Of the nine NFL teams that had head coaching vacancies, the New Orleans Saints are the only ones that decided to hire inward.
After Sean Payton decided to step away after 15 seasons, the Super Bowl XLIV champions hired former defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.
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However, general manager Mickey Loomis, president Dennis Laucha, and owner Gayle Benson discerned five finalists.
It is an excellent move for the Saints because Allen is already familiar with the organization, particularly the players.
But on a personal note, the 49-year-old mentor wants redemption from his dismal head coaching stint with the then-Oakland Raiders.
Disappointment In Oakland
Allen became the franchise’s 18th head coach when Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie hired him in January 2012.
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His hiring was unique because team owner Al Davis preferred offensive-minded head coaches for the longest time.
Before him, John Madden was the last Raider head coach who honed his craft by stopping the other team from scoring.
Unfortunately, his stint in the Bay Area was essentially a failure.
Dennis Allen was the Raiders HC for 36 games from 2012-2014. He finished there with an 8-28 record. The Saints just chose him to be the HC through a rebuilding process over Eric Bieniemy. What a freaking joke
He did not finish what should have been his third season and got fired after an 0-4 start.
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As head coach, the Raiders finished 8-24 in his first two seasons.
However, salary cap concerns limited Allen’s capability to bring in the right players for his system.
Despite that poor effort, the Saints have been his saving grace.
Success In The Big Easy
Winning the Super Bowl with the 2009 Saints is easily the pinnacle of Allen’s coaching career.
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He served as the secondary coach that season under defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, which is perfect because he played safety at Texas A&M.
His wisdom helped a solid bunch of defensive backs become invaluable pieces to the team.
Safeties Roman Harper and Darren Sharper became Pro Bowlers that season, while Tracy Porter made the pick-six that sealed New Orleans’ victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
I think Dennis Allen is ready for the moment. Turned the defense from a bottom-tier unit to a top-five unit. Had time to think about his Raiders stint.
Now it comes down to the QB and offensive staff. So hard to win in this league without the right QB.
Ben Verlander says whether or not it’s time to panic or to be patient for the Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays’ Alek Manoah.
KAMLOOPS, B.C. — J.R. Avon scored the game-winning goal 10:54 into overtime and the Peterborough Petes beat the Kamloops Blazers 5-4 on Thursday, earning a semifinal berth at the Memorial Cup.
Connor Lockhart, Brennan Othmann, Samuel Mayer and Brian Zanetti had the others for Ontario Hockey League champion Peterborough. Michael Simpson made 43 saves.
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Logan Stankoven, Olen Zellweger, Harrison Brunicke and Logan Bairos replied for host Kamloops. Dylan Ernst stopped 25 shots.
The Petes will next meet the Western Hockey League champion Seattle Thunderbirds in Friday’s semifinal for a chance to face the Quebec Remparts in the final on Sunday.
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League champion Remparts earned a berth into the final after opening the tournament with wins over Kamloops and Seattle.
Quebec later fell to Peterborough — which staved off elimination and forced Thursday’s tiebreaker with the victory — 4-2 on Tuesday in both teams’ final round-robin game.
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Lockhart opened the scoring 7:52 into the first period. Chase Lefebvre sent the puck across the end boards to Jax Dubois, who found Lockhart with a slick pass into the slot and he beat Ernst five-hole.
Stankoven evened it up 11:20 into the frame, sending the Sandman Centre crowd into a frenzy. Connor Levis took a point shot and the rebound came out to the Blazers captain, who scored his second of the tournament.
Zellweger put Kamloops ahead 12:45 into the frame on the power play. The CHL Defenceman of the Year nominee saved the puck from getting out of the Petes’ zone, moved into the slot and wired one past Simpson for his first.
With 2:27 remaining in the first, Brunicke piled it on for the Blazers. Peterborough’s Konnor Smith attempted to clear it from the end boards but the puck ended up with Brunicke at the point, where he got around a defender and beat Simpson just over his right shoulder with little room to spare.
Bairos gave Kamloops a 4-1 edge 4:23 into the middle frame. He fired a point shot that ricocheted off Simpson’s blocker, then over him and in.
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Just over three minutes later, the Petes began to swing the momentum back in their favour.
Othmann stripped Bairos of the puck as the Blazers defenceman tried to skate out of his own zone. Othmann then turned around and roofed it past Ernst as he fell to one knee.
Mayer made it a one-goal game on the power play with 2:23 left in the second. He took a pass from Lockhart and fired in a one-timer from the point.
Zanetti knotted the contest just over a minute later. He tipped in a pass from Tucker Robertson while streaking toward the net and beat Ernst five-hole.
Both sides struggled to capitalize on prime scoring opportunities leading to a scoreless third period and extra time to settle the winner.
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Following a dazzling effort by Zellweger that just missed, Owen Beck took the puck up ice for Peterborough and dropped it off for Avon, who put it past Ernst to seal the win.
WE MEET AGAIN
Kamloops defeated Peterborough 10-2 when the two last met on Sunday. But with 7:05 remaining in that game, Othmann laid a hit on Blazers defenceman Kyle Masters, who fell awkwardly into the boards.
Masters had to be stretchered off the ice and was taken to Royal Inland Hospital. Head coach and general manager Shaun Clouston said Monday that the blue liner was out for the tournament with a lower-body injury.