Canal Street Chronicles
Another week goes by, and we’re left asking the same question: has New Orleans found its head coach of the future?
The New Orleans Saints have now won consecutive games for the first time since Week 2 after defeating the Cleveland Browns 35-14 on Sunday in the Superdome.
Shorthanded? No problem. The offense appears to have finally found its rhythm again, and the defense is stepping up when it matters most. But has the team regained its mojo too late?
Let’s discuss two potential overreactions following the Saints’ Week 11 triumph over the Browns:
Interim head coach Darren Rizzi has undoubtedly provided the team with a desperately needed spark through his passionate energy, reigniting hope within the locker room and fan base during a season that seemed headed for disaster. He’s now just the second head coach in franchise history to begin his tenure 2-0, joining Sean Payton, who did the same in 2006.
Given that Rizzi’s been the special teams coordinator for the Saints since 2019, he’s developed a relationship with every single player on the roster, which has been crucial in getting them to buy into what he’s selling as a coach. Based on what we’ve seen over the past two weeks, the players are fully bought in and ready to fight for their head coach throughout the remaining six games.
Earlier in the week, Derek Carr shared his thoughts on Rizzi’s coaching style. He mentioned that Rizzi is great at understanding and connecting with players from different generations, while emphasizing that the team wants to keep winning to give him the best chance at securing the full-time job in the future.
Whether it’s his sideline celebrations with players, intense exchanges with the officials, or his in-depth post-game speeches, Rizzi is knocking this audition out of the park through two weeks. It feels like Rizzi has full control of this football team and is involved in every decision being made, rather than just running the defense and leaving the rest to the staff, which seems more and more likely to have been the case under Dennis Allen.
Do you think Darren Rizzi has done enough to warrant a shot at the permanent head coach position? If not, how many games does he need to win in order to justify consideration for the role?
New Orleans has now won two straight games since firing Dennis Allen, but is it too late for them to be building this momentum?
With the Atlanta Falcons getting demolished by the Denver Broncos and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on their bye week, the Saints are now only two games behind first place in the NFC South, just weeks after being four games back from title contention in the division.
The Saints’ long-awaited Week 12 bye comes at the perfect time. The refreshing perspective and adrenaline New Orleans has been running on could turn a nightmare season...
