Report: Following a 14–18 start with the Saints, Dennis Allen “is in a good situation”
Dennis Allen’s tenure as head coach of the New Orleans Saints defies logic, but team president Dennis Lauscha and general manager Mickey Loomis seem to be making it work nevertheless. After spending $150 million on quarterback Derek Carr to further owner Gayle Benson’s vision for the team, all they have to show is yet another losing record. Two games remain against NFC South rivals who handily defeated Allen’s squad earlier in the season.
However, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, change is not imminent. Rapoport’s sources haven’t identified many issues with Allen in his two years as head coach of the Saints, going 14–18.
Rapoport stated, “My sense is that Dennis Allen is in a good place.” “This is subject to change, life is subject to change, obviously if it goes horribly at the end of the year, but that is where it is right now.”
Following the Saints’ dreadful performance in a Thursday night loss to the Los Angeles Rams, comes this news. Despite having identical 7-7 records going into the game, the Rams were clearly the superior club. The Saints’ 30-22 loss wasn’t as close as the final score might suggest; they never led for a single minute on the scoreboard.
Why then do you continue to support Allen? When his masterfully designed defence is giving up a 95-yard touchdown drive, what does he bring to the table? Rapoport’s reasoning is blatantly flawed by the sunk cost fallacy.
“One of the reasons is that they’re not getting out of where they are any time soon,” Rapoport said. Derek Carr is certain for the upcoming season. Could they go on? If so, it would be expensive, and I doubt they want to. Your roster is still quite costly even though it is getting a little slower and older. It’s not as quick or jittery as you’d like off the edge.
With little to show for it, Loomis committed a significant amount of draft picks to Allen’s plan for the team. Trevor Penning, a left tackle, was traded for him last year, but Penning was duped and hasn’t played much since being benched early in the season. This year, Loomis moved up for both of the Saints’ fourth-round selections (quarterback Jake Haener and offensive tackle Nick Saldiveri), and those two players have combined for 18 snaps in 15 games.
The cupboard appears incredibly empty. The Saints are forced to stick with the group they have assembled for Allen and themselves because of a convoluted salary cap position and a lack of draft picks to invest in young talent. His quarterback hasn’t lived up to expectations, and the defence he’s been building for years is crumbling. Given that Allen and this group will be back in 2024, is there hope for the future?
“They’re going to have to rebuild if they’re going to accomplish it, and it just doesn’t seem like something you do with a brand-new coach,” Rapoport pondered. It appears ready for a relaunch in New Orleans, since you can’t really do it next year.
Although it’s not the most motivating message, the team has to work with what they have. They want to ride it out with Allen and Carr through 2024 and then consider major changes when it’s more economical, as opposed to hiring a new coach with new ideas who can try to rally the bunch they have. Though the fan base has had enough of Allen and Carr, that move won’t be well received, Loomis and Lauscha must believe it’s best for their club. Almost every choice they’ve made since employing Allen has been incorrect. Perhaps they should be rewarded for making a mistake.
