LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Dennis Allen has been an NFL coach for 24 seasons. He spent 15 of them in New Orleans.

The Saints hired him as an assistant defensive line coach back in 2006 and later promoted the former Texas A&M safety to secondary. Then he left to take a coordinator gig in Denver and a head coaching job with the Oakland Raiders.

He came back to New Orleans after the Raiders let him go — first as a senior defensive assistant, then a defensive coordinator, and finally a head coach. He spent most of three seasons in the top job before the team fired him nine weeks into last season.

If that left a mark, Allen isn’t showing it. The Bears’ defensive coordinator refused to fuel the narrative that Sunday’s game against the Saints at Soldier Field holds extra meaning after New Orleans let him go in-season.

Considering his personality and football-first mentality, that’s exactly what you’d expect.

“I mean, (over) 15 years there, a lot of good experiences, a lot of good people, a lot of wins,” Allen said in his Thursday press conference. “We were a part of a lot of success there. I’ve got fond memories of it, but this week is really all about let’s focus on the football. This is going to be about the players on the field, Bears versus the Saints; those guys will really determine the outcome of the game.”

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No one working outside the Saints training complex has more knowledge of Saints personnel than Allen. New Orleans is veteran-heavy, with lots of players who have been there a while.

Allen knows what makes them tick, what they’re good at and how some of them can be exploited. While that will surely and subtly fit into his defensive game plan, even if he wasn’t overt about it, Allen said the offensive coach hasn’t hit him up for insight.

“I think you look at the tape and the tape really tells you what you need to know,” Allen said. “Obviously, if anybody has questions, I’m more than happy to give my insight, but I think those guys on the offensive side have a pretty good handle of what they’re looking at.”

There will be an emotional component to the experience, though he has faced former teams in the past. He has played the Raiders before and won, and surely knows how to channel emotions appropriately.

The Saints are different, due to his long tenure there and his difficult exit.

“From the human aspect, I’m sure there’s something there with that,” Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards said. “But, also, we’ve been around DA for a while now, and he’s a guy who’s going to come in and get his message across, no matter who we’re playing. So I don’t think that’s … I think he’s going to put together a really good game plan, just because that’s what he strives to do for us, to put us in the right place, the right positions, to make plays in. I don’t really know too much about it, but I know we’re going to be excited for sure.”

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Allen was well-liked in New Orleans, so there’s no ill will between the sides. It’s quite the opposite, in fact, where players are happy for his success in Chicago and happy to see him again.

“Revenge game? I don’t hold any malice towards DA,” star Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan said. “If anything, I’m grateful for all the years that we had such high success. You watch the Washington-Chicago game and you can see the defense and the blitzes and everything that you’re familiar with. You love to see it, but it’s not what you want to see on Sunday.”

His impact will be felt on this game, more from a strategic vantage than anything else. He’ll have some wrinkles and unscouted looks to be sure. He’ll find ways to mix coverages and set up scenarios to get takeaways. He has also had a profound impact on Ben Johnson. That combination has made the Bears a better team.

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“Really, he’s been a godsend to me,” Johnson said. “He’s been incredible, not just from coordinating the defense, but he’s helped me every step of the way as well. So, very grateful for him to be here and everything that he’s done for this team up to date. But to your point, he’s been a very successful coach in this league for a long time, and I think you’ve got to continue to evolve.

“You can’t just be stagnant in this league or else someone younger, hungrier will find a way to surpass you and he hasn’t allowed that to happen. He’s done this at a high level and so just like you said, he thinks outside the box. He’s very smart, very creative and I think our guys are really starting to understand, ‘OK, he’s giving us a strategic advantage each and every week right now.’”

Allen will look to give the Bears an advantage, but he won’t do anything extra because of the opponent. He was insistent on that.

“This is the NFL. Everybody’s trying to win this week,” Allen said. “I probably wouldn’t try to make anything more of it than really what it is. It’s the next opponent on the schedule. I’m sure they feel the same way. Yeah, we’re excited about the opportunity.”