Keenan Lewis Blames Dennis Allen for New Orleans Exit
By Erik Lambert
Most will say it was bad health that got cornerback Keenan Lewis cut but the New Orleans Saints, but the 30-year old has another theory.
It’s well-documented that Lewis is still not 100%. He’s dealing with a strained adductor muscle that affects bot the hip and groin. Working back from such injuries are delicate and cannot be rushed. Lewis asked the Saints to be patient and let him play at “90-95%” so he could show them he has plenty of gas left in the tank. In the end the team wasn’t willing to wait any longer and chose to release him instead.
Yet he doesn’t believe their primary reason was because of the adductor problem. It was instead a long-standing antagonistic relationship between him and new Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. Lewis claims that the two never got off on the right foot dating back to the days they first met.
"“Dennis Allen, we never got along since day one. It was something that happened years ago,” Lewis said. “… Like he told me seven years ago, I didn’t have what it takes to make it. He told me face-to-face that I wasn’t going to make it. So I always used that as my motivation every time I see him.”"
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Odds are that exchange came back in 2009 when Lewis was coming out of Oregon State. Allen was the secondary coach for the Saints at the time. Being a New Orleans native, Lewis obviously would’ve loved the chance to get drafted by his hometown team. Instead he’s given the brush off by a young assistant coach. One can imagine how much that burned the cornerback.
It must’ve been entertaining for Lewis watching Allen struggle so much as a head coach in Oakland, but then less than thrilled when the Saints brought him back last year. Most likely this move was inevitable the moment Allen was promoted to defensive coordinator after the team fired Rob Ryan. Keenan Lewis has more reason than ever to show people he far from done.
Don’t be surprised if he seeks to sign with a team that has the New Orleans Saints on their schedule in 2016.