Saints GM has bold defense for keeping Dennis Allen

Dec 19, 2021; Tampa, Florida, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen serves as head coach as Sean Payton has Covid-19 during the second half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The New Orleans Saints are giving coach Dennis Allen another season, much to the consternation of some critics. General manager Mickey Loomis, however, has no doubts about his head coach’s ability.

Loomis defended the decision to keep Allen on Wednesday with some bold comparisons. The GM pointed out that Hall of Fame coaches Chuck Noll, Bill Belichick, and Tom Landry had all struggled to start their coaching career, and even came armed with their records in order to prove his point.

#Saints GM Mickey Loomis on keeping HC Dennis Allen: "Chuck Noll his first three years: 1-13, 5-9, 6-8. They recognized he's a good football coach. Bill Belichick, his first three years: 6-10, 7-9, 7-9. Tom Landry: 0-11, 4-9, 5-8, 4-10, 5-8. All of them Hall of Fame coaches. The… pic.twitter.com/n8O7M6Zg9e

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 17, 2024

“Chuck Noll his first three years: 1-13, 5-9, 6-8. They recognized he’s a good football coach. Bill Belichick, his first three years: 6-10, 7-9, 7-9. Tom Landry: 0-11, 4-9, 5-8, 4-10, 5-8. All of them Hall of Fame coaches. The easy thing is to blame them. You gotta look beyond that,” Loomis said.

Loomis is not necessarily comparing Allen to these coaches, but he is certainly adding some extra pressure, whether he intended to or not. Odds are that Allen is not the next Belichick, but Loomis is clearly convinced that he can be a very good coach, though a number of fans clearly feel otherwise.

For what it’s worth, Allen went 7-10 in his first season with the Saints and 9-8 this season. Record-wise, he’s off to a better start than any of Loomis’ Hall of Fame test cases.