Troubling Update: Saints Coach Dennis Allen Shares A Troubling Update on Safety Tyrann Mathieu’s to Compound Saint Defense Worries

The New Orleans Saints experienced a defensive shift in 2017. Dennis Allen, the defensive coordinator at the time, stated that the team “knew what we wanted to do” on defence. Seven years later, it remains one of the NFL’s strongest defences, but the team plans to make another adjustment in 2024.

Safety Tyrann Mathieu says the squad will have “way more attitude” coming season.

 

“I think it’s personal, not just for us, but for our coaches as well,” Mathieu said on NFL Network. “We wanna put a good product out there and we gonna get back to that old, nasty, just playing with an attitude.”
In 2023, the Saints defence ranked tenth in points allowed per game (19.2) and 13th in yards allowed (327.2). New Orleans had been in the top ten in both categories for the previous three seasons.

“I think that’s something we’ve tried to address,” Allen said to Mathieu. “I believe we need to shift gears and adopt a different defensive approach. I believe that playing good defence, like we do here, can lead to a sense of comfort. We’ll simply go back out there and play solid defence because that’s what we’ve done in the past, but that’s not how this works.

“And so I think there’s been a renewed sense of the philosophy behind the way that we play defence, and that’s kind of what we’re trying to get back to a little bit.”
Mathieu, defensive end Cameron Jordan, and linebacker Demario Davis are at the vanguard of this attitude shift. The defense’s three veterans are nearing the end of their careers, and their desire to bring a title to New Orleans has grown even stronger.

“It would be a shame if I came back home and teamed up with Demario and Cam and a lot of other great guys on the defence and we don’t punch our ticket,” Mathieu claimed.

Jordan has been with the organization since 2011, when New Orleans drafted him 24th overall. Davis has been playing in New Orleans since 2018. Matthieu is entering his third season with the team. They’ve all been All-Pros and Pro Bowlers, but none have won the Super Bowl.

Players are more likely to confess it than coaches, but everyone has a strong sense of urgency. Mathieu, Jordan, and Davis’ careers are nearing their end. It’s also running out for Allen, who wants a postseason berth in his third season as Saints coach. The NFL is not particularly patient with head coaches. Regardless of what general manager Mickey Loomis says about him, Allen’s status after this season is uncertain.