Pros and cons to Saints potentially hiring Dennis Allen as next head coach

The New Orleans Saints find themselves needing a new head coach for the first time since 2006 and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen appears to be the favorite to land the job.

If Allen is indeed the one who succeeds Sean Payton, what are the pros and cons of him taking over the reins?

Pros for Dennis Allen as next Saints head coach

As we all know, Allen has been the organization for quite some time now. He joined the team as their defensive coordinator in 2015 and has held onto the position ever since.

When Allen took over the defensive commands in 2015, he was getting a defense that had surrendered the second-most yards in the league the season prior. The defense didn’t improve much the next two years but by 2017, the Saints were an average defense and the next year were one of the better units in the league.

Allen turned what was a really bad defense into one of the most feared defenses in the league and that was proven this past year. The offense was hot garbage, forcing the defense to win games for the team and they did just that.

Allen also filled in as the interim head coach when Payton could not coach due to testing positive for COVID-19. His defense shut out the red-hot Buccaneers’ offense and swept the Bucs for the second straight season. Hell of an effort for a guy who was filling in as the head coach against one of the best teams in the league.

Cons for Dennis Allen as next Saints head coach

While most fans appear to be fine with Allen taking over for Payton, there are some fans who point to Allen’s tenure with the then-Oakland Raiders when he served as their head coach from 2012-2014. He won just eight games during that time and when he was fired in 2014, the Raiders were 0-4.

There’s a saying that some people are terrific coordinators but not good head coaches. Allen was a head coach nearly a decade ago and he’s likely learned a lot from that failed head coaching stint in Oakland and serving under Payton. He deserves another chance but I’d be lying if I said his Raiders tenure didn’t worry me a little bit.

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How would you feel if Dennis Allen ended up as the next Saints head coach?