Darren Rizzi: Now it’s up to Darren Rizzi to get the New Orleans Saints back on track for the rest of the season.
Following the Saints’ Monday firing of Dennis Allen, Rizzi, the sixth season special teams coordinator, was named interim head coach.
Here’s more on Rizzi, who takes over a team that lost its seventh straight game, 23-22 to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
Where is Darren Rizzi from?
Rizzi is a native of New Jersey. He attended Bergen Catholic High School and went to college at the College of Rhode Island.
How much coaching experience does he have?
The 54-year-old Rizzi began his coaching career in 1993 as an assistant at Colgate College. He coached at the college level until 2010, when he was named Special Teams Coordinator for the Miami Dolphins. He remained there until Sean Payton hired him in the same role with the Saints in 2019. In addition to managing the Saints’ special teams, he was promoted by Dennis Allen to assistant head coach of the team in 2022.
Has he ever been head coach?
yes. Rizzi served as head coach at Connecticut’s College of New Haven (Division II) for three seasons, 1999–2001. 2008 saw him leading Rhode Island for one year as well. He has an 18–23 record in his four years heading coach.
Apart from specialized teams, what other coaching experience does he possess?
Additional responsibilities Rizzi performs for the college level include defensive line coach, linebackers coach and defensive coordinator.
What made Darren Rizzi selected above other coordinators?
Having spent 2019 with the Saints, Rizzi has more experience than first-year offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and second-year defensive coordinator Joe Woods. Rizzi was also next in line to take on the assistant head coach job. His media skills and demeanor fit what the team requires right now.
Is success possible for a special teams coach?
History says yes. Before beginning his first head coaching post, one of the best coaches in NFL history—Bill Belichick—made a name for himself as a special teams coordinator. Other well-known coaches with special teams expertise include John Harbaugh and Bill Cowher, both of whom headed Super Bowl teams.
Would Darren Rizzi be a candidate for the head coaching job?
It’s still too early to tell. But we know he wanted to be a head coach before. He applied for the head coaching job with the Miami Dolphins in 2019, but the team hired Brian Flores. The Saints are an organization that relies on people they are familiar with. Rizzi has been in the building since 2019.
He’s well-respected around the league, especially when it comes to special teams. (He played a key role in the new kickoff rules implemented this season) How the Saints play in the final 8 weeks of the season would go a long way in helping him assert himself.
