Darren Rizzi’s punter rant proves Saints were right to dump Dennis Allen

The New Orleans Saints entered Week 14 with a 4-8 record, and it’s the third game for Darren Rizzi as interim head coach. However, Rizzi and the team aren’t going through the motions; this is a motivated squad that’s still competing with everything they have left.

That was evident in the second quarter of Sunday’s game against the New York Giants when Rizzi absolutely lost it, unloading on Saints punter Matthew Hayball. New Orleans had given up a punt return that put the Giants up, but the score was called back because of a hold by a New York player. Still, that didn’t stop the interim head coach for passionately holding his punter accountable.

The broadcast captured Rizzi spiking his hat and his headset, and proceeding to rip into Hayball. Team captain Alvin Kamara even had to come over to pick up Rizzi’s belongings and calm the head coach down. While definitely a dramatic scene, fans were excited to see this fire from the man in charge, which also served as a reminder that Dennis Allen is no longer the head coach.

Darren Rizzi unloads on Matthew Hayball

The broadcast replayed the return to show why Rizzi was angry, and the crew pointed out how Hayball ran into the mix, picking off a Saints player, and creating a return lane for New York. Instead, the punter should’ve stayed back as the last line of defense, and pursed a tackle from the correct angle.

Fortunately for the Saints, a holding call kept the points off the board, but Rizzi made sure it was a teaching moment. Moments like this are important for Rizzi and the team. While New Orleans is unlikely to make the playoffs, Rizzi is auditioning for a head coaching job.

Under Dennis Allen, there were questions about the culture of accountability in the organization, and Rizzi has made it clear that won’t be the case on his watch. Whether or not he ultimately gets the job is a different story, but he’s making it clear what he’s about.

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