Has New Orleans Saints coach Dennis Allen lost the locker room? In the eyes of general manager Mickey Loomis, the notion couldn’t be any further from the truth.
Loomis, after days of speculation, took time Wednesday to address the chatter that has followed Allen since Jameis Winston’s questionable call to pivot from his coach’s plan and score a one-yard touchdown late in the Saints’s 41–17 Week 18 blowout win over the Atlanta Falcons.
When asked to respond to the outside noise, Loomis flat out blasted Allen’s critics, labeling the idea of any discourse as “stupid” despite the coach ending Year 2 at the helm in a bit of controversy and short of the playoffs for a second time.
“That’s just people making comments to make comments,” Loomis said, per WWL Radio. ”It’s stupid to say that. There’s not one player that would say that. That’s not, you know, they were just trying to do a favor and do something good, what they perceived as good for a teammate, and nothing to do with, yeah, defying the head coach or anything like that.
“That’s just silly. That’s just overthinking.”
Although Allen may continue to face fire, Loomis’s strong denial suggests the club remains faithful in his leadership ability. Not to mention, the GM also seemingly co-signed Winston’s explanation of the team wanting running back Jamaal Williams to score.
With all signs pointing to a return, Allen will enter the 2024 campaign looking to move past the debated TD and build on a season of improvement where the team finished 9–8 a year after going 7–10.
