“After Dennis Allen’s Firing, Saints GM Mickey Loomis Discusses Coaching Change and Team’s Focus”
New Orleans Saints Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis stated Tuesday evening that the search for the next head coach will not begin immediately. With eight games left in the 2024 season, the team is focused on those games before addressing the coaching change.
The Saints are currently 2-7 and on a seven-game losing streak, their longest since 1999, heading into Sunday’s matchup against Atlanta (6-3) at the Caesars Superdome.
Loomis emphasized on The Saints Hour radio show, broadcast on WWL-870 AM, that the team’s focus remains on the current season. “There’s plenty of time for that after the season ends. Our attention must be on our team – the players, coaches, and staff,” Loomis said. He added that adversity reveals a lot about individuals, recalling the lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which influenced later decisions.
“It’s tough losing games, and I can’t stress enough how much harder it is for us than for the fans,” Loomis acknowledged. “But we can’t dwell on it; we need to get up, show resilience, and fight. That applies to everyone in the building, and we will see what we have in the coming weeks.”
Loomis also explained that the team’s current challenges contributed to the decision to part ways with Dennis Allen as head coach on Monday. Allen, who took over in 2022, had a record of 18-25, with the most recent loss being a 23-22 defeat to Carolina, which ended the Panthers’ five-game losing streak.
“Dennis Allen is an excellent coach, and anyone in the league would attest to that,” Loomis said. “However, the circumstances around this season led to the team’s struggles. Some of the criticism, like players parking in the wrong spots, is ridiculous. Players have been parking there for years. The team is growing with more employees, and this is not a matter of discipline. In fact, we ranked among the league’s lowest in penalties, which reflects discipline far more than parking spots do.”