The year was 2022 and the New Orleans Saints had a clear plan in mind: Sean Payton was stepping down, but the bones were still there.
A head coaching change would've meant a fresh start, but that's not the route the team took. It kept on Dennis Allen as head coach, then ultimately stuck with Pete Carmichael as offensive coordinator. The buzzwords continuity and culture were thrown around constantly.
We dive in on this subject in the latest episode of Inside Black & Gold. Listen to the full episode in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
The result in Year 1 was 7-10. The defensive staff was rebuilt, but otherwise things stood mostly static on the offensive end. In Year 2 it was 9-8 with a new quarterback, and myriad issues cropping up throughout the season. Now we're onto the offensive rebuild, with seven coaches being shown the door or leaving for better opportunities.
Here's the list of departures the last two seasons:
2022
- Ryan Nielsen, co-DC/DL coach
- Kris Richard, co-DC/secondary coach
- Cory Robinson, asst. secondary coach
- Sterling Moore, defensive assistant
- Dan Roushar, TE coach
- Zack Strief, asst. OL coach
- Declan Doyle, offensive assistant
2023
- Pete Carmichael, OC
- Ronald Curry, QB coach/pass game coordinator
- Joel Thomas, RBs coach
- Doug Marrone, OL coach
- Kevin Carberry, asst. OL coach
- Kodi Burns, offensive assistant
- Bob Bicknell, offensive assistant
That's 14 assistants, 10 of whom dated back to the Payton years. But it's not just the coaching staff, many players that go back to the Payton years have also disappeared. Tre'Quan Smith, Deonte Harty, Lil'Jordan Humphrey, C.J. Gardner-Johnson have all left for new locations. It sure sounds like Mike Thomas' time in New Orleans has come to an end, and there are rumblings about a potential Marshon Lattimore trade. Jameis Winston stuck around, but his starting job was taken away after just three games in 2022. He was never in competition to start at QB this past season, and that run also looks like it'll end this offseason.
Turning over a roster and staff for a new coach is certainly not unusual, but it belies the strategy that got the Saints here in the first place. At some point the mission goals shifted from continuity to ... get DA's guys in the building. Again, that's fine, but if this was always going to be the plan, why wasn't it the plan in the first place?
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Interestingly, the Saints aren't the only team to try to maintain in a similar scenario. When a Super Bowl-winning head coach in Bruce Arians was taken out of that role after 2021, the Bucs turned to Todd Bowles to step up from the DC role. The two main differences are that they had Tom Brady for one of those seasons, and pulled the trigger after Year 1 to move on from Byron Leftwich. The results have only been one more win (17-17), compared the Dennis Allen's run with the Saints (16-18), but it's also come with a pair of NFC South titles, two home playoff games and one playoff win.
Are the Bucs in a better situation? It's debatable, but they've got the banners to show for it. They don't list the records on there. In a decade, no one will remember anything other than "NFC South Champs." The Patriots are also going with the succession plan strategy in elevating Jerod Mayo to take over for Bill Belichick, though it's coming after a pair of dreadful seasons.
Whenever the strategy did officially turn in New Orleans, it's clear it happened, and the Saints will be now looking to emulate the Bucs in 2023. Tampa went with Dave Canales, a young OC on the rise, to turn around their offense in a year with low expectations. He did just that, and he's now the head coach of the Carolina Panthers.
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The Saints are hoping Klint Kubiak can bring a similar jolt to the Saints' offense in a year where it feels like a lot is on the line. The Saints don't have an up-and-coming QB to build around, nor do they seem to have the assets to go get one. They have several impressive, young pieces to build around, but also rely on aging veterans in several key positions. It's also a team led by an oft criticized, defensive-minded head coach who feels like one sub-.500 season away from being involved in his own set of coaching interviews. It's not unfair to say that New Orleans was not at the top of the list of attractive landing spots. Perhaps that's why the Saints are so willing to take the abrupt turn from continuity.
If that process leads to the right results, at minimum an extended run at a division title in a still eminently winnable NFC South -- great. If it leads to more than that, the Saints will be proven right. But if it falls apart? That will have meant the Saints' initial strategy was a flawed one, and instead of cutting losses, they doubled down. If it goes down, it'll go down hard.
As they say, that's why you play the games. But there's no questioning one thing: The pressure on the 2024 season will be as high as ever.
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