3. Derek Carr and Jamaal Williams both were flop free agent signings for the New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints aimed to bolster the offense and secure a true franchise QB last offseason. To achieve this, the Saints signed Jamaal Williams as another piece to the offense and awarded Derek Carr a massive extension. Both moves were considered the final pieces for the Saints, but the signings have proven to be disappointments. While Derek Carr wasn’t the worst, he has clearly regressed and battled injuries this year. On the other hand, Jamaal Williams, who led the league in touchdowns with 17 in a previous season, only managed to score 1 on the team. He appears to be a poor fit for this offense, and the Saints poorly utilized Kamara with Williams on the team. Both players turned out to be flops for the Saints this season, highlighting the team’s need to focus more on improving the defense.
2. Why is Dennis Allen Still Employed?
Now, here is the biggest reason why the Saints were not in the playoffs this season: their coaching has been horrendous. So many games were just ruined thanks to terrible coaching decisions made by Allen this season. A significant incident that exposed Allen was the debacle that happened in Week 18. The Saints completely destroyed the Atlanta Falcons in this game, and on the final play, something unexpected occurred.
While in victory formation, Jameis Winston changed the play at the last second and gave Jamaal Williams his first touchdown of the year. It broke an unwritten rule and made Arthur Smith very upset. He walked up to Dennis Allen, leading to a nasty exchange. It probably escalated more publicly because Arthur Smith knew he was getting fired and wanted to go out his way, but this incident created a big scene. Dennis Allen apologized to him and the Falcons in his opening statement during his post-game press conference.
Here is my biggest takeaway: the fact that a backup QB went against the coach’s direct play and then stood by it against the media tells me all I need to know about this coach who has clearly lost the locker room. The team clearly doesn’t respect their coach, and in the NFL, you can’t build a culture this way. Dennis Allen should have been fired immediately, yet the organization is keeping him around for some reason
1. Why is Peter Carmichael Still employed?
Now, while head coaching may be bad, the offensive coordinator is worse. It astounds me how Pete Carmichael still has a job with the team after how mismanaged this offense has been. Poor play calling, poor schematics, and a poor level of talent management. I get that Carmichael has been in this organization since 2006 and was even the offensive coordinator when New Orleans defeated Indianapolis in Super Bowl XLIV. However, the game has clearly passed him by, and it is time for a new voice in that offensive coordinator role.
UPDATE: Carmichael has been fired
The #Saints have fired OC Pete Carmichael, per @nick_underhill. pic.twitter.com/Ts8PbqTFrd
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 16, 2024
So they fired Peter Carmichael while this article was uploading. Well its about time as he should have been fired awhile ago with how awful the offense was all season.
Where do the New Orleans Saints go from here?
If it were up to me, I would have fired Dennis Allen today. However, it seems the Saints are not taking that step for some reason. They did make changes by firing Carmichael and other offensive assistants. Nevertheless, Allen needs to take command of this team and earn the respect of the locker room. Especially after what transpired in Week 18, it was pretty telling. Hopefully, with the coaching changes, the team can improve. According to DVOA, they were mediocre on offense, defense, and special teams. Improvement is crucial, especially with jobs on the line next season. However, being $85 million under the cap presents a significant challenge for the team.
