New Orleans Saints players reportedly ignored coach and went rogue with garbage time score vs. Falcons
Given that head coach Dennis Allen of the New Orleans Saints did not signal the garbage time score that enraged head coach Arthur Smith of the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, it appears that Allen may have lost his locker room.
The Saints’ 2023–24 season was a huge letdown. Even with a strong defense and an offense led by four-time Pro Bowler Derek Carr and standout running back Alvin Kamara, the team finished the season with an unimpressive 9-8 record and was not in the running for a playoff berth.
Nevertheless, they ended the season on a high note when they stomped out division rivals the Atlanta Falcons 48-17 in Week 18. However, the victory included a bit of controversy at the end when the Saints scored a touchdown in the final seconds when they had a huge lead. The moment led to a startling exchange as Falcons head coach Arthur Smith was caught on camera yelling at his Saints counterpart Dennis Allen after the game to a close.
Many immediately knocked Allen for how his team handled the moment but it seems the play that added another touchdown to the score was called without his permission. After the game, Allen revealed to the media that the offense led by veteran QB Jameis Winston went rogue and switched out to a run play instead of taking a knee to run out the clock as he ordered.
‘That’s not who we are, that’s not how we operate,” the Saints head coach said after the game. “We should’ve taken a knee. We put victory (formation) out there, and guys wanted to get (Jamaal Williams) a touchdown. They did that on their own, and that’s unacceptable. Honestly, I’m not sure exactly what was going on behind that other than they wanted him to score a touchdown.”
Williams is in his first season with New Orleans after making stops in Green Bay and Detroit during the first six years of his career.
Could shocking rogue moment from players cost Dennis Allen his job with New Orleans Saints?
It will be interesting to see how the New Orleans Saints handle the incident from their Week 18 win over the Falcons. A case could be made that Winston is to blame for the situation, and cutting the former Florida State star could nip the problem in the bud early.
If the quarterback’s choice was a sign of a more serious ailment in the Saints locker room, the front management must be concerned that the head coach might be losing his squad. After serving as their defensive coordinator for his first seven years in New Orleans, Allen has been a member of the team for the last nine years.
After the game, Winston acknowledged that the offense made a “collective decision” to defy their coach and score the touchdown rather than take a knee against Atlanta.
Leave a Reply