It's About Time Saints Fire Dennis Allen
In the Aftermath of the New Orleans Saints' most embarrassing loss against the Carolina Panthers and extending a 7 game losing streak, it was clear that a change had to be made. The change has been made as the Saints announced yesterday that Dennis Allen would be fired as their head coach. The craziest part is that this is the first mid-season firing the Saints have had since 1980. This was when Dick Nolan was the head coach, and the team had an 0-12 record.
Now look, it sucks when people lose their jobs. These people have families, and I feel bad about this type of news. However, nobody should be surprised that Allen was fired; honestly, it was about time.
This dude should have been fired last season after the Week 18 fiasco. This was when the team overruled the head coach to allow Jamaal Williams to score his first touchdown of the season. That was when the Saints should have fired him, as the team chose to follow the backup QB over the head coach. It shows the team's lack of confidence and respect for him. It continued to grow with the current losing streak the Saints have been on. The Saints lost the plot if he stayed to coach the rest of the seasons.
Even to begin with, I was not a fan of the Saints promoting Allen. Just look at how awful Allen was coaching the Raiders. He had an 8-28 record as a head coach there, and it was an abysmal era. Allen had a better record at 18-25 coaching the Saints, but he still was a horrendous head coach. There were many terrible in-game adjustments and poor clock management, and the team quit on him multiple times.
When the Saints lost to a horrendous Carolina Panthers team, I immediately said, "If Dennis Allen is still employed this time tomorrow, the Saints have lost the plot." The Saints lost against Carolina while outgaining them by 200 yards, and that game was the final nail in his coffin.
Firing Allen was no longer an if but a when situation at this point. As for who will take over the Saints as head coach, it will be Darren Rizzi. That makes sense because Rizzi was the assistant head coach and special teams coordinator for the team this year, and he is the best person for the interim job.
When looking at Allen's coaching future, he's going to be a really strong hiring candidate for defensive coordinator jobs. Allen is a great defensive coordinator, and it wouldn't be a surprise if he gets a ton of interviews for those roles. If he doesn't become a defensive coordinator, he could absolutely be a part of Sean Payton's coaching staff again. One thing is for sure: Allen will never be a head coach in the NFL again.
Firing Allen is the first step in rebuilding, and it will be tough. Looking at the Saints salary cap in 2025, there is 61.5 million over the salary cap. The Saints have spent years restructuring contracts and tacking on void years to bloated contracts, and it's a tremendous mistake as they are running out of options to be cap-compliant. The Saints can't keep kicking this problem down the road anymore. It's time to dust up the tanks and try to get the 1st overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNTS:
Order your favorite whiskey or spirit for the big game right to your doorstep and use code STADIUMRANT10 for a 10% discount at Caskers
Use code STADIUMRANT20 for a 20% discount at Bulletproof Coffee, SwingJuice and Performix.
If you love
to shotgun beers, use code STADIUMRANT10 at Wild Man Drinking Company.
MORE FROM STADIUM RANT:
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to our newsletter here. Check out Stadium Rant Original shows on our Youtube channel and subscribe! Give our socials Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok a follow for more great content!