notice. Since the beginning of last season, 16 FBS head coaches have been fired, 15 of them due to a lack of success. Entering this fall, there are another 10-15 head coaches across the country whose jobs could be in jeopardy if their programs once again struggle.

With five days remaining in the countdown to kickoff, College Sports Wire looks at five head coaches in college football who are facing the most pressure to win this season.

A pair of head coaches that could’ve made the list but ultimately didn’t were Michigan State’s Mel Tucker and Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher. Large contract buyouts could play into both coaches’ favors this offseason, even if their programs face some struggles.

Three head coaches headline CBS’ hot seat rankings

Which coaches are under the most pressure in 2023?

On Wednesday, CBS Sports released their annual hot seat rankings. At the very top of the list is one name that will be talked about all season, Neal Brown.

As for the other two names at the very top, we head to the Big Ten and the Group of Five. These two head coaches need a winning season in the worst of ways.

Tom Allen, Indiana Hoosiers

What CBS Sports Says…

Allen’s best (former) quarterback (Michael Penix Jr.) is chasing a Heisman Trophy in Washington. Allen’s last winning season was during COVID-19. Since then, Indiana is 6-18, its worst two-year run since 2010-11. There have been two — two! — Big Ten wins combined since 2021. That is the definition of hot seat, especially with the Big Ten changing before our eyes. IU hasn’t finished above 10th in Big Ten total offense since 2019. The Hoosiers need to be entertaining, they need to score and they need to win — right now.

What We Say…

Indiana native Tom Allen waited until 2017 to get his first shot as a head coach at the collegiate level. He joined Indiana as the defensive coordinator in 2016 and was named head coach in 2017 following Kevin Wilson’s resignation.

In 2019 Allen led the Hoosiers to an 8-5 record and followed that with a 6-2 campaign in the pandemic-shortened season. The Hoosiers are just 6-18 (2-16 in Big Ten) since the end of the 2020 season.

Allen will feel the heat in the 2023 season should the Hoosiers finish with yet another losing season. Overall, Allen is 30-40 (17-35) in his seven seasons with Indiana.

Next, we check in on the coaching seat in Morgantown

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NFC North roundtable: Players on the hot seat entering 2023

Players from the Bears, Lions, Packers and Vikings entering the 2023 season on the hotseat.

The Chicago Bears are building around Justin Fields, the Detroit Lions are entering the season as betting favorites to win the division, the Green Bay Packers are transitioning from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love and the Minnesota Vikings are attempting to repeat as division champs for the first time since 2008-09.

There’s a lot going on in the NFC North this season.

In the latest of a series of posts previewing the division ahead of the 2023 season, Alyssa Barbieri of Bears Wire, Jeff Risdon of Lions Wire, Zach Kruse of Packers Wire and Tyler Forness of Vikings Wire answered the question: Which players are on the hot seat in 2023?

NFC North roundtable: Realistic expectations for each team in 2023
NFC North roundtable: Biggest impact rookie for each team in 2023
NFC North roundtable: Biggest offseason addition for each team in 2023
NFC North roundtable: Who will be division’s most valuable player in 2023?
NFC North roundtable: Who is the division favorite entering 2023?

PFF names 5 coaches on the hot seat

And Ron Rivera is not on the list.

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Ron Rivera is entering a make-or-break year with the Washington Commanders in 2023. Rivera, who has a 22-27-1 mark in his three seasons with Washington, must win for multiple reasons.

Why would the Commanders bring him back for a fifth season if he doesn’t win in 2023? Secondly, Washington will have a new owner, perhaps as soon as next month. Rivera must win to have a chance at returning for a fifth season.

There is optimism surrounding the Commanders for 2023. While that optimism isn’t shared nationally due to the uncertainty of the quarterback situation with Sam Howell expected to start, Rivera and his coaches believe in the current roster.

So when any list comes out with head coaches on the hot seat, naturally, Rivera’s inclusion is a given, right?

Pro Football Focus recently listed five coaches on the hot seat in 2023. And Rivera was not on the list. Mike McCarthy [Dallas], Kevin Stefanski [Cleveland], Brandon Staley [L.A. Chargers], Josh McDaniels [Las Vegas] and Todd Bowles [Tampa Bay] were all named.

Each of those coaches makes sense. McCarthy is seemingly always on the hot seat in Dallas, while Staley’s seat should be the warmest of any coach in the NFL.

As for Rivera, the new regime could bring him back for the final season remaining on his contract if he shows progress in 2023. If the defense plays true to form and even improves, the Commanders will need a modest improvement on offense. There’s a lot of confidence that new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy can bring that improvement.

Ron Rivera one of 8 coaches on ‘shaky ground’ entering 2023 season

The 2023 season is a must-win season for Rivera.

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It’s no secret that Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera needs to win in 2023. In three seasons as Washington’s head coach, Rivera has a 22-27-1 record. He raised expectations in his first season, leading Washington to an NFC East title, despite a 7-9 record.

While Washington didn’t have a winning record in 2020, Rivera did an impressive job improving a three-win team from 2019, despite starting four quarterbacks and battling cancer.

Those raised expectations took a big step back in 2021 when Washington went 7-10. In 2022, the Commanders looked like a playoff team entering December before losing or tying four of their last five games.

So, Rivera needs a winning season to prove he should return for a fifth season in 2024. Then, when you factor in a new owner, something Rivera knows well from his time in Carolina, the 2023 season is one of the most critical of Rivera’s coaching career.

CBS Sports recently named eight coaches on shaky ground entering 2023. Rivera was one of those eight:

You can’t question Rivera’s leadership, the way he’s willingly embraced a polarizing franchise and at least kept Washington in the wild-card mix. His trademark defensive flourishes have also produced a perpetually stingy D-line. But like previous regimes, he’s cycled through mid-tier QB rentals; it’s the chief reason he’s gone 51-58, with zero playoff wins, since his peak with the Panthers in 2015. Now, in a loaded division, he’s asking 2022 fifth-rounder Sam Howell, or journeyman Jacoby Brissett, to carry the load.

These are all facts about Rivera’s time in D.C. He’s faced some challenging circumstances. Some of those circumstances are unlike any that previous NFL coaches have faced.

Rivera has seen enough recycled veteran quarterback options. That’s why he is giving Sam Howell a chance to be Washington’s quarterback of the present — and future. And hiring Eric Bieniemy as offensive coordinator could be a move that pays huge dividends for Rivera in 2023.