Saints Cornerback Shares Why He Loves Playing For Dennis Allen
The relationship between an NFL head coach and his roster is imperative to every team's success. New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen was met some unwarranted criticism throughout his first year. Many questioned the team's commitment to him others exclaimed that he was "losing the locker room." Yet everything from inside the locker room and facility told a different story. Here is another example of the roster's respect for their head coach, shared by young and ascending cornerback Alontae Taylor.
Oct 30, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor (27) reacts to making a hard tackle against Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs (28) during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
"At the end of the day I always say 'I love playing for coach (Dennis Allen)'," Taylor said. "Just the swagger that he wants from us and we talked about swagger last year going into the Raiders game. You're in practice already and he's like 'We need the handshakes. We need guys dancing, moving around.' It's good to be with a coach that lets you be yourself and just plays hard-nosed, defensive football."
The two standout comments start with the mention of the team's conversation about swagger before last year's Week 8 matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders. New Orleans clearly had all of its swagger in order on defense as that game which ended in a decisive 24-0 shutout of now-Saints quarterback Derek Carr and the Raiders offense.
In that game, Taylor would finish with three tackles. But beyond the standard box score, his performance was remarkably impressive. In what was only his second-career NFL start, Taylor drew the tall task of matching up often with All-Pro receiver Davante Adams. The Saints cornerback was targeted a game-high 10 times while allowing just 4 catches for 34 yards. He also added a pass breakup in the meanwhile. Adams would be held to just 1 catch for 3 yards.
Taylor's swagger is always on display as a confident and talented young cover-corner. That is why the second standout comment from the above quote comes down to his recognition of Allen for allowing players to be themselves.
Every team across the league handles player personalities differently. Some want to keep the roster buttoned-up and serious while others see an opportunity to allow player personalities to prevail. The latter has long-been the Saints' approach and commitment to their players.
How this emphasis will impact them in 2023 remains to be seen. But it has made the unit a top-10 scoring defense in each of the last three years, twice they ranked in the top-5. With young stars like Taylor along with Paulson Adebo and Marshon Lattimore rounding out the top of the perimeter cornerback group, swagger and confident will be in abundance. Add in defensive leaders like defensive end Cameron Jordan, linebacker Demario Davis and safety Tyrann Mathieu and it is clear that New Orleans has built its approach off of its player. And they have done so with success.
