NEW ORLEANS (AP)— Dennis Allen, the Saints’ coach, intends to keep his job after the team improved by two wins, finished with a winning record, and missed the playoffs by the narrowest of margins.
He is not seeking for pats on the back, though, after his second season as Sean Payton’s successor ended with New Orleans missing the playoffs for the third consecutive year.
“I was proud of the way our lads kept fighting. I was proud of how we closed the season,” Allen said Monday, but added, “When you look at where we’ve been in the last three years — 9-8, 7-10, and 9-8 — it’s not good enough.
“Everyone in the building shares responsibility for that,” Allen added. “So, we have to look at what do we need to change.”
The Saints were a paragon of inconsistency.
After opening 2-0, they faltered, losing seven of ten games, including a stretch in which quarterback Derek Carr, the team’s marquee offseason acquisition, was beaten up and booed. But the Saints recovered to win four of their next five games, culminating in a 48.
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.
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.
“It comes down to about one play” in many of the losses, veteran defensive end Cameron Jordan admitted. “We have to find a way to overcome that one play.”
Jordan stated such losses are more due to players’ performance in important situations than coaching, adding that the players “have to be the reason we’re winning.”
Tight end Foster Moreau stated that the Saints were “plenty talented, plenty disciplined,” and “well-coached,” but lacked a “winning culture,” which they must cultivate this offseason.
“We should win a lot more games,” Moreau said. “But a play here, a play there, a lack of judgment or a missed opportunity, those things prevail and you’re 9-8, which is smack-dab average.”
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