Saints coach Dennis Allen expects to be back, but says changes are coming
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Saints coach Dennis Allen expects to keep his job after New Orleans improved by two victories, finished with a winning record and missed the playoffs by the narrowest of margins.
He is not, however, looking for pats on the back after his second season as the successor to Sean Payton wound up being New Orleans’ third straight season missing the playoffs.
“I was proud of the way our guys continued to fight. I was proud of the way we finished the season,” Allen said Monday, but added, “When you look at where we’ve been the last three years — 9-8, 7-10 and 9-8 — it’s not good enough.
“Everyone in the building is part of the culpability of that,” Allen continued. “So, we have to look at what do we need to change.
The Saints were a model of inconsistency.
After starting 2-0, they sputtered, losing seven of 10 games — a stint during which quarterback Derek Carr, the team’s marquee offseason acquisition, got beat up and booed. But the Saints rebounded to win four of their final five games, capped by a 48-17 victory over rival Atlanta on Sunday.
The Saints finished with the same record as two playoff teams: Tampa Bay and Green Bay. By virtue of tiebreakers, the Buccaneers won the NFC South, and the Packers took the last NFC wild-card spot.
