New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen is pushing back against allegations from the Philadelphia Eagles that his team is dirty. Things grew contentious during the Eagles’ 15-12 win in New Orleans on Sunday, particularly as Philadelphia lost several players due to injury.
“I’d say our guys play extremely hard and we’re going to compete until the down is over,” Allen said Monday, via ESPN . “I don’t think we play dirty. I don’t think we ever have played dirty. It’s not the way we coach it, not the way we teach it, but we do play hard. Look, nobody wants to see anybody get hurt, nobody’s trying to hurt anybody and unfortunately that’s part of the business that we’re in. No, we don’t play dirty. We don’t coach dirty, but we do play hard and we do play physical.”
DeVonta Smith PHI • WR • #6 View Profile
Specifically, the Eagles seemed to take the biggest issue with a hit that Saints defenders Payton Turner and Khristian Boyd laid on wide receiver DeVonta Smith . After making a reception in the second half, Smith was hit hard by the Saints duo so much that his helmet flew off. The pass catcher didn’t return to the game and has since been placed in concussion protocol.
Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who played for the Saints from 2019-2021, called that play “the dirtiest shit I ever saw in football, bro.”…