Dennis Allen Discusses Why Klint Kubiak Was The Saints Choice For Offensive Coordinator
Saints head coach Dennis Allen joined NFL Network's Steve Wyche and James Palmer for an interview on THE NFL REPORT on Tuesday. Allen discussed why New Orleans chose Klint Kubiak as their new offensive coordinator and also talked about whether or not that would change the draft philosophy, Cam Jordan and much more. Here's some quotes and info from the segment.
Dennis Allen On Hiring Klint Kubiak
"Well look, obviously we went through an extensive search in terms of interviewing a lot of people for this position. I think we interviewed 11 or 12 offensive coordinator candidates, a lot of really qualified guys. I felt like we really needed to do a deep dive into a lot of different schemes and a lot of different personalities. I wanted to really look at what was going to be the best fit for the New Orleans Saints, for our players that we have here and the things that we need to try to get get accomplished."
"I felt like Klint Kubiak was obviously the person of choice. I've known Klint for a long time. I feel like I've known the family for probably over 20, 30 years. I remember watching Klint's dad Gary play quarterback back at Texas A&M growing up. So I feel like l've known this family. I feel like l've known this scheme for a long time, and I feel like this is the best scheme that gives your players the best chance to have success that's going in the National Football League right now. I think Klint is highly intelligent. He's (an) extremely hard worker. I think we've put together an outstanding staff with a little bit of mixture of veteran coaches that have been there done that with some younger progressive mindset type of guys, and I think it's going to be a great mixture for our organization."
Allen said a couple of times during the interview that Kubiak's system is 'quarterback friendly' and also referenced the value of play action for Derek Carr. He also said it relies on being able to run the football. Allen also said he had communication with Carr throughout the process and talked to him about some of the different candidates on the table.
‘The Shanahan-Kubiak System’ And Why Klint Kubiak Was Hand-Picked, Worth Any Risk For The New Orleans Saints
Allen added that David Carr's endorsement of the Gary Kubiak system from when he played with the Texans went a long way. The summary was that it was a great fit. The system the Saints are going to employ will have Kyle Shanahan influences, but the base is from Gary Kubiak.
Allen revealed that the Saints brought in the offensive coaching staff over the weekend to meet with the Mickey Loomis, Jeff Ireland and the team scouts to discuss what they're looking for at each position in the draft. We should expect a formal announcement on that staff shortly. This all stemmed from a question from Palmer regarding whether or not the addition of Kubiak could alter the team's draft philosophy. Among the positions Allen mentioned were quarterback, offensive tackle and wide receiver. This will also carry over into free agency.