In defense of D.A.

Good morning, and welcome to the January 18 edition of the Saints Insider newsletter.

An animated Mickey Loomis met the media Wednesday for his annual end-of-season press conference and touched on a variety of subjects during a wide-ranging, hourlong session. Our coverage team covered every angle.

Here's our lineup of stories from a busy news day:

Stand by your man

Loomis went on the offensive in his defense of Dennis Allen during his hourlong press conference with local reporters, calling public criticism of the Saints' embattled head coach "noise." "My assessment is Dennis Allen is a good coach," Loomis said, while comparing Allen's disappointing tenure to slow starts by future Hall of Fame coaches Bill Belichick, Tom Landry, Chuck Noll and Bill Walsh early in their careers.

Not done yet

Loomis rejected rumors that he was considering retirement or moving into a different role this offseason. "Somebody just made that up," Loomis said. Luke Johnson has the story.

Seeking a change

Loomis is keeping an open mind about who he and Allen hire as the team's next offensive coordinator. Whether that is a coach with a different scheme from outside the building or the Saints elect to promote a familiar face from within, "remains to be seen," Loomis said. Regardless, Loomis said a change was needed.

The search has begun

The Saints are in the market for a new offensive coordinator, and they began the hiring process by requesting interviews with three top young offensive assistant coaches around the league. Patrick Magee looks at the two young prospects from NFC West Division teams and another from the AFC North.

Breaking it all down

Our coverage team -- once again without my presence as I conducted my duties as the New Orleans representative at Pro Football Hall of Fame meetings on Wednesday -- convened at our Metairie studio to give their reaction to the Loomis presser and what some of his answers might mean for the Saints going forward, in the latest edition of the Saints Insider podcast.

That's all for today. As usual, we'll have more news and analysis in the days ahead as the Saints continue their search for a new offensive coordinator.

Until next time, have a great day,

Jeff Duncan