“When you play Tom Brady and have a chance to put him way, you gotta put him away,” Allen said after choosing to punt three times inside Tampa Bay territory while kicking field goals from distances of 21, 29, and 38 yards. His words and actions don’t line up here.

So Allen is fine saying that after the game — but when the clock is ticking and the chips are down, he’s ignoring that wisdom to kick the ball away and settle for less. It’s a bad process that’s led to poor results. And it should be enough for the Saints to admit they messed up and start over, this time with a real head coach search instead of the sham that led them back where they started last time around. Nostalgia for the Sean Payton era won’t take them any further than this. They owe it to themselves and their fans to take a hard look in the mirror and reevaluate what led them here.