We’re on to more of the same from Dennis Allen’s New Orleans Saints regime. The Saints have surveyed the field of candidates, interviewed a few of them, and went with another safe and comfortable choice in retaining Pete Carmichael as offensive coordinator. That lines up with other Sean Payton coaching tree moves like hiring Doug Marrone as offensive line coach and, well, picking Allen himself as head coach. They just haven’t seen a reason to seriously look outside their established circle, much less shake things up by hiring someone new.
So what’s the deal with this Carmichael move? Nola.com’s Jeff Duncan reported last week that it was Carmichael’s decision to step down to a lesser role, making room for a new offensive coordinator. He also didn’t want to interview for head coach. His first instinct wasn’t to stay on as offensive coordinator. It wasn’t until the Saints interviewed other candidates and circled back to him that he agreed to return as offensive coordinator.
