It’s official: Dennis Allen will take over as New Orleans Saints head coach, with the team introducing him at a press conference two weeks to the day following his predecessor’s resignation. Allen has spent a dozen years working with Sean Payton. Now he gets to replace him.
“Everything’s about the team. And I think the best leaders have a humble heart. And like I said before, I’m going to be me. That’s the only thing I know how to be,” Allen said Tuesday. He knows the comparisons to Sean Payton are coming, and he’s eager to chase those expectations. The way he sees it, Payton’s history with the Saints is an example to follow.
Allen said that no “concrete decisions” have been made about staff changes just yet, and a unique appeal of taking the Saints job is how many great pieces are already in place. When pressed for specifics, he responded that, “I don’t see the offense running too dissimilar to what we’ve done in the past,” barring some tweaks and adjustments, and that, “I want to be a physical offense, I want to be able to run the football, I want to be able to create explosive plays.”
As for any shakeup on defense: Allen said they haven’t decided just yet who will call plays on that side of the ball, joking that “It’s hard to turn your baby over.” An in-house promotion to defensive coordinator makes sense, and the Saints have some great candidates like Kris Richard and Ryan Nielsen.
There are plenty of late nights and early starts ahead as Allen and the Saints look to retool, regroup, and make some noise in 2022. And the team’s biggest roster need isn’t lost on him: finding a quarterback.
“It’s the most important decision you make,” Allen said, “We want a winner.”
