The New Orleans Saints have fired coach Dennis Allen after dropping their seventh straight recreation Sunday, the crew introduced Monday.
Particular groups coordinator Darren Rizzi has been named the interim coach.
The Saints gained their first two video games this season however have not gained since, with their newest loss coming to the Carolina Panthers in a 23-22 defeat.
“Dennis has been a part of our group for a few years. He’s extremely regarded inside the NFL. He has been extraordinarily loyal {and professional} and most significantly a wonderful soccer coach for us. All of this makes immediately very robust for me and our group,” Saints proprietor Gayle Benson mentioned in an announcement. “Nevertheless, this resolution is one thing that I felt we would have liked to make at the moment. I want nothing however one of the best sooner or later for Dennis and his household. He’ll all the time be thought of within the highest regard by me and everybody inside our group.”
That is the primary midseason firing for the Saints because the late Tom Benson bought the crew in 1985. The final in-season firing occurred when Dick Nolan was fired after an 0-12 begin to his third season in 1980. The crew additionally made an in-season teaching change in 1996 when Jim Mora resigned after a 2-6 begin, and New Orleans then went 1-7 below Rick Venturi.
Allen, who changed Sean Payton because the coach in 2022, went 18-25 because the crew’s coach.
“That is a message heard loud and clear. … Acquired to discover a approach to win,” one participant instructed ESPN concerning Allen’s firing.
That is the primary time since 1999 the Saints have misplaced seven straight video games. The crew went 3-13 that season and fired coach Mike Ditka and common supervisor Invoice Kuharich.
Saints common supervisor Mickey Loomis defended Allen in January after the Saints completed 9-8, citing a number of Corridor of Fame coaches who had gradual begins to their careers. As a substitute, the Saints made sweeping adjustments to the offensive workers and parted methods with longtime offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael.
Whereas Allen inherited a lot of Payton’s workers when he took over in 2022, a lot of the teaching workers had been employed by Allen by his third season. Quarterback Derek Carr, signed by the Saints in 2023, was additionally an Allen choice — from the 2014 draft, when Allen was with the Raiders.
Allen went 8-28 because the coach of the Raiders and was fired after an 0-4 begin to his third season with the franchise in 2014.
Loomis additionally defended Allen once more not too long ago, saying everybody wanted to look “past the outcomes,” alluding to the numerous variety of accidents the Saints had this season. A few of these accidents included Carr, a number of beginning offensive linemen, and high vast receivers Rashid Shaheed and Chris Olave.
Olave sustained his second concussion this season in Sunday’s loss, drawing a rant from former Saints receiver Michael Thomas, who blamed Carr for Olave’s damage in a sequence of posts to X.
“DA is a superb soccer coach,” Loomis mentioned in an announcement Monday. “This season, we have now had an avalanche of accidents. It took its toll. DA has by no means provided excuses, he fought every day for this group and this crew and that’s what makes immediately disappointing. Dennis has been an integral a part of this group’s success for the higher a part of twenty years. He shall be missed.”
The Saints’ fan base, which confirmed its displeasure by leaving the Caesars Superdome in droves throughout a 33-10 loss to the Denver Broncos and Payton in Week 7, clamored once more on social media for Allen’s firing.
Gamers additionally took to social media to precise their frustration.
“We simply misplaced to the panthers… I really like y’all New Orleans actually had larger expectations and one of the best of hopes for us, y’all deserve it,” longtime defensive finish Cameron Jordan wrote on X, prompting a flurry of back-and-forth between Saints and Panthers gamers about their respective 2-7 data.
The Saints have struggled on either side of the ball. The crew’s offense scored 11 offensive touchdowns within the first two weeks of the season however has scored simply 11 offensive touchdowns since, in keeping with ESPN Analysis. The Saints’ protection is at present ranked twenty eighth within the NFL in permitting 28.6 factors per recreation and ranks final within the NFL in yards per play (6.4), yards per rush (5.5) and yards per recreation (406), in keeping with ESPN Analysis.
Allen spent the vast majority of his skilled profession in New Orleans. He was employed by Payton in 2006 as an assistant defensive position coach and was the secondary coach for the 2009 Tremendous Bowl successful crew.
Allen left in 2011 for a one-year stint because the Broncos’ defensive coordinator however returned to New Orleans in 2015 after he was fired in Oakland. Allen took over for Rob Ryan as defensive coordinator through the 2015 season and remained in that place till he was promoted to move coach after Payton stepped away after the 2021 season.
