Tag: Jonathan Vilma

Former teammate believes Drew Brees can still excel in broadcast booth

Jonathan Vilma cited Drew Brees’ knowledge and work ethic as reasons he will have a bounce-back performance as a part of Netflix’s NFL broadcasts:

Drew Brees is making his return to the broadcast booth as a part of Netflix’s Christmas Day broadcast. Though Brees’ first attempt at broadcasting wasn’t well received, Brees is confident being in the booth is where he would shine and can excel.

One man that agrees with Brees is his former teammate with the New Orleans Saints, Jonathan Vilma. Vilma is no stranger to the broadcasting booth. The former linebacker has been calling games for the last five seasons.

He used that experience to give Brees a bit of public advice: “Just go out, be natural, be relaxed. And look, if you flub something, move on, right? If you mess something up, who cares? Because it’s three hours of football. It’s meant to be fun. It’s not meant to be perfect. Just go out and enjoy it.”

Because of Brees’ work ethic, Vilma believes Brees “watched his tape 20 times over how to improve.’ That seems to align with who Brees has shown us to be over his career. You don’t become one of the greatest quarterbacks ever without a detailed approach to the game.

Brees has flashed his knowledge in media before, and it’s easy to believe he can do it in the broadcast booth as well.

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Super Bowl 44 champ back on the call for the Saints in Week 15

Jonathan Vilma, Kenny Albert, and Megan Olivi will cover their third Saints game of the 2024 season this week against the Washington Commanders:

The announcers list for the Week 15 slate of NFL games has been put together, per 506 Sports. This week, the New Orleans Saints will have some familiar faces on the call, as they get Jonathan Vilma, Kenny Albert, and Megan Olivi for the broadcast once again this season. This will be their third time calling a Saints game this year, as they also called the early-season  matchup with the Atlanta Falcons, and more recently the game against the Los Angeles Rams.

In recent months, this crew has been generally favorable in the eyes of NFL fans and is generally one of the positive FOX crews as well. Many have been very up and down with their opinions of Tom Brady and Kevin Burkhardt through most of the season, though the Greg Olsen and Joe Davis crew also generally does a very good job as well.

Vilma, a Saints fan-favorite and Super Bowl XLIV champion, has always had strong breakdowns of plays, including pre-snap motion and play calls after the fact, which always gives some valuable insight into the minds of coaches and players alike. Many former players do well in broadcasting, but Vilma goes above and beyond, much like Olsen does in his broadcasts as well.

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A Super Bowl XLIV champ is on the call for Saints vs. Rams

The announcers for Week 13 have been revealed. Super Bowl 44 champ Jonathan Vilma is calling the Saints vs. Rams matchup on FOX:

The announcers for the New Orleans Saints matchup with the Los Angeles Rams this Sunday have been revealed, according to Yahoo Sports who announced the full list for all games.

FOX will have Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma, and Megan Olivi on the call for this matchup. Albert is in a family of many broadcasters, including his father Marv Albert (NBA), and his uncles Al Albert and Steve Albert. Kenny Albert handles events from all four of the primary United States Sports leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL).

Jonathan Vilma is well known by Saints fans, as he was part of the Super Bowl XLIV team, and was a five-year Saints linebacker from 2008 to 2013. He has called quite a few Saints games in recent years, including this year with their early season game with the Atlanta Falcons.

Megan Olivi has primarily a background in MMA, as a news and events reporter and host of UFC Ultimate Insider, a sports broadcast shown on Fox Sports 1. In recent years she has been on a few different NFL crews, including with Aqib Talib, Gus Johnson, Brandon Gaudin, and others.

The Saints and Rams will kickoff at 3:05 p.m. CT/4:05 p.m. ET from the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

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Announcers for Eagles-Browns matchup on Fox revealed

Jonathan Vilma & Kenny Albert to announce Eagles vs. Browns in Week 6

The Eagles are back from their bye and have started preparation for an intriguing Week 6 game against the Cleveland Browns.

It’s not the game of the week, but it still has a solid announcing team for the early game on Fox.  The game will be featured on Fox’s early afternoon lineup and features the team of Kenny Albert on play-by-play, Jonathan Vilma (analyst), and Megan Olivi (sideline) from Lincoln Financial Field at 1:00 PM EST on Sunday.

Cleveland is 1-4 and will enter the game with one of the league’s most inept and inefficient offensive units. The Browns offense has yet to score over 20 points in a game this season. Only the Dolphins and Patriots have scored fewer points per game than the Browns entering Week 6.

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Jonathan Vilma on the call for FOX broadcast of Saints-Falcons

Here’s a quick look at the broadcasters and field reporter for the New Orleans Saints’ Week 4 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons. Jonathan Vilma is on the call:

The New Orleans Saints will get one of their own on the call for their Week 4 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, with Jonathan Vilma as an analyst, as well as Kenny Albert on play-by-play and Megan Olivi reporting from the sidelines. So far this season he has had the following matchups as a broadcaster:

  • Week 1: Minnesota Vikings at New York Giants
  • Week 2: Seattle Seahawks at New England Patriots
  • Week 3: New York Giants at Cleveland Browns

The 2017 inductee into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame will travel to Atlanta, as the Saints play in a pivotal divisional matchup with the 1-2 Falcons who will look to take the second NFC South spot away in the standings.

It will be intriguing to hear how the former Saints Super Bowl champion views the team, and what his opinions on Klint Kubiak are, as well as the newfound offensive successes in the first two weeks, as well as their Week 3 loss. For a divisional matchup, it is only fitting to have someone from one of the two teams in the building on the call, as Vilma has first-hand experience of what this rivalry has been like in the past.

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Demario Davis selected for 2024 Pro Bowl Games as an alternate

Saints captain Demario Davis has been selected for 2024 Pro Bowl Games as an alternate, replacing Super Bowl-bound 49ers linebacker Fred Warner:

Congratulations are in order for Demario Davis: the New Orleans Saints linebacker has been selected for the 2024 Pro Bowl Games as an alternate, replacing San Francisco 49ers starter Fred Warner on the NFC roster. He’s the first Saints linebacker selected for back-to-back Pro Bowls since Jonathan Vilma did it in 2009 and 2010.

Davis, 35, was also named to the Pro Bowl Games last season for the first time in his impressive NFL career. He’s earned All-Pro recognition in each of the last five years with the Saints but this is just his second Pro Bowl Games appearance. He’ll be joining teammate Rashid Shaheed at this year’s event.

The 2024 Pro Bowl Games will feature several days of contests between the NFC and AFC all-star rosters, leading up to a flag football game scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 4 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. Fans can tune in on ESPN, ABC, Disney XD, ESPN+, and ESPN Deportes.

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Announcers in Week 16 for Vikings vs. Lions revealed

The announcers have been revealed for Vikings vs. Lions have been revealed

The Minnesota Vikings are set to take on the Detroit Lions in their winter whiteout game in week 16. The game will air on Fox at 12 p.m. CST and will be seen across most of the nation.

The announcers have been revealed through 506 Sports and they will be Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma. These two also called the week eight game against the Green Bay Packers.

Vikings fans are not the biggest fans of Vilma. He was on the New Orleans Saints during the Bountygate scandal and was a pivotal figure during that 2009 season.

Albert has been calling games for Fox for the better part of the last 30 seasons and has called multiple Vikings vs. Lions games over the years.

Jonathan Vilma on the call for FOX broadcast of Saints-Panthers

Jonathan Vilma is on the call for FOX’s broadcast of Week 14’s Saints-Panthers game:

Jonathan Vilma is coming back to the Caesars Superdome. The fan-favorite former New Orleans Saints linebacker is on the call for this week’s game broadcast, offering analysis from the FOX Sports booth with Kenny Albert on play-by-play and Shannon Spake reporting from the field. Kickoff with the Carolina Panthers is scheduled for Noon CT/1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Dec. 10.

Vilma knows Dennis Allen well; the Saints head coach worked on staff as their defensive backs coach on the Super Bowl XLIV-winning team. So he’s likely going to offer some well-informed analysis during the game.

The Saints can’t afford another loss, especially to the one-win Panthers. Allen’s team has fallen into a three-game losing skid (briefly interrupted by their bye week) that put them in third-place in the NFC South, widely regarded as the worst division in pro football. Here’s hoping Vilma can share his take on a much-needed win for New Orleans.

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Jonathan Vilma on the call for Week 3’s Saints-Packers game on FOX

Jonathan Vilma is on the call for Week 3’s Saints-Packers game on FOX. He’s become a familiar voice for Saints fans in his post-playing career:

Jonathan Vilma has always been a favorite among New Orleans Saints fans, no less for the fact he captained their defense to a victory in Super Bowl XLIV all those years ago. But he’s become a familiar voice in broadcasting with FOX Sports during his post-playing career, and he’ll be in the booth for Sunday’s road game with the Green Bay Packers.

FOX has announced that Vilma will offer analysis in Week 3’s matchup while Kenny Albert shares play-by-play, with Shannon Spake reporting from the sidelines. Vilma knows this team well. Head coach Dennis Allen came up on the Saints’ defensive staff at the same time Vilma was leading them to the playoffs. He helped mentor Cameron Jordan early the future Hall of Famer’s career. Odds are he’ll have plenty of nuggets to share during the broadcast.

The Saints will kick off with the Packers from Lambeau Field at Noon CT on Sunday, Sept. 24. Check here to see if your local FOX affiliate station will be carrying the game broadcast.

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NFC South Roundup: Panthers teammate says Andy Dalton is a ‘future Hall of Famer’

NFC South Roundup: Panthers teammate says Andy Dalton is a ‘future Hall of Famer’ and Bucs reveal new creamsicle throwback uniforms

We’re in the middle of the NFL offseason, but it’s been a busy week around the NFC South. Between teams preparing for training camp and recapping their summer so far, there’s plenty to talk about — helped by some bold soundbites from players around the division.

That includes Carolina Panthers running back Miles Sanders, who claims backup quarterback Andy Dalton (a former spot-starter for the New Orleans Saints) is a future Hall of Famer. Meanwhile, some observers are speculating about an Atlanta Falcons tank job targeting USC quarterback phenom Caleb Williams. And the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are bringing back their popular “creamsicle” throwback uniforms. We’ve got some highlights from our Saints coverage, too.

Get up to speed: