Dennis Allen was a highly-acclaimed defensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints for seven seasons, and a coach on the defensive side of the ball for 10 of the 13 seasons prior to that – the only gap being when he was defensive coordinator of the Broncos and then head coach of the Raiders from 2012-14 – before becoming Saints head coach in 2022.
So, absolutely, he understands that Tampa Bay (3-2) will unveil some unique schematics on defense Sunday for Saints rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler, who will make his first NFL start for New Orleans (2-3) against the Buccaneers in the Caesars Superdome.
Tampa Bay Coach Todd Bowles also was highly regarded as an NFL defensive coordinator for three teams in six years before taking over as head coach of the Buccaneers in 2022.
Preparing Rattler for what he will see, and hoping he'll react favorably to the things he hasn't seen, is atop the list of priorities New Orleans has for the first of its three fifth-round draft picks.
"I think he'll handle it well," Allen said of Rattler, whom he named as starter Wednesday. Derek Carr will miss at least Sunday's game, and possibly more, after suffering an oblique injury against Kansas City on Monday night.
"I think it's going to be difficult," Allen said. "Todd's always done a really good job with the defense there. A lot of exotic blitzes and pressures and stuff like that. I'm sure we'll get our fair share of those. We've just got to prepare him for the looks that he might see and we've got to count on his instincts to make some plays at times.
"Defensively, they've got some good pressure packages and they can create some tough looks for the offense."
This season, the Buccaneers have allowed 22.8 points per game, but 26 per game over the last three. Opponents are at 258.4 passing yards per game (fifth most in the league), completing 67 percent but only with five touchdowns, and three interceptions.
Tampa Bay has 12 sacks, an area in which the Saints have done well (five sacks allowed) and one they'll need to continue to excel in Sunday.
"Keep him clean," Saints center Connor McGovern said. "I think we didn't keep Derek clean enough (against Kansas City).
"The most important thing as an offensive line is to run the ball well and then protect the quarterback. I think it's a job that most people don't understand how hard it is. It's a whole lot harder when you're getting hit by 300-pound men.
"If we can do what we can to keep him as clean as possible and allow him to go out there and make the reads and throws – especially early – and let him get his feet settled and keep building that confidence, that's the key."
Conversely, Tampa Bay will enter with a quarterback, Baker Mayfield, who's playing at one of the highest levels in the league at his position.
Mayfield has completed 72 percent of his passes for 1,164 yards and 11 touchdowns, with two interceptions. He's been sacked 16 times but has run for 107 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries.
"Offensively, I think they're operating at a really high level," Allen said. "I think the quarterback is playing really well. He's able to create, make some plays with his feet – both running for first downs and being able to find open receivers.
"Tough to tackle in the pocket, he's pretty slippery back there. They're doing really well in that regard. I just think they've been consistent with what they're doing offensively.
"Schematically, there's some similarities to a couple of things that we've already faced, maybe a little bit different in some of the things they're doing in the run game. But from a passing game standpoint, some similarities. I think they've got some really good players."
Rookie Bucky Irving leads the Buccaneers in rushing with 247 yards and a touchdown on 44 carries, and the leading receivers are familiar faces to the Saints' secondary: Chris Godwin with 386 yards and three touchdowns on 32 catches, and Mike Evans with 276 yards and a league-high tying five touchdowns on 23 catches.
PRACTICE REPORT: Running back Alvin Kamara (hip/hand), receiver Rashid Shaheed (hip) and defensive end Payton Turner (knee) returned to practice on a limited basis Thursday. Linebacker Willie Gay (hand) upgraded from limited to full. Taysom Hill, Cesar Ruiz, Derek Carr, Lucas Patrick, Will Harris and Pete Werner didn't practice.
