When Saints players showed up for their first practice under interim coach Darren Rizzi on Wednesday, they noticed something was different — most of their lockers had been moved to new spots.
The pre-practice warm-up routine was also changed. Offensive and defensive players were told to wear different color jerseys and run their drills on the opposite side of the field from where they had been practicing all season.
“We want things to feel a little bit different,” said Rizzi, who took over as head coach on Monday after a seven-game losing streak led to the firing of third-year coach Dennis Allen.
“Just a different feel, different vibe,” Rizzi explained. “We had a major change at the top and just want it to feel a little different for everybody and want to keep everybody kind of on their toes and antenna up.
That’s the thought process behind it, with a lot of things we’re doing.”
Rizzi had been the special teams coordinator, and while he will still manage that unit, he brought in former NFL special teams coordinator Marwan Maalouf to help with the daily responsibilities.
He also made changes to the defensive coaching staff to adjust for the departure of Allen, who had been in charge of the defense and called defensive plays during games.
Todd Grantham, who had been working with the defensive line, was moved to a new role as a senior adviser to defensive coordinator Joe Woods. Defensive assistant Brian Young now handles the defensive line and works alongside linebackers coach Mike Hodges to coordinate the team’s run defense.
The offensive coaching staff, led by coordinator Klint Kubiak, remains the same. But that was one of the few things that didn’t change on a day when so much else was meant to make players feel like they were starting a brand-new, eight-game season.
Quarterback Derek Carr, who experienced several coaching changes during his nine years with the Raiders, agreed that whatever Rizzi’s plan is, “it just has to be different.”
Carr mentioned that Rizzi encouraged players to pick different seats during meetings and sit next to new teammates to change their perspectives.
“There has to be a new energy because you go however many in a row that hasn’t gone well,” Carr said. “It does feel different and hopefully it results in wins.”
Rizzi, who played tight end at Rhode Island, was the head coach at his college before joining the NFL with Miami in 2009. He was hired by then-Dolphins executive and former NFL coach Bill Parcells.
“That was the highlight of my career at that point in my life,” said Rizzi, a 54-year-old from north New Jersey, who was 16 years old when Parcells coached the New York Giants to a Super Bowl title in 1986.
“I grew up idolizing this man,” Rizzi remembered, adding that Parcells became a mentor to him during their time together in Miami — and continues to be one.
Since becoming the Saints’ interim head coach on Monday, Rizzi has spoken to Parcells for advice.
He has also consulted Denver head coach Sean Payton, another Parcells protege who brought Rizzi to New Orleans in 2019, as well as Lions coach Dan Campbell and other former colleagues in New Orleans.
Rizzi had always dreamed of becoming an NFL head coach. While he wished it hadn’t happened because of his boss’ firing, he now feels determined to do everything he can in the final eight weeks of the season to show general manager Mickey Loomis that he made the right choice in promoting him.
“I’m not going to sit here and lie to you; there’s a human element to it,” Rizzi said, reflecting on the support he’s received from his wife, five children, his mother, and other friends and family.
“I’m ready for the challenge,” he added. “I’m happy and proud to lead this organization.”
