Saints fire coach Dennis Allen after seventh straight loss. Darren Rizzi named interim coach
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Saints fired coach Dennis Allen on Monday, a day after a loss at last-place Carolina extended the Saints’ losing streak to seven games — their longest since 1999.
“DA is an excellent football coach,” Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said. “This season, we’ve had an avalanche of injuries. It took its toll. DA has never offered excuses. He fought each day for this organization and this team and that is what makes today disappointing.”
The Saints named special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi the club’s interim coach for the final eight games of what is trending toward a fourth straight season without a playoff berth for New Orleans (2-7).
This is not a day for celebration,” Rizzi said. “This is a tough day. At the same time, there’s only one way to fight through this.”
The 54-year-old Rizzi said he embraced the challenge he’s inherited because “I embrace everything.”
“I only know how to do things one way. I grew up a little bit of a fighter. I’ve really never really been handed anything,” Rizzi said, noting that he was a walk-on tight end in college at Rhode Island, an undrafted free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1992 and got his first head coaching job with Division II New Haven in 1999
Literally, we’re going to reevaluate everything,” said Rizzi, who considers himself a disciple of two-time Super Bowl winning coach Bill Parcells, who was a Miami Dolphins executive when he gave Rizzi his first NFL job.
