The New Orleans Saints won their first game under interim coach Darren Rizzi on Sunday, and the team's vibes already appear better than they were with coach Dennis Allen.
Receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling has only played two games with the Saints after being acquired from the Buffalo Bills. Before his stint with the Bills, he played for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022 and 2023, both seasons resulting in Super Bowl titles.
Valdes-Scantling knows what it's like to play for a championship team led by legendary coaches, like Andy Reid in Kansas City. He's now compared Rizzi's style of coaching to Reid's twice since Sunday's game.
"[Rizzi] holds everybody to the same standard, he's passionate, he holds people accountable," Valdes-Scantling told Kay Adams. "I think that's something that you just don't see a lot because when you get to the higher level of the NFL, everybody gets treated differently. But, he's one of those coaches like how coach Reid was, hold everybody to the same standard. I love that about him."
There seems to be a theme here with #Saints interim HC Darren Rizzi:
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) November 12, 2024
AUTHENTIC. @MVS__11 @lucaspatrick62 @heykayadams @Saints pic.twitter.com/TDRDYcR4wK
The receiver repeated this message when speaking to Audacy Sports' Jeff Nowak.
"Coach Reid does a good job over there of keeping everybody—the standard being the standard, and I think Rizz has taken that and really made it a thing, because no one is getting coached any differently, everyone is getting coached hard, everyone is getting held accountable and I think that's important."
The 3–7 Saints are unlikely to win a Super Bowl title this season like Reid and the Chiefs have the past two seasons, but it sounds like things are definitely improving in New Orleans if Valdes-Scantling is emphasizing Rizzi and Reid in the same sentence multiple times.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Former Chiefs Player Compares Darren Rizzi to Andy Reid.
