Saints' Dennis Allen foreshadows continuity, but with his own spin

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Newly named New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen asserts that he's "at peace" with being constantly measured against the person he's replacing.

Allen's first head coaching job with the Oakland Raiders nearly a decade ago taught him he has more pressing matters to attend to than how he measures up to Sean Payton, who stepped down two weeks ago as the Saints' all-time leader in victories, not to mention the only Super Bowl winning coach in the club's 55 seasons.

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"Look, I understand what the expectations are here," Allen, a longtime Payton assistant, said at his introductory press conference Tuesday.

"I look at it as: What a great example to follow," Allen added. "I know we have great foundation in place and I’m grateful for that.

"It’s the perfect fit because I know the people here," he said. "I know the administration. I know the players. I know the support staff. I understand all the culture here in this building."

When Allen became the Raiders' head coach, the franchise had a first-year general manager and an owner in Mark Davis who was in his first year succeeding his late Hall of Fame father, Al Davis. The team was rebuilding, experience was in short supply and losses mounted quickly before Allen was fired four games into his third season.

"It was a totally different set of circumstances," Allen, 49, recalled. "I was a 39-year-old head coach at that time.

"I’m excited about this organization," Allen continued, referring to the Saints. "I love this organization. I've been part of it for 12 of the last 16 years."

Allen was part of Payton's first staff in 2006 as a defensive assistant.