Saints seek 6th straight winning season at dawn of Allen era

By BRETT MARTEL
AP Sports Writer

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — It’s the dawn of the Dennis Allen era for the New Orleans Saints. But while Allen’s hiring as the new head coach represents a regime change, it’s hardly a house cleaning. Allen was hired from within and is surrounded by familiar faces on the coaching staff and the roster. He was the defensive coordinator under coach Sean Payton for six plus season before his promotion after Payton’s retirement late last January. Allen has kept many prominent assistants on the staff and many of the core players from the past five straight winning seasons remain on the roster. Saints running back Mark Ingram says the “DNA” and “culture” of the team is largely the same as the 2022 regular season arrives.