5 more NFL head coaches on the chopping block after Brandon Staley fired
By John Buhler
2. Dennis Allen and Derek Carr are dragging the Saints to the Gulf's floor
If you thought things were bad in Atlanta, feast your eyes on what is going on down in The Big Easy. The New Orleans Saints should be winning the putrid NFC South going away, but they are not. While there was some belief Atlanta might be decent, New Orleans had the infrastructure to just win the division anyway in a year where Carolina was rebuilding and Tampa Bay was expected to pull back.
Where things stand now, Derek Carr is falling out of favor with Who Dat Nation with every breath he takes and every move he makes. I'm watching you too, Dennis Allen. Carr's former Oakland Raiders head coach has not exactly run his race well since taking the baton from Sean Payton two offseasons ago. The team lacks an identity because there seems to be a great reluctance to hit the reset button.
Carr looks like a shell of himself and Allen is looking less and less like an NFL head coach with every game he is on the Saints' sidelines. If New Orleans misses the NFC Playoffs, it would not shock me if Allen is let go after two seasons on the job. He would find work immediately as an outstanding defensive coordinator, but that might be what he is in the NFL, an outstanding defensive coordinator.
Factor in Ryan Nielsen's success in his first year as the Falcons' defensive coordinator and you have to wonder.