Falcons coach upset after Saints overrule coach’s play, score late TD

NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Saints players went rogue with a playcall in the final minutes of a 48-17 victory against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

Saints coach Dennis Allen and offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael intended to kneel and run out the final 1:13 after safety Tyrann Mathieu ran an interception back to the Falcons’ 1-yard line. Backup quarterback Jameis Winston was sent in to take the final snap in victory formation, but the team instead ran Jamaal Williams up the middle for a 1-yard score.

Falcons coach Arthur Smith angrily approached Allen after the game and yelled at the Saints coach. Allen appeared to try to calm Smith down, but Smith walked away before turning around and yelling something else.

The two coaches did not exchange a postgame handshake, and Allen confirmed that the exchange was about the late touchdown.

Allen opened up his postgame news conference by apologizing to Smith and the Falcons. He said the players made the call and the coaches never intended to try to score.

«That’s not who we are, that’s not how we operate,» Allen said. «We should’ve taken a knee.»

When told that Smith appeared upset, Allen was quick to take his side.

«He should be,» Allen said. «He should be.»

Smith said after the game that he did not remember what he said to Allen.

«They can do whatever they want; there’s no rules against it,» Smith said. «We didn’t stop them in the second half. They can do whatever they want. It is what it is. Hats off to them. They kicked our you-know-what in the second half, made us pay, took advantage of turnovers. That’s their prerogative.

«It’s also my prerogative to tell him how I feel. Whether people like that or not, oh well. Like I said, credit to them, they do whatever they want.»

Several Saints players wanted Williams or tight end Jimmy Graham to score. Williams hadn’t scored all season, and his teammates attempted to convince Allen to let him have a chance. Allen, however, shot the idea down, saying he preferred to take a knee.

The coach was overruled by the players once they got on the field.

«We put victory [formation] out there, and guys kind of wanted to get him a touchdown. They did that on their own, and that’s unacceptable,» Allen said. «Honestly I’m not sure exactly what was going on behind that other than they wanted him to score a touchdown.»

Said Winston: «We got an interception to the 1-yard line. If we would’ve scored, would it still have been disrespectful? When you return the ball to the 1-yard line, you have the opportunity. We had the opportunity and we just decided.»

Saints starting quarterback Derek Carr, who was not on the field during the play, said he didn’t know that was going to happen but was happy for Williams.

«I know that they called victory … and whatever happened after that, I have no idea,» Carr said. «I can understand someone’s frustration, but I can also understand that’s not what Pete called or DA wanted. I’m sure they’ll hash that out or whatever.

«Jamaal led the [Detroit Lions] in touchdowns last year and he didn’t have one this year. … Just as players, you just love your buddy so much that … sometimes, in this league, ain’t nothing a coach can do, no matter who it is. Players sometimes want to take care of their guys, and coaches end up having to deal with that wrath sometimes.»

Winston said he asked his teammates what they wanted to do once they got on the field. Each one agreed they wanted Williams to have a chance at scoring. Winston emphasized that it was a team decision and said he told Allen that afterward.

«Nope,» Winston said when asked if he had any regrets. «This is the thing: This is about the team. It’s not about regrets. It’s not about anything else. It’s about us as a team making a collective decision. But I do apologize to Dennis. … That was not his call.»

One Saints player said some of the Falcons defensive players asked if they planned to take a knee, and they didn’t respond.

Williams said when the question of what to do came up, «every last person was dead set on getting me a touchdown.»

«They just wanted to get me a touchdown, that’s it,» he said. «They’re just great people. I appreciate them for understanding and having the awareness and perspective of what’s happening in the game and taking the consequences of what would happen after. I appreciate my teammates for having my back and wanting to get me a touchdown to show the love to me.

«The reason it means so much to me is not because I scored and got a touchdown, but because my teammates wanted to get me a touchdown on the last play of what could be our last game. That right there shows me a lot about my teammates’ character.»

Winston was asked if he thought the move would be forgotten about after the season.

«I think it should be forgotten, especially when the score is already 41-17,» Winston said. «I don’t know how much worse it can get. I got a ton of respect for Arthur Smith and the coach that he is. I think they do some incredible things. I didn’t want to disrespect — that was not my intention.

«My intention was to lead the team that I’ve been with the entire year. We made a collective decision that we wanted to give one of our guys — who they fight with blood, sweat and tears in every game — in the end zone. And I’m going to feel good about it.»