With all indications pointing that direction, it only took one word for Mickey Loomis to confirm: "Yes," Dennis Allen will return for Year 2 as Saints head coach.
Beyond that, there was little of an evaluation offered this week from the Saints GM or the head coach himself as the team continues to evaluate the 2022 season at a methodical place. There have been no staffing changes made, and there won't be until evaluations are had and a consensus is reached between all who are involved in those discussions.
"Obviously we're disappointed in the end result, 7-10 wasn't what our expectations were coming into the season and we didn't make the playoffs and obviously we're not happy about that," Loomis said. "And yet I also thought that, man, there were a lot of really positive things that happened throughout the course of the season that give me optimism going forward."
It was a sentiment that echoed that of the head coach earlier in the week, indicating that he expected to return for another year. It's a decision that might rankle some of the harsher critics, who didn't see the reasons for optimism noted by the GM throughout a frustrating season that was, again, beset with injuries. The team began the year 2-5, faced frequent questions at quarterback with the decision to start Andy Dalton over Jameis Winston, blew a chance to take control of a weak NFC South with a collapse to the Bucs in Week 13, and didn't win back-to-back games until a three-game winning streak beginning in Week 15. Allen's career record as a head coach is now 15-38, with 7 wins setting a new high-water mark for any of his four seasons leading a team.
But, as Loomis points out, this is a team that values continuity. It was a major factor in why the Saints opted to elevate Allen from defensive coordinator to head coach in the first place. Valuing that continuity won't be changing, even if some believe that a full tear-down might be the best option. Loomis couldn't put his finger on exactly where a team would have to be before it should hit the self-destruct button in that regard, but he knows his team isn't there right now.
"I don't think we're there by any stretch of the imagination," Loomis said. "We have a really good defense with a lot of young, core players on defense. We have some really good offensive players and, yea, we've got holes, we do. But I don't think we're anywhere near close to that in my mind."
The next steps for the Saints will be continuing their evaluation process and identifying necessary changes. Those could still happen, as could a potential blockbuster trade of former head coach Sean Payton. But there's at least one key position that's not changing.
It's a stay-the-course mentality that this team has encountered before. In 2015 the team was mired in the second of three consecutive 7-9 seasons. The fix wasn't a new head coach, but a shift away from Rob Ryan at defensive coordinator to the Dennis Allen regime. After another year of 7-9, the Saints went on a four-year run of 49-15 with stellar defense. This time around the offense and quarterback represent the biggest question marks.
"We've been looking for a stable stability and ... it starts with ownership and GM and head coach and having a core group of players that you nurture and develop," Loomis said. "And so that's the attitude that we have and that's the process and that's the things that we believe in, so I'm expecting to continue that."
