Both moves were necessary, and the appointment of Rizzi is exactly what the Saints need as they embark on a wildly different season than anticipated.
Special teams coordinators are excellent interim head coach options. They have a relationship with every player on the roster and have invested a lot of time in the young population on the team. For a lot of new faces and young players, special teams is their path to the roster. Coordinators in that area play a large role in helping those players realize their dreams of suiting up on Sundays.
That isn’t lost on those players.
Rizzi spoke of that relationship Monday during his inaugural media availability as interim.
“I’ve always felt like special teams coaches are well-prepared to take over as head coaches,” he said. “I can honestly say I have a relationship with every single player on the team, quarterbacks included.”
Beyond that, special teams coordinators are adept at handling the situational aspects of the game. If a team has to turn to a new head coach in a pinch, turning to one that has experience managing the game when it matters most sure isn’t a bad situation to be in.
Players have rallied around the new head coach as well, another telltale sign of the right move. Tight end Foster Moreau called him “an unbelievable leader of men.” And veteran safety Tyrann Mathieu celebrated Rizzi’s style of accountability. “Guys need to be called out sometimes.”
Rizzi may have won fans over as well with multiple testaments of what they have craved for multiple seasons now. “I’m an accountability guy,” he said of his coaching philosophy. He also vowed that the team will “not be boring to watch.” Both aspects are elements that many have called for numerous times in being critical of the team’s play in recent years.
It’s unlikely that the Saints turn things around over the final eight games of the season and shockingly become a playoff hopeful, though players do and should believe it’s possible.
That shouldn’t necessarily be the goal moving forward. New Orleans should simply be looking to compete game-after-game, evaluate its roster and start to lay a strong foundation for the team’s future.
Rizzi was the right choice to lead that part of the process as 2024 winds down. And if things go well, he will certainly deserve to be interviewed again for the permanent position. But the Hillsdale, N.J., native won’t be worried about that just yet. He’s focused on the Atlanta Falcons and helping the team get back in the win column. In the process, he has a chance to open with bang up against the team’s most bitter rivals.
The coach endeared himself to fans late last season as Allen and then-Falcons head coach Arthur Smith were engaged in a heated back-and-forth after the Saints offense ran the ball in for a late (and controversial) rushing touchdown in a game that was already well-decided.
Rizzi looked to have some choice words for Smith in the midst of the exchange. Meanwhile, Allen was widely criticized for apologizing to the rival in his postgame availability. There may be no more stark contrast of the potential for a very different approach to the head coaching role than that.
It looks like one that will be welcomed by fans and players alike. Mathieu said that he and his teammates have “got to find a way to start having fun again.” And it sounds like Rizzi is ready to provide that much-needed opportunity.’
