Saints: 3 reasons why Dennis Allen will earn another head coaching gig
By Jake Rajala
In 2014, former Raiders GM Reggie Mckenzie relieved then Raiders head coach Dennis Allen from head coaching duties following an 0-4 start to the year.
Dennis Allen went 8-28 during his brief coaching tenure for the raiders from 2012 to week 4 of 2014. Through familiar coaching ties and understanding of the Saints scheme, Sean Payton brought Dennis Allen back to New Orleans in 2015 as a defensive assistant.
Allen won a Super Bowl with the Saints as the Saints defensive back coach from 2008 to 2010.
Dennis Allen wasn’t all to blame during his coaching tenure for the struggling Raiders franchise, which has been notorious for terrible draft picks and a long history of struggling quarterback play.
Outside of being the youngest head coach in the NFL when coach Allen took over in 2012, he was placed in a very poor situation with little talent to work with. Old Raiders General Manager Reggie Mckenzie traded their veteran starting quarterback, Carson Palmer, after a struggling 2012 campaign that resulted in four wins.
This obstacle forced defensive-minded coach Allen to achieve more wins in 2013 with undrafted quarterbacks: Matt McGloin and Terrelle Pryor. That unsurprisingly resulted in a 4-12 record during the 2013 campaign.
Then former Raiders GM brought in a rookie quarterback by the name of Derek Carr. Still, it didn’t save Allen from the chopping block because Mckenzie saved his skin by firing Allen when the Raiders started 0-4 in 2014, despite having a rookie quarterback under the helm.
Coach Allen started as the Saints defensive backs coach in 2015, then took over coordinating the defense when Rob Ryan was fired on Nov. 16, 2015. The Football Database noted how Dennis Allen’s defense struggled to compliment the Saints offense by placing 27th in total yards during the 2016 season.
Then growth and the potential in Dennis Allen’s system started to unfold, as The Football Database noted the Saints defense placing 17th in total yards allowed in 2017, 14th in 2018, and 11th in 2019.
Dennis Allen looks to gain another head coaching opportunity, with his rising defense on the Saints championship-caliber team and earn his second Super Bowl ring as a Saints coach. That said, let’s take a closer look at three reasons why Dennis Allen will be a head coach again.