As Dennis Allen takes over as Saints head coach, he admits the 6-hour interview for the job was quite extensive, but that's only the tip of the iceberg.
He feels like he's been auditioning for the job every day for 12 of the last 16 years, with the exception of his short stint as Raiders head coach. And this week's ascension to the head coach job is simply the culmination of that.
But he made it clear: This was his dream job.
"If I could've laid at home at night and dreamt about where would be the one place I'd want to be the head coach," Allen said. "It'd be the head coach of the New Orleans Saints."
But while the head coach is new, the Saints' former defensive coordinator hinted that wholesale changes shouldn't be expected. Whether it's personnel philosophy, player scouting, practice routines, he knows the culture has been elite. He's aware he's fortunate because there's no need to establish a culture to start his tenure, but he does plan to build on it.
Allen's learned a few things since his 8-28 tenure in Oakland, and the main thing is "be me ... I don't how to be anything else."
That was the case when he humbly led New Orleans to a stunning, 9-0 shutout of the vaunted Bucs in spot head coaching duty last season with Payton out with COVID. And it'll be the case as he leads the team in 2020 and beyond.
"I want to build my own legacy here with the New Orleans Saints," he said. "I know this is a job that you have to do with your own personality, and that's how I plan on attacking it."
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There will be questions to answer so far as personnel is concerned, but Allen wouldn't dive into specifics on Day 1. He admitted the two weeks since Payton's retirement had been a whirlwind. It will only get more complicated in the coming days. The team must figure out it's starting quarterback for the 2022 season. Who will be the offensive coordinator? What's the status of Alvin Kamara after an arrest over the weekend?
"I think quarterback is the most important decision you'll make," Allen said, an accurate, if not frustratingly vague assessment.
He added that it was too early to make a statement on Kamara, with the arrest occurring over the weekend with the investigation ongoing.
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But however those decisions play out, Allen says he wants his team to "mirror" the city it plays in. He wants it to play with a "toughness that other teams are either unable or unwilling to match." And he wants to assemble a group the city can be proud of.
"It's been working. What's not broke, let's not try to fix it. ... There may be some things with how we go about doing things, but I don't think from a fundamental philosophy standpoint," he said. "I don't really see that changing."
Change or not. Now the work begins.