Tyrann Mathieu reacts to the Saints' firing of head coach Dennis Allen

Tyrann Mathieu was among the many Saints players who spoke out and expressed their thoughts and opinions after New Orleans decided to fire their head coach on Monday.

“I’m from New Orleans, so I remember when we weren’t very good on defense.” Mathieu told Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. “We all contributed to the fact that he is no longer here. … I think from an accountability standpoint, this just provides an opportunity to come together and work more closely together.”

Although some fans express their joy and relief with Allen gone, Mathieu is not at all happy about the events that took place.

“(I’m) disappointed,” Mathieu said. “(It’s) heartbreaking. The first team I ever played where a coach was basically fired.”

Team owner Gayle Benson's decision to part ways with Allen came immediately after the Saints' 23-22 loss to the Carolina Panthers, one of the NFL's worst teams. This extended the Saints' losing streak to seven games.

While the Saints have been plagued by injuries and other issues and continued to struggle after starting the season with a two-game winning streak, there is no doubt that coaching has played a role.

Now the Saints will, at least temporarily, rely on the talents of special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi to hopefully get them back on the right side of the win column when they take on the visiting Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.