There was little window dressing in Dennis Allen’s farewell speech to his New Orleans Saints on Monday.
After a 48-17 thumping of Atlanta on Sunday in the Caesars Superdome, the Saints have won four of their past five regular-season games. Allen’s second season as head coach saw the team finish 9-8, two games better than in 2022 but not good enough to secure a postseason berth.
Final games decided whether or not New Orleans would make the playoffs. The Buccaneers (9-8) won the NFC South Division title after defeating Carolina on Sunday thanks to a superior conference record, while Green Bay and Seattle (9-8) triumphed on Sunday afternoon, eliminating any chance of a wild card berth based on the same tiebreaker.
“I was proud of the way our guys continued to fight, I was proud of the way that we finished the season, but I’m pissed that we put ourselves in that position,” Allen stated. “It’s not good enough to see where we’ve been at 9-8, 7-10, and 9-8 over the past three years. Therefore, I believe that everyone in the building needs to look at
Final games decided whether or not New Orleans would make the playoffs. The Buccaneers (9-8) won the NFC South Division title after defeating Carolina on Sunday thanks to a superior conference record, while Green Bay and Seattle (9-8) triumphed on Sunday afternoon, eliminating any chance of a wild card berth based on the same tiebreaker.
“And in terms of the adjustments that will take place, I won’t get into any of those specifics. However, certain things need to be altered. That, in my opinion, is a component of what our organization—players,
Allen stated that this week will see the start of talks with Executive Vice President and General Manager Mickey Loomis. There will be many of them, including Loomis’s critique of Allen’s writing. He believes that his work has not been up to par.
“As the head coach the last two years, at 7-10 and 9-8, it’s not what we aspire to be here,” Allen stated. “I need to perform better. And I acknowledge that obligation.
Mickey is going to assign me some tasks that he believes I can excel at. However, I believe that’s a necessary aspect of growth. That’s a necessary component of my development as a coach as well as the development of our club and company.”
Allen acknowledged that the team this year was more competitive than the previous one, but a change in culture is required.
“I do think there are some things (that) our mind-set needs to be different,” he stated. We’ve had a lot of success around here, and I think sometimes you can kind of become a little comfortable with that. I’ve been here for a lot of it. I
We need to somewhat return to the grind. That’s what occurred here in 2006, and it appears that the same thing occurred here in 2017, 2018, and 19. And I believe we need to return to that. And thus, after a brief period of difficulty and some of these triumphs, we returned to the level of success to which we are accustomed in this place.”
That appearance persisted for the most of the previous five games, as the Saints won four of them with an average score of 31-11. The defense allowed three scores in the four victories, while quarterback Derek Carr completed 76% of his throws for 798 yards and 11 touchdowns with one interception in the four victories (a total of 14 touchdowns and two interceptions in the five games).
But what really stood out was the offensive getting its footing.
“It was encouraging to see, and I think in particular this last game from an offensive perspective and the way our offense played in this last game,” Allen commented. It was heartening to have a few of our younger performers take on significant roles and produce plays.
“These guys are going to have to be essential components of what we’re attempting to construct. The key skill players that are on the field at that specific moment are guys like the rookie wide receiver A.T. Perry, the second-year receiver Rashid Shaheed, the rookie running back Kendre Miller, and second-year receiver Chris Olave. I look out there and see guys like that. Having
“Overall there were encouraging signs, there were good signs, but overall it wasn’t good enough,” he stated.
Allen stated that although he thinks the Saints have a strong veteran presence of players who can still play at a high level, the team will look to add youthful elements to the squad.
He was also asked if he had a parting message for Saints supporters, since he had one for his team.
“My message would be that I appreciate the fans that we have,” Allen stated. “Because, in my opinion, we have some of the greatest supporters in professional sports. Furthermore, I believe there is a bond between this city and our supporters.
“And, in my opinion, very similar to the New Orleans
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