Report: New Orleans Saints parting ways with assistant coaches
By CM Towle
The New Orleans Saints started firing assistant coaches on Friday, but one name is so far exempt from the list.
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The carousal of NFL coaches leaving or losing their jobs hasn’t finished yet. On Friday, the Saints reportedly let go of three assistant coaches. Wide receivers coach Henry Ellard, tight ends coach Terry Malone and assistant defensive backs coach Andre Curtis, according to a report by Pro Football Talk. No, defensive coordinator Rob Ryan wasn’t on this list…yet.
It’s still not a guarantee that Saints head coach Sean Payton is giving Ryan another year. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that there will be others likely to be let go.
The #Saints are parting ways with WR coach Henry Ellard and TE Terry Malone, source says. Offseason changes begin now, there will be others
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 2, 2015
The coaching flux continues for a number of teams nearly a week after Black Monday. Not even long-tenured coaches are safe. Malone was one of Payton’s original assistants and started with the team in 2006. Ellard started with the team in 2012, but played in the league for 16 years and was chosen for the Pro Bowl three times. The Saints offense actually finished as the top-ranked offense in the league, yet two offensive coaches were axed. The defense, on the other hand, remains a bigger problem. The Saints defense finished ranked 31st in the league, and so far Rob Ryan still has his job.
In another related move, it seems secondary coach Wesley McGriff is leaving to join Vanderbilt as a defensive coordinator, but the Saints haven’t confirmed this.
McGriff only joined the Saints recently, in 2013, but has been with Vanderbilt previously as a defensive backs coach and recruiter. The Saints were a top-five defense last season and their secondary was very effective, ranking second against the pass and only allowing 194.1 yards per game. The Saints were 25th against the pass this season, a sharp regression from recent years. They rotated three cornerbacks opposite Keenan Lewis, never really finding a solid starter there. As a result, they were one of the worst defenses in the league.
The Saints also suffered injuries in the secondary, loosing safeties Jairus Byrd and Rafael Bush to injured reserve and having to pick up a rookie off the Vikings practice squad in Pierre Warren to finish out the year.
The Saints’ defensive woes this year were probably equal parts injuries to key players, not having enough top talent at the cornerback position especially and then possibly coaching. If the firing pattern is any indication, it doesn’t look like the Saints are ready to blame the coaching just yet.
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