Everyone’s eyes are on Dennis Allen this season. It’s widely believed that this will be is his last chance in New Orleans, and if they don’t make the playoffs this time around there could be some major changes in the organization. For this reason, Paul Bermeister of The 33rd Team named Allen in his top 10 most interesting coaching storylines of the season. This was part of his reasoning:
The NFC South is ripe to be won by a defense taking the lead. Which team is most likely to do that? The New Orleans Saints and Dennis Allen. He’s not the defensive coordinator anymore, but he made his name on defense at the end of Payton’s career as Saints coach. And there is a lot to like with what Allen has coming back.
A lot of analysis has focused on how weak the Saints’ schedule is, but you still need a good team to win games against vulnerable opponents. It’s the NFL and nothing is gifted to you. Burmeister points to the fact that much of the defense is returning, while replacing the pieces that didn’t work with younger and more exciting faces. This is exactly the kind of defense that can take over a division flush with either questionable or young (or both) quarterbacks.
Allen’s propensity for the defensive side of the ball could be what saves him this season, but he will still need help and growth from his offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael. Either way, I would absolutely agree that this is one of the more interesting teams to watch this season.
