Tag: Pete Carmichael

Dennis Allen says he expects to return as Saints head coach for 2023

Dennis Allen says he expects to return as Saints head coach for 2023, and that he’s excited about ‘the challenge of improving this team’

Buckle up for another year of the Dennis Allen experience. Allen spoke with local media on Monday and said he expects to return as the New Orleans Saints head coach in 2023, saying “That’s the indication I’ve been given” from ownership and the front office. Allen added that he’s aware the 7-10 final tally was beneath their expectations, but that he’s excited for the challenge of improving their team.

When asked whether he plans to make changes to the coaching staff and the state of the roster, Allen replied that he and Loomis haven’t met with other team decision-makers to shape their offseason plan just yet. They’re taking their time in these final evaluations. The future for embattled starters like Michael Thomas and Jameis Winston can wait, as can the job security of offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael.

Hey, they have time. It’s not like they have a playoff game to prepare for. And choosing to retain Allen means many other assistant coaches will probably be returning, too. We should anticipate some shakeups at the coordinator spots and maybe some position groups, but nothing earthshaking.

So we’ll see how things develop in the days and weeks ahead. But it doesn’t appear swift changes are coming for New Orleans.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyahgz6p2j3xp7 player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

[listicle id=120580]

6 candidates to replace Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael

It’s clear the Saints need to go in a new direction on offense. These candidates could be good picks to replace OC Pete Carmichael, via @RossJacksonNOLA and @john_siglerr:

It’s clear that the New Orleans Saints offense needs to change. The team made an assumption that Pete Carmichael could keep it afloat thanks to his 15 years of experience in the system, as the NFL’s longest-tenured offensive coordinator — but that blew up in their face. They averaged just 19.4 points per game this season and a meagre 13.5 points per game through their final six contests. That’s inexcusable with the playmakers assembled in New Orleans.

Carmichael mismanaged personnel throughout the season, failing to creatively use Alvin Kamara on the ground (with too many runs flowing between the tackles in 10 yards-to-go situations) and through the air (with the fewest designed screen passes in the league, and little to no targets out of the slot) and neglecting to keep his most effective short-yardage convertor, Taysom Hill, involved for long stretches of play. Electrifying rookie receiver Rashid Shaheed didn’t become a regular part of the offense until Week 11.

And that doesn’t even get into his concerning trends as a play caller. Few offenses had more rushing attempts on 2nd-and-10 after an incomplete pass than the Saints did under Carmichael (37), with defenses responding accordingly by allowing just 3.4 yards per carry on those downs. Carmichael never seemed to buck that trend, among others. New Orleans needs to evolve.

So making a change at offensive coordinator should be one of the first moves of their offseason. Whether the Saints try to keep things in-house again or fully explore their options outside the building, here are five names on our radar:

Saints report card: How we graded New Orleans in their Week 15 win vs. the Falcons

You’d certainly like it to have been put away more cleanly, but a win is a win. Here’s how we graded the #Saints win against the Falcons, via @RossJacksonNOLA:

Well you certainly wish the wins would come easier, but such is life. The New Orleans Saints get a must needed win and sweep their bitter divisional rival the Atlanta Falcons along the way. But even with the positive steps forward, there were some concerning trends that prevailed. Penalties, (though the officiating was more than questionable) coaching decisions and some play calling still raised eyebrows at moments.

So while the result was a win, the Saints still have some important elements to figure out in the closing weeks of the season. Here is how we graded their performance in a much-needed victory over the Falcons:

Alvin Kamara jokes ‘I’ll ask Pete’ about running more screen plays, talks Saints offensive issues

Alvin Kamara says ‘I’ll ask Pete’ about running more screen plays, breaks down Saints’ offensive issues:

One persistent complaint surrounding New Orleans Saints play-caller Pete Carmichael Jr. has been the lack of screen plays this season. Those signature plays for Alvin Kamara have felt like a thing of the past, appearing few and far between; and when Kamara has been targeted, he’s had a disheartening drop or two, as was the case on on early third down in Oct. 16’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Still, a negative play here or there shouldn’t result in that whole part of the playbook being scratched out. Kamara was asked about the scarcity of screen plays after practice on Thursday, and he offered a thoughtful response.

“I’ll ask Pete after this, I’m gonna go ask Pete,” Kamara laughed. “It’s hard to get those looks. Some of it is defense, some of it is scheme. It’s hard to cross some of those when we might be behind the plays, we might have some plays not going our away. The timing just isn’t right for some of these screens.”

That timing has been an issue dating back to the Saints preseason games; remember when right guard Cesar Ruiz collided with running back Tony Jones Jr. while trying to set up a screen against the Green Bay Packers? Whether they didn’t put in the work over the summer to prepare those plays or have wound up in too many negative-script situations to lean on them during the fall, the screen game just hasn’t been a factor for the Saints this year. So why not simply throw the ball to Kamara when he’s out in space?

“It’s not that easy. I think me, Andy (Dalton), and Jarvis (Landry) were just talking about that on the sideline. The passing game complements the run game, you get the run game going and it’s easier to get the pass game going, obviously,” Kamara grinned, taking a shot at “Twitter coaches and Twitter analysts who don’t really know the game,” and just want everyone fired and traded away when facing adversity.

He expounded on that, saying that it’s easy to just throw the ball over and over, but that there needs to be some element on the ground to balance things out and keep defenses honest. Just what that balance looks like is the subject of rampant debate within and outside of NFL circles. At the end of the day, Kamara mused, the Saints need to get out of their own way so they can play games on their own terms.

He added, “But when you’ve got a good flow going on, running the ball and getting consistent yardage and staying ahead of the chains, it’s easier for Pete to get some optimal pass looks going and get Andy in rhythm. Spreading the ball out, you talk about me getting the ball in space.”

And there’s the problem: the Saints haven’t run well, gaining 100-plus yards on the ground in just one game out of their last seven matchups. They’ve had injuries along the offensive line and a lackluster passing game to lighten the defensive box, but they’ve still got to execute. Until things clean up there, don’t expect them to smooth out elsewhere. Nobody knows that better than Kamara and his teammates.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyahgz6p2j3xp7 player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

[listicle id=119272]

‘Dramatic changes’ not expected for Saints coaching staff coming out of their bye week

Furthered by their decision to remain with Andy Dalton, the #Saints also don’t expect “dramatic changes” to coaching staff this year, via @RossJacksonNOLA:

After suffering their latest and most brutal loss of the season last Monday night, the New Orleans Saints are coming out of their Week 14 bye week. The time off can sometimes equip teams with the time that they need to make changes on the coaching staff. For a 4-9 football team, said changes would not be far from reality. In his day-after conference call with New Orleans media though, head coach Dennis Allen may have put the kibosh on any such changes coming to fruition before the season’s end.

“No, I don’t see any dramatic changes happening,” Allen told ESPN’s Kat Terrell after the Buccaneers loss. “When you’re sitting in, really going into Week 14… I don’t think any drastic changes are what’s going to fix, you know, the win-loss column. I think our execution, I think us as coaches, players, everybody, I think we’ve all got to just keep grinding and working to improve.”

The commitment to the status quo was further cemented with Allen’s announcement that quarterback Andy Dalton would remain under center in the team’s Week 15 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons. A decision that has continued to draw criticism as the Saints offense has struggled on third downs, in the red zone and even to find the endzone as of late. But the team feels that the offense around Dalton could be better. How that happens without changes elsewhere is the question.

While “dramatic changes” may be ruled out when it comes to the coaching staff, there are some adjustments that could be made without “upsetting the apple cart,” a concern once voiced by Allen. One of which would be addressing play-calling. Considering the talent the Saints have on the roster, the idea that things could be better around the quarterback does not feel like an insurmountable task to achieve. Offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael has done wonders with the organization in long and good-standing tenure with the franchise. However, he has not impressed as a full-time play-caller this season.

Some of that can be tied to execution, sure. But even decisions like taking the team’s top-three pass catchers off of the field at pivotal moments, the offense’s inability to get running back Alvin Kamara involved and the disappointing numbers on third down and in the red zone, it feels like at least shaking the apple cart is warranted.

There are a couple of ways to do this. The first may be too drastic for what the organization has shown it is willing to do in-season. That would be to replace Carmichael at play caller. They could do this with quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Ronald Curry for some portion of the final four games if they went that route. Everyone on the Saints staff that has spoken with media has sung Curry’s praises and Carmichael even stated once that Curry was “ready” to be a play caller in the league.

If that is too much for New Orleans at this point in the season, at least considering a change to the overall approach might be a more comfortable shift. Being more aggressive on third and fourth downs, leaning on the playmakers like Kamara and offensive weapons Taysom Hill more in the red zone, implementing a more aggressive game plan early rather than waiting to dig into the play sheet. Easier said than done, of course. But something’s going to have to shift somewhere if the team believes they should be getting more from the offense.

And that sentiment has not gone without acknowledgement from Allen. “Andy’s done some good things,” he said. “I think we’ve got to do a lot of other things around him to help him. And that includes, you know, us a coaching staff putting everybody in better positions.” But saying it is one thing, actively taking the steps to getting it done might require some of those “dramatic” adjustments.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyahgz6p2j3xp7 player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

[listicle id=119393]

Dennis Allen says no Saints QB change after their bye week

The Saints are sticking with Andy Dalton after their bye week. Settling with an offense averaging 13 points per game and going 32% on third down is as unserious as it gets:

The Atlanta Falcons will be starting a new quarterback this week, but Dennis Allen says the New Orleans Saints are sticking with Andy Dalton after their bye week. Allen wouldn’t rule out a return for Jameis Winston later on, but they’re rapidly running out of time to make a switch with just four games left in the regular season.

Dalton’s offense has struggled in recent weeks, scoring 27 of their last 66 points in a single game while averaging just 13.2 points per game since Halloween. They’ve converted just 19 of their 59 last third-down opportunities (32.2%). It may not be entirely on Dalton with Pete Carmichael Jr. making some baffling play-calling decisions over the last month, but for the Saints to not make a single change with their offense performing so poorly is about as unserious a move as you could draw up.

Come on. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results. Allen went into the bye week saying that fans should not expect any major changes to the offense, and he’s come out of it doubling down on that stance. It recalls his infamous halftime advice to Dalton after the veteran quarterback threw three interceptions within minutes of each other against the Arizona Cardinals earlier this season.

A change — any change! — would be warranted at this point in the season. The Saints are fielding an inept offense that is losing games and no one would fault them for trying a different quarterback or play-caller (or both) to try and reverse course. But Allen wants to go out on his own terms, and there’s something to say for that. There’s also something to say for ostriches sticking their heads in the sand when threatened. Nothing you could say about either of those instances is polite.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyahgz6p2j3xp7 player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

[pickup_prop id=”30644″]

[listicle id=119393]

Saints snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in fourth-quarter meltdown vs. Bucs

The Saints snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in their meltdown against the Bucs. It’s all they should need to move on from Dennis Allen and Pete Carmichael:

It’s all one step forward and two steps back with this New Orleans Saints team. Dennis Allen and Pete Carmichael Jr.’s poor decision-making set the stage for a fourth-quarter meltdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night, losing 17-16 at Raymond James Stadium. They’re going into the Week 14 bye with a 4-9 record and just a 0.7% chance of reaching the playoffs, per FiveThirtyEight.

This is all the impetus the Saints should need to admit their screwup and move on from Allen and his top decision-makers, starting with Carmichael. The call to kick field goals from distances of 21, 29, and 38 yards while punting 3 times from inside Buccaneers territory was brutal, but it’s part of a trend — Allen has coached scared in high-leverage fourth down situations all year. Sure, it’s because he doesn’t trust his quarterbacks, but it’s also because that’s who he is.

And it’s not like the Saints have been great on short-yardage. Carmichael’s decision to try a quick slant to Marquez Callaway on 3rd-and-1 late in the game doomed them. On their next series he took his top two receivers off of the field and put Kirk Merritt (who was called up from the practice squad this afternoon) into the game; Dalton was sacked on the play when no one was open off the snap. Carmichael has proven himself too clever by half.

Let’s just not discuss how the Saints didn’t think to start using their timeouts until the literal final seconds of regulations, or how they kept an obviously-injured Mark Ingram II in the game on passing downs over Alvin Kamara. Ingram’s right knee was banged up early on, and it appeared to give out on him during one of his final snaps, causing him to go out of bounds short of a critical first down conversion.

Between bizarre personnel decisions and poor game management, the Saints coaching staff have burnt any goodwill they may have earned to this point. Allen needs to go. So does Carmichael. Mickey Loomis and Gayle Benson put them in this position because they expected a return to the playoffs. But the Saints haven’t even played much competitive football this year. They’ve been run over by every half-competent squad on their schedule. The sooner Loomis and Benson realize that and take action, the better they’ll all be for it.

[listicle id=119233]

Saints’ woes on third down are concerning, and struggles may continue

The #Saints haven’t converted more than 4 third downs in a game since Week 8. Here’s what they’ve been doing and how they could improve, via @RossJacksonNOLA:

Over the past few weeks the New Orleans Saints coaching staff has addressed a common thread. “We’ve got to be better on third down,” is a notion that has been commonly expressed by both head coach Dennis Allen and offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael. Over the course of the last four game, the Saints have not converted more than four third downs in a game. The last time they did came against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 8. Against them the Saints went 7 of 12 for an impressive 58% conversion rate. If you include first downs granted by penalties, the numbers boost to 8 of 13 for 61.5%, tying the NFL’s fourth best rate that week.

Since then, however, New Orleans has struggled on third down:

  • Week 9 vs. the Baltimore Ravens: 3/11 (27%)
  • Week 10 at the Pittsburgh Steelers: 3/12 (25%)
  • Week 11 vs. the Los Angeles Rams: 4/11 (36%)
  • Week 12 at the San Francisco 49ers: 4/11 (36%)

Over those four weeks, an additional 3 third down plays resulted in a penalty against the Saints and 1 first down was award by injury. That makes the Saints a combined 15 of 49 on third downs since Week 9. Ranking them No. 25 in third down conversion percentage during that stretch at a 30.6% clip.

The bad news for New Orleans is that these situational woes may continue. With five games remaining, the Saints will face three teams whose defenses rank in the NFL’s top-15 in third down stop percentage. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers rank No. 9 with the Cleveland Browns directly behind them at No. 10. The Saints’ Week 17 opponent the Philadelphia Eagles clock in at No. 15. As for the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans could catch a break against them as they rank at Nos. 20 and 30 respectively. However, New Orleans converted on 4 first downs in their Week 1 matchup with the Falcons and just 5 when they visited Carolina in Week 3.

So, things could continue to be a struggled Carmichael and his offense as the season goes along. Allen shared his thoughts on how the team’s struggles on third downs during his Monday presser. “You have to put yourself in positive situations,” Allen said. “And then when you’re in those situations you have to execute. And if you’re a step off, then those usually end up in non-conversions as opposed to conversions.”

The tricky part about that is that even when the Saints end up in positive situations, they often do not find the success they would expect. Here are how the Saints’ 49 third downs over the last four games has broken out. We’ll group them by down and distance and explore what New Orleans has done (or has not been doing) that has led to their struggles.

Alvin Kamara has more fumbles than touchdowns scored in 2022

Alvin Kamara has more fumbles than touchdowns in 2022, but it says more about the Saints offense than his issues with ball security:

It’s been a rough year for Alvin Kamara. The New Orleans Saints running back was sidelined by a rib injury early in the 2022 season, and he just tied his career-high with 4 fumbles in a single season after turning the ball over twice against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. And he’s only scored 3 touchdowns all season, which is almost baffling.

Especially when you consider that Kamara entered the season needing 5 scores to claim Marquese Colston’s record for the most touchdowns scored in franchise history. It’s unlike him. Kamara only has one other season with multiple fumbles, and he’s averaged 13.6 touchdowns per year as a runner, receiver, and kick returner going into the 2022 campaign.

So while it’s easy to focus on the turnovers, the larger issue here is the Saints not getting more out of Kamara, specifically in the red zone. This season he’s totaled 13 carries and 8 targets inside the opponent’s 20-yard line — an average of 2.1 scoring opportunities per game. Going into this season, Kamara had 180 carries and 75 targets in the red zone for an average of 3.5 tries per game. That’s a small difference, but it adds up.

What gives? Part of the problem lies at quarterback. Both Andy Dalton and Jameis Winston have had trouble finding Kamara in the flats at times, though Kamara is averaging more targets per game with Dalton (6.8) than Winston (3.4, including their games together in 2021). Dalton also just missed a walk-in touchdown to Kamara against the 49ers. The point is that both passers haven’t gotten the most out of one of the NFL’s proven playmakers.

But it also comes down to playcalling. Pete Carmichael Jr. has been on the headset all season and he hasn’t done a good enough job getting Kamara involved — specifically in the red zone. And the plays Kamara is getting show a worrying lack of creativity. Just 25.9% of his carries are going outside the tackles, compared to 31.1% of his rushing attempts from 2019 to 2021. Carmichael is asking him to run between the tackles and into the teeth of the defense over and over again, and it isn’t working.

Hopefully things turn around over these final five games. If this is all the production the Saints are going to get out of Kamara, it doesn’t justify his contract value. They owe it to themselves to get the most out of that investment, and the best path forward is to go back and key in on what Kamara has done well throughout his career. He may not be as effective without Drew Brees, but he’s made enough plays with enough different quarterbacks over the years to where this scoring drought is inexcusable.

As for the fumbles: again, this is uncharacteristic for Kamara. It should stabilize over time. It’s not like he’s gotten lazy with his ball security or is mishandling his opportunities. These things happen, and taking the ball out of his hands isn’t the answer. No one knows how important protecting the football is better than Kamara, and he’s shown before that he’ll get it cleaned up. He and the Saints can’t afford not to.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyahgz6p2j3xp7 player_id=none image=https://saintswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[pickup_prop id=”30383″]

[listicle id=119001]

A breakdown of where the Saints units rank after 12 games

A breakdown of where the Saints units rank after 12 games on offense and defense; what is Dennis Allen’s team’s identity?

We’re on to Week 13, so it’s a good opportunity to take stock of the New Orleans Saints on offense and defense to see how they stack up with their competition around the league. Obviously things aren’t where they need to be, given their 4-8 record on the year so far, but we can take this time to see what this team is and how they rank across the NFL: