Dennis Allen hadn't even realized the news of his hire as the Saints head coach was public by the time he looked at his phone to find 93 text messages awaiting his response.
Among them were many of the players he now leads, but he's still got plenty of outreach ahead of him to the roster he's taking over.
“The players are the main reason why I’m sitting here today," Allen said on SportsTalk with Bobby Hebert, Kristian Garic and Mike Detillier. "And yea, my intention is to reach out to those guys and let them know how much I appreciate what they’ve done.”
Listen to Dennis Allen's full interview in the player below. Can't see the embed? Click here.
Those conversations will likely include Michael Thomas, who didn't see the field in the 2021 season due to an ankle injury suffered in Week 1 of the 2020 season, which has since required multiple surgeries. The star WR's return will be a major plot point to start Allen's tenure, and while the new head coach wouldn't indicate where he stands in his rehab process, he did make it clear that Thomas was committed to a Saints return.
“I don’t want to get into 'ahead of schedule, behind schedule, on schedule' — whatever. I know he’s working extremely hard to get himself back and ready to go," Allen said. "He’s really committed to the season and looking forward to getting started.”
While words won't heal ankles, a healthy and active Thomas in training camp would mark a sharp turnaround from a 2021 offseason marred by questions about the WR's surgery timeline and a clear rift forming with the team. Those fences appeared to be mended after a despite Thomas beginning the season on the PUP list amid chatter that he might be on the trade block.
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Even with those Thomas questions, a mystery at quarterback, a star running back who was arrested over the weekend and a salary cap overage to address, the new Saints coach sees this opportunity as a prime one for any new leader to walk into. The Saints have paced the NFL in regular season wins the past several years, behind only the Chiefs -- who have made deep playoff runs each of the past 4 seasons.
“This is a great situation to walk into, because this is a team that’s not broken. This is a team that’s had success. … It’s a great situation to walk into," Allen said. "And so there’s a foundation here that’s been built, there’s a culture of winning that’s here, and our job is try to continue to build on that. That’s why just my knowledge of the people in the building, the team, the organization, the city. It just, to me, is a perfect fit in my mind.”