METAIRIE, La. — Dennis Allen says he understands the culture in the building, the expectations of the fans and what it will be like following a legend in Sean Payton as he takes over the reins of the New Orleans Saints, the second-winningest team in the NFL over the past five seasons.
Allen, who has helped lead a defensive resurgence with the team the past few years, will be taking over a team in a division full of change. The Saints will be moving ahead without Sean Payton and the reigning division champs will be missing Tom Brady. The Falcons and Panthers have both struggled in recent years.
Allen said that unlike the other job openings in the NFL this offseason, this one was a plum job to get.
“I think we have a lot of great pieces in place,” he said. “This was not a broken job. This is a desirable job. It has a culture of winning that has already been built. I want to try to build on that.”
Allen was cagey on any planned changes on his staff or what might happen at quarterback, saying that he’s been pretty busy the past two weeks, trying to get the job.
Allen said he feels he was the best guy for the job. He said he has done a lot of learning since he went 8-28 in a little over two years with the Raiders. He said he was only 39 at the time and had only been a coordinator for one year. He said he has done a lot more “managing of men” since that time.
He said there is a lot of the winning culture that he plans to keep and he pledged that the team would work very hard.
“Our team is going to be tough. Our team is going to be smart and our team is going to be highly competitive. We are going to play with a passion and an energy that our opponents are unwilling or unable to match.”