The tone of Dennis Allen's final press conference of the 2023 season echoed the one from a year earlier, even with some improvements, a winning record and a chance at the postseason in Week 18.
The Saints head coach made it clear that his coaching job hasn't been good enough, because that's what the results say after a third consecutive season without postseason football.
"It hasn’t been good enough. ... Obviously as the head coach the last 2 years, 7-10, 9-8, it’s not what we aspire to be here, and so I have to do a better job," Allen said, "and I accept that responsibility.”
Still, when asked if he expected to be back as head coach in 2024, the answer was simple.
“That is my expectation, yes,” Allen said when asked directly.
He couldn't say definitively because he had yet to sit down with Mickey Loomis for his own evaluation. That process will happen throughout the week, as will many of those conversations. The Saints pride themselves on being methodical, thoughtful, patient and consistent in these types of decisions. That said, Allen made it clear that the team would look at everything and he did anticipate some changes, though he wouldn't specific on what those might be.
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"We have to look at what we need to change. ... There’s things that will have to be different, and so I think that’s part of what we have to do this offseason as an organization, players, coaches, front office, everybody," he said. "I think we’ve just got to look at what are we going to do differently, because we’re all part of the problem and now how are we going to figure out how we can be part of the solution, and that’s really what this offseason is going to be about.”
One area that he knows things have to change isn't necessarily with staffing, but the mindset and approach the team comes in with. Some of that changed throughout the season with a strong finish and wins in 4 of the final 5 games, but it's only part of the process. Those cultural changes or tweaks will be a key to this offseason.
“Our mindset needs to be different," he said. "Look, I’ve been here for a lot of it and we’ve had a lot of success around here, and I think sometimes you can kind of get a little comfortable with that, and so I just think we need to reevaluate what we need to do to win games at the level that we need to win games at.”