Saints GM after firing Allen: 'It's no fun losing games'

New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis reflected on firing head coach Dennis Allen on Monday.

"Dennis Allen, I think, is a fantastic football coach and I think anybody in our league who would talk about him thinks he's a fantastic football coach," Loomis said, according to the team's website.

He added: "This is adversity, it's tough. It's no fun losing games. I can't describe to you - as bad as our fans feel and the things that they feel, believe me, we're all feeling 10 times worse. But we can't just wallow in that."

Allen posted an 18-25 record in 43 games as head coach and failed to make the playoffs during his tenure.

New Orleans is 2-7 heading into Week 10 after starting 2-0. The club scored 91 points in its first two contests, compared to only 116 during its seven-game losing streak.

Allen, who was Sean Payton's defensive coordinator for seven years before replacing him as head coach, helped the Saints' defense rank third in success rate during his first two years as head coach. But New Orleans' defense has been one of the league's most disappointing units through nine weeks, sitting at 26th in points allowed per contest.

Injuries have plagued the Saints this season, as quarterback Derek Carr and other critical offensive players have missed multiple games.

"... We've had an abnormal amount of injuries including to our quarterback (Carr), and we haven't been able to overcome that. And so, that puts pressure and stress on the organization and ultimately, it was cause for a change," Loomis said.

Special teams coordinator and assistant head coach Darren Rizzi was named interim head coach Monday. Loomis said the team will let the season play out before the search for a new coach begins.

The Saints face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.