Saints' Recent Hires Will Serve as Contingency Plans If Team Falters in 2015

The New Orleans Saints are building a cocoon around head coach Sean Payton. The organization is successfully surrounding its coach with familiar faces to insulate him from any type of blame he might receive during the upcoming season. 

The Saints confirmed Wednesday that they hired Jeff Ireland as part of their football operations staff. The confirmation came a day after ESPN.com's Adam Schefter reported that former Oakland Raiders head coach Dennis Allen will join the team's defensive staff. 

Each has a history with Payton. 

If the team doesn't improve from last season's 7-9 record in 2015, the Saints now have fall guys in place and their replacements at hand.

Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan and even general manager Mickey Loomis enter the upcoming season knowing they must produce, or else their time with the Saints could very well be over at the end of the year.

Change was expected after the disappointing campaign. 

It started when the team dismissed wide receivers coach Henry Ellard, tight ends coach Terry Malone and assistant secondary coach Andrew Curtis.

Allen will step in and help Ryan during the Saints' attempt to improve upon the NFL's 31st-ranked defense. 

Allen's hire has yet to be confirmed, and his exact role hasn't been determined, but the former head coach spent time working with the defensive line and secondary during his previous stint with the Saints. 

Payton hired Allen as part of his original staff in 2006. After five seasons with the Saints, the young coach accepted a defensive coordinator position under John Fox with the Denver Broncos. A year later, Allen was named the head coach of the Oakland Raiders. 

Those experiences plus his previous time in New Orleans make him the perfect candidate to replace Ryan if the Saints defense once again falls short of expectations. 

NOLA.com's Larry Holder doesn't view Allen as simply a helping hand, though. The Saints' newest coach very well could be their next defensive coordinator: 

During Allen's lone season as a coordinator, the Broncos finished 20th in total defense.

Year	Pass Defense	Yards per game
2008	23rd	221.7
2009	26th	235.6
2010	4th	193.9

His performance with the Saints wasn't impressive, either. Only once during his three seasons leading the Saints secondary did the unit finish among the top half of the league.

If Allen gets to work with the Saints' current secondary, though, he can take advantage of a talented unit that should be better in 2015 due to improved health and the maturation of young players.

Former All-Pro Safety Jairus Byrd will return after suffering a torn lateral meniscus in his knee in October. Kenny Vaccaro should be more comfortable in his natural spot as the team's strong safety after being asked to carry the load that would have fallen on Byrd. Brian Dixon and Stanley Jean-Baptiste will be entering their second seasons, and veteran Rafael Bush will also be fully healthy. 

An improvement should be expected in the Saints' 25th-ranked passing defense with or without Allen's help. 

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

Ireland, meanwhile, is expected to bring a different perspective to the Saints scouting department. 

Loomis has done a tremendous job identifying talent over the course of his career, but the roster has reached a point where age and contract issues will be problematic moving forward. 

Quarterback Drew Brees just turned 36 years old. Starters Jonathan Goodwin (free agent), Marques Colston, Jahri Evans, Zach Strief, Brodrick Bunkley, Parys Haralson (free agent), Ben Grubbs and Pierre Thomas are all on the wrong side of 30. 

Key contributors such as running back Mark Ingram, Patrick Robinson, Roman Humbar, Travaris Cadet and Tyrunn Walker will enter free agency. 

Plus, early estimates place the Saints $23 million over the projected 2015 salary cap, according to OverTheCap.com. 

A major roster overhaul will be required in the coming months. 

Ireland, who served as the Miami Dolphins general manager from 2008-13, should add a fresh approach. 

"I felt like we needed to add some experience from outside the building," Loomis told reporters Wednesday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama.

In order to make room for Ireland, Loomis felt he needed to shake up the Saints' current scouting staff. Longtime director of college scouting Rick Reiprish was relieved of his duties earlier in the week as a result. 

There is also a question of Loomis' division of labor between the Saints while serving as the head of basketball operations for the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans. 

With an experienced former general manager like Ireland on staff—and former director of player personnel Ryan Pace as the Chicago Bears' general manager—Loomis could easily place more responsibilities upon his new hire. If the Saints continue to struggle, Loomis could even step aside after a long and successful stint as the team's GM with a potential replacement already on staff. 

Payton and Ireland proved they can work well together during their time together with the Dallas Cowboys. 

Ireland was a scout-turned-vice president of college and pro scouting when Payton served as Bill Parcells' assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach. 

The duo should hit the ground running and know exactly what to expect of each other. 

All bases are covered for Payton. 

If the team wins, then things will continue as they always have. If the team loses, there are two likely culprits who can be blamed: the defense or the scouting staff. 

Win or lose, Payton should come out of this entire scenario unscathed.

Brent Sobleski covers the NFC South for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.