Darren Rizzi didn't vow an unrealistic goal of wholesale changes for the New Orleans Saints following offseason OTAs, rookie and veteran minicamp, training camp, three preseason games and nine regular-season games into the season.
But he did promise "different" and Wednesday, his first on-field day as the interim head coach, Rizzi delivered.
"Extremely fast," quarterback Derek Carr said of practice, as the Saints (2-7) prepare to face Atlanta (6-3) on Sunday in the Caesars Superdome. Carr played through two interim coach scenarios in his nine-year career with the Raiders.
"Upbeat, fast, nonstop moving. We were in and out," he said. "I think that's the most plays we've run in a practice in my career, (or) in a long time. We got a lot of good reps, at different speeds of course, but a lot of good reps, a lot of different looks.
"Hopefully, that translates to you get more time on task on something, you get better at it. Lord knows we need to be better at what we're doing right now. Rizz laid out some of the things that he thinks we need to do better, but he also gave us a plan and we executed that plan today on how to continually get better at those things as a team."
Rizzi said despite the sudden change, he's prepared for the challenge even though his first two days have felt more like two weeks.
"We made some changes on the daily schedule, made some changes on the practice schedule," he said. "We've been doing things around here the same way, or at least similar, for a long time and I thought it was important to maybe just get a little change of pace."
One change was in the locker room. Players previously were interspersed without regard to position group, a precaution owed to COVID, given that one player contracting the virus could have exposed his position group if it was grouped in the same location.
Now, players are back among position groups in the locker room.
"I just felt like we had guys spread out all over the place," Rizzi said. "And here I am trying to preach bonding together, circle the wagons and we've got guys kind of spread out. So I just thought it was a good change of pace to break it up by position.
"Very, very well-received. There were some guys who had been in their locker for quite a long time so that got a little uncomfortable, but we've got to get comfortable being uncomfortable. That's where we're at. We're in an uncomfortable position. The guys loved it, being in their position groups."
There also were staff adjustments: a special teams assistant coach was hired, to help shoulder some of Rizzi's responsibilities as he shifted from special teams coordinator to interim head coach; defensive line coach Todd Grantham now will be a senior assistant to defensive coordinator Joe Woods; pass rush specialist coach Brian Young will handle the defensive line, and he and linebackers coach Mike Hodges will coordinate the run defense; and Woods and secondary coach Marcus Robertson will design the passing game defense.
Rizzi also had the offense and defense flip ends of the practice field and instituted a team warmup period (instead of individual) to attempt to combat the soft tissue injuries that have besieged the Saints this season.
"Our backs are against the wall, and it sucks we put ourself there," Carr said. "But what I saw today was a team – which, I was really proud of how we practiced – because we came out and fought.
"There's a lot of guys trying to do the right thing and for me, today the feeling was whoever is next on the schedule, they've got to be ready for a fight. We're not going to just lay down and die, lay down and let it happen. You've got to fight back. We are in a tough spot, but we've got no one to blame but ourselves.
"(Allen) caught the brunt of it because he was the head coach, but at the end of the day everyone in our building had a hand in that. We all felt it, but today was a good practice. Today was a good day.
"That's the only option you have. You can either quit or just keep fighting, no matter what. I just think that we have a locker room full of guys who are just going to keep fighting no matter what happens."
What happened for the Saints on Wednesday was a feeling of "different." Carr said that in a conversation with teammates on Monday, he stressed "different" had to happen.
"I said whoever it is (as interim coach), whatever it was whether it was good or bad it doesn't matter, it just has to be different," he said. "When you come in the building on Wednesday it has to feel different, it has to be a new energy because you go however many in a row that haven't gone well, something that Wednesday has to feel different. And this Wednesday felt different.
"Just because it feels different, does it result in wins and all that kind of stuff? No. But it usually results in good results down the road. Our plan is to make the good results now.
"But whatever it is, the feeling of the building – the energy, the schedule, whatever – you have to start doing stuff differently. (Rizzi) said, look, we've got to do something different and we all have to buy in to that. And we bought in to it.
"When that happens, just in my experience that usually is a good thing. In my experience if you come in with something different and a plan that points to winning – we've all had spurts where we've won in our career – and you look at it like, that reminds me of that. And that kind of gives you hope."
