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.
Nick Saban may be “retired,” but he will still be with the team and have an office in Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Former Alabama football head coach Nick Saban has retired from coaching. While he is stepping down, he is not stepping away. The legendary coach will remain involved with the program and even have his own office in Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Rece Davis sat down with Saban and spoke with the coach about his 17 years in Tuscaloosa and what’s next for him. Davis then relayed this message on ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show.
What will this mean for the next head coach? No one is quite sure. Filling the shoes of the greatest college football coach is no easy task, attempting to do so with him being there is nearly impossible. The standard at Alabama is high and the expectations are to win championships.
Conversely, whoever accepts the job will have the G.O.A.T. by their side as they transition into this role and will have a mentor, and possibly even a friend, to help get started in Tuscaloosa.
Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama football and the program’s search for a new head coach.
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Renaldo Hill is headed to the Dolphins after two seasons with the Chargers.
The Chargers lost defensive coordinator Renaldo Hill to the Dolphins on Monday in a move that will see him take a role as the pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach for his new team.
Chargers’ DC Renaldo Hill is leaving LA to reunite with Miami defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and become the Dolphins defensive pass-game coordinator, per source. Hill was Fangio’s top target and out of respect to his former boss, Chargers’ HC Brandon Staley allowed his… https://t.co/wHFKnMCPvJ
Hill had been with the Chargers since 2021 and will be on his second stint in Miami, where he was previously the Dolphins’ assistant defensive backs coach in 2018.
In the 2022 season, Hill’s defense ranked 20th in raw yardage, 26th against the pass, and fifth in rushing. Their turnover percentage was 11.2 percent, good for just 17th in the league over the course of the year, and 14th in opponent scoring percentage at 37.2 percent. The unit ended the season with the 12th-best mark in points allowed.
Highlighting 10 prospects the Packers could target in the 2022 NFL draft to help replace speedy deep threat Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who is signing with the Chiefs.
With Marquez Valdes-Scantlingsigning a new dealwith the Kansas City Chiefs, the Green Bay Packers will be in the market for a new vertical threat.
It was clear that the Packers missed Valdes-Scantling’s speed and big-play ability on offense this past season. Due to injuries, the man they call MVS played in just seven games. A year removed from averaging 20.9 yards per catch, the Packers missed that world-class speed that helped open things up underneath for his teammates.
Luckily for Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst, the 2022 NFL draft has plenty of speed merchants that could help replace the former fifth-round pick in Green Bay’s offense.
The Seattle Seahawks are expected to promote Larry Izzo to special teams coordinator following Brian Schneider’s departure for Jacksonville.
Following the conclusion of the regular season, hirings and firings are happening all over the National Football League, including in Seattle with the Seahawks’ staff.
Still in the hunt for an offensive coordinator to replace Brian Schottenheimer after parting ways with him last week, the Seahawks are now having to determine a new special teams coordinator as well.
With Schneider leaving Seattle, Pelissero is also reporting the Seahawks are exected to promote from within.
With Brian Schneider departing for Jacksonville, the #Seahawks are expected to promote Larry Izzo to replace Schneider as special teams coordinator, per source.
“With Brian Schneider departing for Jacksonville, the #Seahawks are expected to promote Larry Izzo to replace Schneider as special teams coordinator, per source,” Pelissero tweeted on Friday.
Izzo had filled in during the 2020 season when Schnieder had taken a leave of absence for personal reasons.
Alabama is in need of an offensive coordinator for the 2021 season, as Steve Sarkisian will be heading to Texas for their head coaching job.
Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian will only hold onto that title for one more game, the College Football Playoff national championship, before officially becoming the head coach of the Texas Longhorns.
With Sarkisian gone, a void will be left in Nick Saban’s assistant coaching staff, not an unfamiliar feeling for the Crimson Tide coach.
Recruiting is key for the SEC Champions, and if Saban plans on hitting the trail hard in the offseason, it’s crucial to have an offensive coordinator named and on staff.
Immediately after the announcement of Sarkisian’s departure, Roll Tide Wire released five initial candidates for the job. Now, with rumors and reports beginning to surface, here are the current top five candidates for the job:
The Alabama Crimson Tide have done hat they could to keep Steve Sarkisian from going elsewhere, despite being considered for the Auburn H…
Alabama is known for winning championships. There are two men responsible for a majority of the national titles won by the Crimson Tide: the late Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant, and Nick Saban.
Since becoming the Alabama head coach, Saban has won nine SEC West titles, seven SEC Championships and five National Championships.
It’s hard to deny Nick Saban is the greatest football coach of modern times, and a strong case for ‘greatest of all time’ status.
However, all good things must come to an end. No, Alabama fans, don’t worry, I’m not saying the dynasty is coming to an end; but at some point the Crimson Tide will need to look to the future.
Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
At 69, Nick Saban is still going strong. He is still the same coach on the sidelines that will let a player or fellow coach hear it if he’s not happy.
There’s no specific age that Saban sees himself retiring. When asked about his inevitable retirement during media availability prior to the SEC Championship, he mentioned wanting to coach for as long as he can.
“If I thought that my presence here was not something that was a positive for the University of Alabama or with the program, with the players, then I’d say it would be time not to do it anymore,” said Saban.
For years, people have been trying to predict who the replacement would be to one of the most powerful jobs in all of American sports.
Dabo Swinney? A former assistant? Every candidate on the hypothetical list got shot down, due to not being nearly as perfect as Nick Lou Saban.
Well, without any ounce of knowledge beind knowing when Saban’s time will end in Tuscaloosa, moves toward securing the next coach of the Crimson Tide may have been made.
After a few days of consistent reporting on Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian’s interview for the Auburn head coaching job, he is no longer seen as a candidate, after declining the interview opportunity.
Alabama certainly knows Sarkisian’s value, and is willing to pay him to keep him in Tuscaloosa. He’s currently tied with Auburn’s defensive coordinator Kevin Steele as the highest paid assistant coach in college football.
Mickey Welsh/The Montgomery Advertiser via USA TODAY Sports
Sarkisian is no stranger to being a head coach on some of college football’s biggest stages. After making some stops in Washington and USC, Sark found his way as an NFL offensive coordinator, and then returned to college football with his current position as the offensive coordinator to one of the most lethal offenses in the nation.
Actually, Sarkisian even got a taste of what it’s like to be at the helm of the Alabama program during one of the most important weeks of the season. When Saban tested positive for COVID-19, and could not coach against Auburn in the 2020 Iron Bowl, Sarkisian stepped up to act as interim coach.
Alabama won the Iron Bowl in a blowout fashion with a final score of 42-13.
There’s no known reason as to why Sarkisian turned down the opportunity to be considered for the Auburn coaching job. It would be his first time as the head coach of a program since 2015 at USC.
Did Alabama offer him a new, bigger and potentially longer contract? Is he just too into the in-state rivalry and couldn’t bring himself to coach a rival school?
This is all speculation, but it’s difficult to believe he turned it down because he felt like it. There’s no way to tell what’s going on behind closed doors in the Alabama program, but signs point to something brewing.
A significant loss for New Orleans’ offensive line: Saints’ Pro-Bowl LT Terron Armstead tested positive for COVID and is out for Sunday‘ a game vs. the Broncos, per sources.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the New Orleans Saints will be without All-Pro left tackle Terron Armstead in Sunday’s game with the Denver Broncos after he tested positive for COVID-19. The Athletic’s Katherine Terrell added that the Saints have begun contact tracing to identify whether any other players or staff members’ game status is in jeopardy.
It’s a huge loss for the New Orleans offensive line, which was already missing Pro Bowl left guard Andrus Peat due to a concussion. Armstead has battled through injuries throughout his career to earn second-team All-Pro status in 2018 and Pro Bowl nods in both 2018 and 2019, and he has performed like one of the team’s best players this season. Here’s hoping for a speedy recovery.
With Armstead and Peat both out of the lineup, here’s what the Saints’ starting five offensive linemen may look like against the Broncos:
