Dennis Allen might be back with New Orleans Saints after all
When the New Orleans Saints traveled to Tampa Bay to take on the Buccaneers, they had to do so without head coach Sean Payton, who tested positive for COVID-19 and as a result, could not travel with the team. That led to defensive coordinator Dennis Allen filling in as the head honcho and things went swimmingly.
Allen helped lead the Saints to a 9-0 shutout victory over the defending Super Bowl champions who were double-digit favorites over the black and gold entering the game. The defense played incredibly well, shutting out one of the best offenses in the football and while the offense wasn’t great, Brett Maher did his part, connecting on all three field-goal attempts.
It really did feel like a foregone conclusion that Allen would, at the very least, interview for some head coaching jobs and even land one somewhere.
Well, as of now, Allen has just one head coaching interview lined up. He’s set to meet virtually with the Bears.
So much talk about the top coaching candidates. Not enough being said about Dennis Allen. Obviously, I would be so stoked to see him back on the Saints sideline. It's just wild to me that he's not getting that much consideration.
— Chris Rosvoglou (@RosvoglouReport) January 20, 2022
New Orleans Saints DC Dennis Allen isn’t getting any love in head coach market
Some might point to Allen’s tenure as the Oakland Raiders head coach from 2012 to 2014 where things did not go well. Allen won just eight games in a three-year span before he was let go four games into the 2014 season (Oakland was 0-4 at that point). Allen didn’t do well when he was in Oakland but that was nearly a decade ago and he’s shown that he can be a great leader.
Of course, Saints fans will be thrilled if Allen does indeed stay in the Big Easy because look at how good this defense has been with him at the helm! That shutout win against the Bucs was very impressive but the defense played lights out for nearly the entire season and if Allen stays, there’s a good chance of the defense remaining one of the best units in the league.
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It’s unfortunate for Allen that a coaching job he held nearly a decade ago is still in the way of him getting a head coaching job but if he does stay in New Orleans, Saints fans are happy to have him on the sidelines running the defense.