Sean Payton Says Dennis Allen Is Ready

Saints head coach Sean Payton spoke with the New Orleans Times-Picayune this week about his suddenly hot secondary coach Dennis Allen. Allen has already met with the Denver Broncos about their defensive coordinator job and is reportedly interviewing with Andy Reid and the Eagles today. Payton isn't surprised that Allen has become a seemingly hot commodity this offseason.

"It's a small league, and there aren't many secrets," Payton said. "His reputation has grown, and the word has gotten around. You can see it on film. He's extremely talented, and another thing about him, he's an extremely hard-working guy. He's a guy that's going to have more of these opportunities down the line."

Payton does understand that having success as a head coach means you're likely to start getting your assistants poached.

"It's always a tough thing, wanting your coaches to have the opportunity but not wanting to lose them," said Payton, who is particularly close friends with new Broncos Coach John Fox -- a good and bad thing in this case. "This experience of going through the interview process and getting his name out there is deserved. He has done a very good job. He's extremely well thought of within this building."