Darren Rizzi might be an unexpected choice to become the New Orleans Saints’ permanent head coach, but it’s not impossible.
The Saints (4-7) were on a seven-game losing streak when Rizzi, the team’s special teams coordinator, was promoted. Since then, they’ve won two straight games, and as they entered their Week 12 bye, key players were already talking about their hope for Rizzi to have a shot at the job long-term.
“He’s definitely had an impact on our football team,” said quarterback Derek Carr after New Orleans’ 35-14 win over Cleveland last weekend. “We want to keep winning so that maybe he gets a chance to be the coach here for a long time.”
“That’s what we want as players,” Carr added. “Hopefully, we can continue to have success, keep winning and give him that opportunity.”
Before the Saints’ disappointing loss to Carolina, which led to the firing of third-year coach Dennis Allen, Rizzi had never been a head coach in the NFL or major college football.
Rizzi, originally from north New Jersey and a former tight end at Rhode Island, had his first head coaching job at Division II New Haven in 1999. He also coached at Rhode Island in 2008 before moving to the NFL as a special teams assistant with Miami in 2009.
By 2010, he became Miami’s special teams coordinator and was promoted to associate head coach in 2017. Former Saints coach Sean Payton then brought him to New Orleans in 2019.
Both Payton and Rizzi have a connection through working under Bill Parcells, the legendary coach who won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants. Payton worked with Parcells as the Dallas Cowboys’ offensive coordinator, while Rizzi, a Giants fan during the Parcells era, got to know his idol while Parcells worked in Miami.
Since his promotion, Rizzi has spoken with both Payton and Parcells. He’s also started using motivational methods similar to Payton’s, such as bringing items like shovels, hammers, and other construction tools to meetings to emphasize key points. Payton was known for using props like baseball bats and gas cans to motivate players, and Rizzi has taken a similar approach with his own “blue collar” twist.
“Just been having some bad breaks, but nobody feels sorry for us,” said Raiders coach Antonio Pierce. “Nobody feels sorry for me. You’ve got to roll out there with 11 players, and that’s what we’re going to do come Sunday.”
Saints tight end Taysom Hill, who also plays on special teams, has worked closely with Rizzi over the years. Hill isn’t surprised that Rizzi’s mix of hard work, enthusiasm, and personal touch is having a positive effect on the team.
“He has a really good pulse on what we need collectively as a team to get ready for a football game,” Hill said. “Guys have responded to that.”
Rizzi’s first win came against the first-place Atlanta Falcons, and after the Falcons lost again last week, the Saints now trail Atlanta by only two games with six to go.
The idea of the Saints still playing meaningful football by the end of the season is suddenly more realistic.
“We’re starting to get our swag back, and that makes me happy,” Rizzi said. “We’re going to have some downtime now to kind of press the reset button again and see if we can make a push here.”
When the Saints return to play at home against the Los Angeles Rams on December 1, they will have a renewed sense of momentum and positivity, which was missing during their six-game losing streak earlier in the season.
While many Saints players blame themselves for Allen’s firing, they quickly give credit to Rizzi for the team’s recent turnaround.
“He’s pointed us and steered the ship in the right direction,” Carr said. “Hopefully, we can just keep executing at a high level for him, because we love him.”
