The New Orleans Saints disappointed this season, but the it’s tough to swallow given the state of things. It’s not enough that they disappointed, or that they played sloppy football. They built an experienced coaching staff and a roster full of players who have been together for years. And it all went up in smoke under Dennis Allen’s direction. The Saints were just as listless, undisciplined, and sloppy in Week 18 as they were in Week 1.
It’s not like Allen is a first-year head coach. He had a four-year run with the Raiders that went nowhere before the Saints gave him this opportunity. And at the end of it they have a 7-10 record to show for it. Allen is now 15-38 as an NFL head coach, meaning his teams have lost 38 of the 53 games he’s managed in that role. That’s a win percentage of .283, if there are any Falcons fans reading.
So why are the Saints so determined to bring him back next year? Barring a surprise return by Sean Payton, all of the reporting coming out of New Orleans has Allen returning for another run as the Saints’ head coach. Management appears to be giving him a pass for all of the injuries the team dealt with. Star players like Marshon Lattimore, Michael Thomas, Jameis Winston, and Jarvis Landry missed much of the season with injuries. That’s a challenging situation to overcome.
But come on. Payton had a very similar situation last year with injuries and COVID-19 absences that rotated dozens of players into and out of the lineup, and the Saints won more games than they did this year. Coaching matters. Having an aggressive, forward-minded head coach who can get the most out of his players is an advantage over a head coach who is allergic to fourth down conversions and panics in scoring position, whose team can’t close out games. Injuries are part of the game. Odds are they’ll be a problem again next year, and if Allen is still the coach, the Saints will get the same results.
So while they probably should rip off the band-aid now and take the issues that come with it, we shouldn’t expect that kind of proactive behavior from the Saints. Nothing has been reported to suggest otherwise. Allen could win all 17 games on their schedule next year and still not have a winning record as a head coach — he wouldn’t have a .500 record at the pro level. He’s a talented defensive coordinator and position coach, but it’s pretty clear at this point that he’s out of his depth. Maybe the Saints realize that, or maybe he proves his critics wrong. But it’s hard to feel much excitement about what’s ahead with the Saints sticking by him.