{'byline': 'by Jeff Nowak', 'hosts': '', 'byline_sources': 'WWL Radio Sports', 'audience_id': '', 'original_station': [{'station': 'wwl', 'path': 'wwl/local-sports/saints/dennis-allen-confident-in-himself-and-saints-team-chemistry'}], 'syndicated_items': '', 'original_item': {'_index': 'published-content_v44', '_type': '_doc', '_score': None, '_source': {'date': '2024-09-03T17:36:48.490Z', 'lead': [{'data': {'_version': 2, 'autoPlay': False, 'contentId': 'PLZL325trddHa0E0Q7X-DAQRG3mL2EYgjY', 'videoType': 'Editorial', 'isPlaylist': True, 'origSource': 'https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZL325trddHa0E0Q7X-DAQRG3mL2EYgjY', 'videoValid': True, 'videoSource': 'playlist', 'playerCaption': None, 'videoLocation': 'article', 'videoPlaylist': '', 'playerHeadline': None, 'playerBorderTop': False, 'autoPlayNextVideo': True, 'componentVariation': 'youtube', 'playerBorderBottom': False, 'playerBorderTopCTA': 'Watch', 'previousTypeRelated': False}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/youtube/instances/cm0moavah000h3b7kccr3ehvn@published'}], 'slug': 'dennis-allen-confident-in-himself-and-saints-team-chemistry', 'tags': ['Football', 'NFL', 'New Orleans Saints'], 'feeds': {'msn': True, 'rss': True, 'postup': True, 'facebook': True, 'newsfeed': True, 'sitemaps': True, 'frequency': True, 'smartNews': True, 'apple-news': False, 'smart-news': True, 'most-popular': True, 'reversechron': True, 'google-news-feed': True}, 'hosts': [], 'adTags': {'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/ad-tags/instances/cm0mnueip001v01t60h6vlsnm@published'}, 'byline': [{'names': [{'name': 'Jeff Nowak', 'text': 'Jeff Nowak', 'slug': 'jeff-nowak'}], 'sources': [{'text': 'WWL Radio Sports'}], 'hosts': [], 'prefix': 'by'}], 'teaser': 'Dennis Allen confident in himself and Saints team chemistry. 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Dennis Allen confident in himself, and in Saints team chemistry. Here's why.

By Jeff NowakSep 03, 2024

Jeff Nowak

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It's been evident throughout camp: The vibes inside the New Orleans Saints building and within the locker room are a lot different than those outside the building.

No team should ever go into a season believing it can't achieve its goals, so there's always going to be a certain level of speaking things into existence going on. Even by those standards the difference is jarring, though, with media pundits and analysts roundly dismissing the Saints' chances to do anything significant in 2024 while team leaders maintain their goal is to be participating when the Super Bowl arrives in New Orleans later this year.

Irrational confidence is still confidence, that is, as long as you don't believe it's irrational. And, whether true or not, that's the chord the team has struck, and why Dennis Allen is heading into a season that could have everything on the line saying he's as confident as ever -- possibly even moreso.

"I think everybody grows as you gain experience, and so I think I’m in a better place than I was even at this time last year," Allen said this week. "I think I continue to grow more and more confident because I see the players believing in the message. I see the players coming together the way that I want them to come together."

That coming together, something more commonly referred to as team chemistry, shouldn't be overlooked. Drew Brees used to bring an Edward Kipling quote into his pregame hype speeches to explain exactly that: "The strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack." No, the Saints aren't the flashiest team, but teams that find ways to punch above their weight often do so for reasons beyond talent.

The Saints head coach sees that chemistry as far beyond what the group had this time last year. It was a season that found its way to 9-8, but with a group that never seemed to find a clear direction with veteran QB Derek Carr and entrenched OC Pete Carmichael. That offensive direction had a clear change this offseason, and so has the idea of how that chemistry should be established. There was the month spent in Irvine, California for camp that left players with nothing to do but come together as a team. That's a major element in why you make that type of trip in the first place. Multiple times this offseason the offense, or at least a majority of the players, have met at the Carr house for group dinners. The team has also done full-team outings, including a Go-Karting event at NOLA Motorsports. It's all part of the process, and one that players involved say is working.

“We’ve taken a lot of pride in that," said WR Rashid Shaheed. "We feel like that was something that we needed to do better. ... It’s always good to get around guys, especially for the new guys to get around and see all of us and get to know each other better.”

It wasn't difficult to identify some clear signs of chemistry being tested. There were on-field blowups between Carr and his receivers, OC and starting center that drew significant attention. There was social media criticism levied at Carr and the organization as Micheal Thomas went out the door. There was also a 4-1 finish with stellar QB play that seemed to belie everything those signs seemed to indicate. The Saints still made a change in OC with Klint Kubiak and hired a host of new offensive assistants, but the hope remains that the end of the 2023 season was a good omen rather than a too little, too late mirage.

"From a personnel standpoint, from a staff standpoint, there’s been a lot of changeover, so I feel good about where I’m at. I feel good about where our staff’s at. I feel good about where our team’s at," Allen said.

Which version of the Saints will be see in 2024? That question will begin to be answered on Sunday in what feels like a pivotal early-season matchup against the Panthers. If that investment in team chemistry pays off, the Saints could surprise a lot of people.

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