“Who? Accomplishments??” – NFL fans left confused with Saints hiring of new HC Dennis Allen

The New Orleans Saints were left high and dry after Sean Payton announced his resignation as the team’s head coach. After interviewing coaches such as Brian Flores and Doug Pederson, the Saints decided to hire from within and promote defensive coordinator Dennis Allen to take control.

Allen had very few inquiries from other teams and many fans think there were much better options on the table for New Orleans. Some aren’t even aware of who Dennis Allen is, despite being with the team for many years.

@JhitJuggs’ Tweet sums up how lost some NFL fans were:

Some fans are very aware of who Denis Allen is, but still aren’t thrilled with his promotion to the head coaching position. This marks Allen’s second stint as a head coach, as he led the Oakland Raiders from 2012 to 2014, although it was very unsuccessful.

One of the first responses to @JhitJuggs’ Tweet pointed out Allen’s career record as a head coach:

Another fan believes the Saints would have been better off pursuing one of the more prolific free-agent head coaches:

Some Saints fans are excited about Dennis Allen getting promoted to the top spot and a common trend started to form, with many using two games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from the last two seasons:

@RosvoglouReport points out how good the Saints are at putting pressure on Tom Brady:

@BrianBaldinger went on a deep dive and analyzed just how well New Orleans prepared for the Bucs:

@jameis1of1 is one of the many fans happy to see the successful defensive coordinator get the job:

When it comes to his coaching style from his time with the Raiders, there seem to be some flaws that some see as a red flag for New Orleans, including @MaggieandPerl:

Dennis Allen was an interim head coach for Saints

During the 2020 season, Sean Payton contracted COVID-19 and Dennis Allen stepped in as the temporary head coach. Against Tom Brady’s Bucs, Allen led the team to a 9-0 win, the first time Brady was shut out since 2006.

In 2021, the Saints played the Buccaneers with a similar result: a 9-3 victory. Any coach with that much success against the “GOAT” deserves a look as a head coach candidate. His time as interim coach may have played a large role in getting hired as the head coach.

Allen is the 11th head coach for New Orleans and initially came to the franchise with Sean Payton in 2006 as an assistant defensive line coach. He helped them win the Super Bowl in 2009.

Allen left the team in 2011 to be the defensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos and later the head coach for the Raiders. Sadly, he was fired four games into his third season and rejoined Payton in 2015.

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We’ve seen some great potential from Dennis Allen, especially with him staying in New Orleans. He knows the defense and the roster and knows what needs to be done to make it better. With the offense about to be revamped, the defense will need to be strengthened to pick up the slack.