Report: Saints Interviewing Colts RBs Coach Scottie Montgomery for Offensive Coordinator Opening

According to NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill, the New Orleans Saints are interviewing Indianapolis Colts running backs coach Scottie Montgomery for their open offensive coordinator position—under newly hired head coach Dennis Allen:

He was previously a finalist for the Carolina Panthers open offensive coordinator position earlier this offseason—before the team ultimately settled on ex-New York Giants head coach Ben McAdoo.

Regarding Montgomery:

Montgomery has previously served as Maryland’s offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach (2019-20), East Carolina’s head coach (2016-18), Duke’s associate head coach/offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach (2014-15), Duke’s associate head coach/offensive coordinator/passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach (2013), Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers coach (2010-12) under current head coach Mike Tomlin, and Duke’s wide receivers coach (2006-09) respectively.

The 43 year old coach previously played as an undrafted free agent out of Duke (2000) three seasons for the Denver Broncos (2000-02), having also spent time with the Carolina Panthers (2000), Oakland Raiders (2003), and AFL’s Georgia Force (2005) professionally.

Of course, Montgomery’s greatest coaching accomplishment this season was presumably the work he put in with Colts’ breakout superstar running back Jonathan Taylor, who debuted as an NFL 1st-Team All-Pro and as the ‘NFL’s triple crown rusher’, led the league in carries (332), rushing yards (1,811), and rushing touchdowns (18) respectively, as well as total yards from scrimmage (2,171) during all 17 starts.

Underhill makes a great point though that at least a small degree of Taylor’s tremendous success can be pointed to the Colts’ ability to run RPOs successfully—with mobile starting quarterback Carson Wentz also behind center, which at times made their running game very difficult to defend. Namely, when things were actually going really well there until late in the season.

It looks like Montgomery may very well have played a hand in that success too, and his loss would be a key one to the Colts offensive coaching staff—and overall running game.