WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. -- Dennis Allen takes offense at the "Odd Couple" comparison that keep being made with him and New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.

"I think you guys seem to portray me as kind of a stick in the mud," cracked Allen, who is the straight man in such comparisons. "I like to have fun, too."

I'm not sure if I was the first to make the "Odd Couple" connection when I profiled the two coaches this summer, detailing how their yin-and-yang relationship can work with Allen as the detail-oriented teacher and Ryan as the mad-scientist schemer.

But I'm not the only one. Saints coach Sean Payton himself made a "Felix and Oscar" reference recently on "The Rich Eisen Show," pointing out the differences in how orderly they keep their offices.

When asked if they're more alike than people realize, Allen said, "I tend to think so. I mean, he's a helluva guy, right? ... We were gonna have him cut his hair and me grow mine out, but I don't think that would work."

What matters most, Allen stressed, is how well their partnership will suit a Saints defense in desperate need of a turnaround. Allen, who served as the Saints' secondary coach when they won the Super Bowl in 2009, was brought back this year as a senior defensive assistant after spending the last four years as the Denver Broncos' defensive coordinator and the Oakland Raiders' head coach.

Allen will work primarily with the secondary while Ryan remains the schemer and play-caller.

"I think it's a good match," Allen said. "The biggest thing is both of us are committed to winning, both of us are committed to putting our players in the best position to have success. And neither one of us has such an ego that gets in the way of us doing what's right."