It’s really hard to believe that the New Orleans Saints are happy with Dennis Allen’s performance as head coach. After gambling on him having improved over his 8-28 record as the Raiders head coach from a decade ago, they lost the tenth overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft in an ill-advised trade and struggled to keep their heads above water all throughout the 2022 season. It was a gut check for a team that talked itself up as a Super Bowl contender all summer only to collapse in the fall.
But Saints general manager Mickey Loomis urged patience in Allen, who know has the seventh-worst record in NFL history among head coaches to work 50 or more games. Loomis reflected on Allen’s experience as New Orleans’ head coach during a question-and-answer session at the NFL Scouting Combine this week.
“Look, I think there were some really good things,” Loomis told SI.com’s John Hendrix of Allen’s 7-10 record as Saints head coach, giving him a mulligan for some unforeseen challenges. He continued, “There’s things that were out of our control, his control, primarily the injuries. So, there were some really good things and some things that we’ve talked about that we collectively have to do better.”
“But, we don’t have any reservations about our choice as head coach,” Loomis added.
Now, injuries were a major problem last year. The Saints never had fewer than eight players listed on the injury report each week and often went into the double digits. Star talents like quarterback Jameis Winston, wide receiver Michael Thomas, and cornerback Marshon Lattimore missed much of the season because of lingering injuries.
At the end of the day, plans went sideways, and Allen wasn’t able to compensate for it. Hopefully he’s learned from this experience and can improve in 2023. If the Saints are still struggling to put points on the board and kicking the ball away a little too quickly, he won’t get many more free passes as the team’s head coach.
