The New Orleans Saints have certainly had an up and down year based on the results of the 2023 season. Currently sitting in second place within the NFC South division at 8-8, it’s been a year with a mixture of disappointing losses and some flashes of quality wins.
The Saints have had issues blowing leads in some games, only to see their opponents storm back and snatch victory away from New Orleans, particularly in Green Bay where they had a 17-0 lead heading into the 4th quarter but ending up losing 18-17 back in week 3.
As much as Derek Carr has been under criticism by some in his first year under center in the Bayou, his numbers are respectable, particularly coming into a new system with a new team. Carr has passed for 3,614 yards, 21 TD and only 8 picks. He has a completion percentage of 67.9%. Despite dealing with back and shoulder injuries, Carr is a true gamer and has some leadership qualities that have impressed me. The key with keeping this Carr running smooth is keeping him healthy and on the field.
New Orleans has a strong fan base and with a mediocre record of just 8-8, that’s not good enough for Saints fans despite them still being in the mix to potentially win the division heading into the final week of the season.
Let’s pivot to the coaching of Dennis Allen and what that has looked like during his tenure with New Orleans as their head coach. In terms of coaching the Saints, Allen is only 15-18 all time, which is a winning percentage of 45%. That isn’t going to cut it, especially in an ever-changing NFL environment with a hungry fan base looking for some down-home cooking with a recipe that brings lots of flavor and wins. Everyone knows that Allen is more of a defensive minded coach based on his background, (six years as defensive coordinator prior to becoming head coach) which certainly explains some of the offensive woes the Saints have shown this season.
There are some clear signs that the Saints need an offensive makeover, particularly going into next season. Current offensive coordinator Pete
Carmichael has been holding the title down since 2009, but that fourteen-year window is somewhat misleading. Let’s keep in mind that when previous head coach Sean Payton was with the team, a lot of the play calling duties were indeed facilitated through Payton and not Carmichael. Pete did occasionally call some plays, but most of the success of the Saints offense was clearly predicated on Payton’s influence and guidance during his tenure.
The Saints haven’t made the NFL Playoffs since 2020, and if they want to come marching in with a postseason shuffle, they need to make some changes in the offensive coordinator and personnel department. Per sources around the league, it appears that both Carr and Dennis Allen will be back in the Bayou next season. Let’s see if this Cajun recipe can provide more tasty results with a few adjustments in New Orleans.