Tag: Interim

Surpassing the ‘interim bump’ must be a focus for Darren Rizzi

Darren Rizzi won his first two games as interim coach, but he is placing an emphasis on not letting the energy taper. They must sustain it past the interim bump:

When a team makes a change at head coach, that can sometimes lead to a jolt around the team. Renewed energy can make you feel like you’re watching a completely different team. That energy a lot of times, but not all the time, is temporary.

The New Orleans Saints moved on from Dennis Allen in the middle of the season and appointed Darren Rizzi the interim head coach. Since then, the Saints have won their last two contests.

The temporary nature of these jolts isn’t lost on Rizzi, and it’s his responsibility to ensure the momentum wasn’t temporary. He labels keeping energy steady a point of emphasis. Rizzi encouraged players to focus on “all the reasons we’ve done well the last two games.” Remain consistent on that and the hope is the results will the same as well.

As far as energy fading, Rizzi doesn’t see that as a concern this week. The energy and enthusiasm in the locker room remains high. Rizzi felt the team had one of their best practices on Tuesday. It just needs to translate and earn results on Sunday.

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Darren Rizzi is already one of the Saints’ winningest interim coaches

After just two games, Darren Rizzi is tied for the second-most wins by a New Orleans Saints interim head coach. How far to reach the top?

Darren Rizzi’s the only New Orleans Saints head coach other than Sean Payton to start 2-0. The second victory tied him with Aaron Kromer for the second most victories by a Saints’ interim head coach. The only person with more victories is Joe Vitt, who took over for Kromer after six games.

The big difference between Rizzi, Kromer and Vitt is the situations they inherited. Kromer and Vitt were interim coaches because Payton was suspended for a year. The team the year prior went 13-3 and is one of the greatest teams in franchise history. Did we mention Drew Brees was still the quarterback?

That was a flourishing team who lost their head coach for the entirety of the season. Rizzi took on a team in the middle of the year that was in the midst of a seven game losing streak. These were drastically different circumstances, to say the least.

Unless there’s a complete explosion, Rizzi will finish the year with more victories than Kromer. To cross Vitt’s bar of five wins, New Orleans will have to beat the Rams, Packers, Commanders or Buccaneers in addition to winning the easier games on the schedule.

Rizzi has started his run strong, but how it ends will determine how the Rizzi Era is remembered.

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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.

Saints WR has a sweet comparison for interim head coach Darren Rizzi

Head coaches have been described in many ways, but Darren Rizzi may be the first to be compared to a Sour Patch Kid:

We’ve heard NFL head coaches be described in a few different ways, but Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s description of Darren Rizzi has to be one of the more unique descriptions in recent memory.

In a sitdown interview with Kay Adams, Valdes-Scantling compared the New Orleans Saints interim head coach to a Sour Patch Kid.Yes, the candy that’s sour then sweet. Instead of being sour and sweet, Rizzi possesses that same duality but in a different way. Valdes-Scantling described it as being “Fiery one second then he’s cool the next second.”

As funny as it is, it’s also a great representation of Rizzi’s personality. This comes from a player who has only been in New Orleans for two weeks. It’s a short time, but the wide receiver says Rizzi has “been the same guy every single day.”

When changing roles from coordinator to head coach, it’s easy to take on a new personality when your amount of power changes. That didn’t happen with Rizzi. He remained genuine the whole time.

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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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Darren Rizzi has been named the Saints’ interim head coach

After firing Dennis Allen, Darren Rizzi was the best choice for New Orleans Saints interim head coach. He’s interviewed for the job before:

After firing Dennis Allen, Darren Rizzi was the best choice for New Orleans Saints interim head coach. He’s interviewed for the job before. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Rizzi was expected to be named the team’s interim coach, which was confirmed by the Athletic’s Dianna Russini.

Rizzi interviewed for the head coach vacancy back in 2022 after Sean Payton stepped down from his post, but the job ultimately went to Allen. Going with Rizzi now gives players a familiar face to rally around and try to salvage their season.

Special teams coaches are the few coaches who interact with  almost e very player o n the roster, both offense and defense. They teach linemen where to line up on field goal tries and show quarterbacks how to hold a snap for a kick. They work with linebackers, receivers, tight ends, and everyone else in the return game covering punts and kickoffs.

And Rizzi, specifically, is a respected voice around the league. He’s coached special teams for a long time and played a key role in forming the new kickoff rules implemented this season. When he speaks, others listen.

Naming Rizzi the interim coach also keeps Klint Kubiak in place as the offensive coordinator and Joe Woods at defensive coordinator. Neither of them will have to take on extra duties and risk getting overwhelmed. More changes should be on the way, but for now this was thee best path forward for New Orleans.

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BREAKING: New Orleans Saints fire head coach Dennis Allen

BREAKING: New Orleans Saints fire head coach Dennis Allen

There it is. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the New Orleans Saints have fired head coach Dennis Allen in the wake of Sunday’s loss to the Carolina Panthers. Allen’s team had slumped into a 2-7 start to his third season, putting him at 18-25 to this point with New Orleans.

Something needed to change. This was an unprecedented move — the Saints hadn’t fired a coach in-season since 1980, but the team’s lack of success  demanded action. Even if Allen’s dismissal doesn’t turn their season around, it’s a clear indication that ownership is engaged and things will go differently moving forward.

This is a developing story. Stay tuned for word on who will be named the interim coach and how the Saints will approach Tuesday’s NFL trade  deadline.

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Opinion: If the Saints will make a coaching change, now is the time

If the Saints are going to fire Dennis Allen and make a change in-season, now is the time to do it. The post-Thursday game break is an opportunity they can’t squander:

The New Orleans Saints dug their way to new depths in Thursday night’s lopsided 33-10 loss to Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos. They lost their fifth game in a row, their second loss by 20-plus points in just five days, and head coach Dennis Allen’s defense was criticized for quitting on him. It couldn’t be more obvious that now is the time to make a change.

Even with all the injuries and adversity, the buck stops with Allen, and his 18-23 record as their head coach speaks for itself. Taken with his Raiders  tenure, Allen’s 26-51 record all-but shouts. If the Saints are going to dismiss their head coach and name an interim to replace him during the season, the time to do it has arrived. They’re 2-5 after Week 7 for the second time in three years. Last year they peaked at 3-4.

Look at the schedule. The Saints will get a few days of extra rest before preparing for a road game with the 3-2 Los Angeles Chargers. After that they’ll return home and get ready for another away game, this time visiting the 1-5 Carolina Panthers. Then they get two home games with the 4-2 Atlanta Falcons and 1-5 Cleveland Browns before their real bye week. The NFL trade deadline slots in-between those Panthers and Falcons games, too.

Timing is everything in the NFL, and this is an opportunity they can’t squander. With ten days stretching between this blowout loss to the Broncos and an away game with the Chargers, it’s one of the best chances a new voice could have to resonate in the locker room. Whether that’s special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi or someone else on staff, an interim head coach would have time on their side to make meaningful changes and set a new tone.

But will the Saints take action? Tom Benson never fired a head coach in-season and there’s little to suggest Gayle Benson would sign off on it. General manager Mickey Loomis pinned his reputation to Allen when he chose to promote him to head coach and you have to wonder if he would willingly go down with that ship. Change feels inevitable for the Saints after this disastrous turn to the season. The only question should be when it happens,  and there’s no better time than right now.

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Cowboys elevate new strength and conditioning coach from interim role

Harold Nash, Jr. assumed the role midseason, taking over after the passing of Markus Paul. Now Nash will officially have the job in 2021.

Harold Nash, Jr. had the unenviable task of taking over the Cowboys’ strength and conditioning program following the untimely passing of Markus Paul in midseason.

Now he’ll have the job officially as the team prepares for the 2021 season. According to the club’s website on Wednesday, the team is expected to elevate Nash as the team’s strength and conditioning coach.

Nash, 50, has 16 years of NFL experience under his belt, all of it as an S&C coach. He spent six years in an assistant role in New England on the staff of famed former Cowboys strength coach Mike Woicik. In 2011, after Woicik left the Patriots to return to Dallas, New England promoted Nash to their head position for the next five seasons. Nash won a Super Bowl during his tenure in Foxborough. He then went to Detroit in the same role from 2016 to 2018. He was fired by the Lions following the 2019 season.

Prior to coaching, Nash was a three-time All-Star in the Canadian Football League. He played defensive back for four CFL teams from 1994 to 2004.

Nash looks to be a popular fixture at The Star this offseason as he works with Cowboys athletic trainers to rehab several key injuries from last year. Dak Prescott, Tyron Smith, La’el Collins, Blake Jarwin, and Trysten Hill are among the players who had surgeries during the 2020 campaign. Several more- including Amari Cooper, Jaylon Smith, and Tyrone Crawford- have undergone procedures since the season ended.

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