Saints interim coach Darren Rizzi believed one way to help the team get past its seven-game losing streak was to focus on anything other than the losing itself.
So, Rizzi emphasized that a new coaching staff meant a “fresh start.”
“A new season, almost,” Rizzi said Monday, after taking over for Dennis Allen, who was fired last week. “I don’t think there was a whole lot of people talking about the losing streak last week more than all the changes, so I think that was a good thing.
“We talked about pressing that refresh button or restart button or whatever you want to call it, so I kind of think that everybody in the building had an approach last week that was just 1-0, 1-0, 1-0,” Rizzi added. “But for the whole organization and the city, getting off the streak was a good thing.”
And the Saints did just that, defeating the Falcons 20-17. Guard Cesar Ruiz said Rizzi’s message resonated in the locker room.
“It was an emphasis on winning,” Ruiz said. “Just winning this game. Being 1-0 every week, that was the emphasis, and it feels good that we got to get that one, not only to break the streak, but for Rizz, who cares about us a lot and does a lot to set us up for success.”
Still, it was just one win. A loss to struggling Cleveland this week could undo much of the positive momentum they built with the win.
Now, Rizzi said keeping that momentum going is “going to be our biggest challenge.”
“It’s a little bit easier to get on board right away and then see if things go well,” Rizzi said. “The changes that we made last week were received positively… but I want the guys walking in here every day thinking about, ‘What’s next?’
“Are we going to see a few more wrinkles this week? Heck yeah,” Rizzi continued. “We’re going to try to do that every week. Try to keep everybody on their toes. … I think you can always keep it fresh as a coach.”
