Many people were picking the New Orleans Saints to win the NFC South when last season started, but they fell a bit short of their goal, finishing 9-8 and losing the tiebreaker for first place in the division to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

As a result, there were rumors that head coach Dennis Allen would be fired once the Saints failed to reach the NFL playoffs.

But he is still in charge on the sideline, and safety Tyrann Mathieu seems to have his back, as he praised his coach’s ability to gameplan defensively, per Robert Griffin III.

Tyrann Mathieu on why Dennis Allen is the right coach for the @Saints,

“He’s a good coach man, especially on the defensive side of the ball. I’ve been around some of the best. I played under Romeo Crennel…Todd Bowles…Spagnuolo. He’s up there man.”

https://t.co/4XN3Ps7Rce https://t.co/tS3OJdYt8K pic.twitter.com/mKj5Oe2Pmh

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) May 13, 2024

In 2023, his second season with New Orleans, Mathieu had four interceptions, one pick-six, and nine passes defended.

The three-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro First-Team selection helped his team rank eighth in points allowed, but they were just 13th in total yards given up.

The Saints did make a splash this offseason by signing defensive end Chase Young, the former No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft.

Young had 7.5 sacks and 15 quarterback hits last year, and although he has been something of a disappointment, he has always been considered to be dripping with star potential.

The rest of the NFC South is still relatively weak — the Buccaneers didn’t make any notable offseason additions, and while the Atlanta Falcons now have quarterback Kirk Cousins, he is coming off a torn Achilles — so the door may still be ajar for the Saints to challenge for first place again.

To do so, they will have to dig in defensively more than they did last year.

The post Tyrann Mathieu Doesn’t Hold Back His Thoughts On Dennis Allen appeared first on The Cold Wire.