Tag: Jonathan Vilma

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.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

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.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

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.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

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:

Jonathan Vilma shares his painful take on the best-ever Saints team

Jonathan Vilma shared his take on the best-ever Saints team, acknowledging that ‘I don’t think about that season as a success’ in an interview with his old teammate Lance Moore

[anyclip pubname=”2123″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8169″]

Here’s a great interview from former New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma, who recently talked shop with his former teammate Lance Moore for Boot Krewe Media. When asked to share his take on the best-ever Saints team regardless of the season’s result, Vilma took a painful trip down memory lane.

“2011, it’s 2011,” Vilma said. “Bro, to be very frank for everyone that’s watching us, we felt like that season was a disappointment when we lost — especially the way we lost — to San Francisco. Like we were supposed to run all the way back to the Super Bowl. It still hurts to this day when I think about that season. I don’t think about that season as a success. All the records you guys broke offensively, we were humming on defense. And then we literally just s— the bed with a minute left in the damn game.”

Vilma grimaced, adding, “God knows how we let Alex Smith score a touchdown on us.”

That 2011 Saints team is the stuff of legend, rebounding from a stunning upset loss to the winless Rams in Week 8 to claim victory in each of the eight games left on their regular season schedule — including a 49-24 dismantling of the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants. Drew Brees broke Dan Marino’s single-season passing yards record, and four different players racked up 900 or more scrimmage yards while scoring six or more touchdowns:

  • Darren Sproles: 1,313 scrimmage yards and 10 touchdowns (7 receiving, 2 rushing, 1 punt return)
  • Jimmy Graham: 1,310 scrimmage yards, 11 touchdown catches
  • Marques Colston: 1,143 scrimmage yards, 8 touchdown catches
  • Pierre Thomas: 987 scrimmage yards, 6 touchdowns (5 rushing, 1 receiving)

But as Vilma said, it all came undone when Smith led a miraculous comeback in the playoffs. That Saints-49ers divisional-round matchup is widely considered one of the best playoff games of all time. The game featured four lead changes in the final four minutes, including touchdown catches of 44 yards and 66 yards by Sproles and Graham, respectively. But it came down to a 28-yard touchdown by Smith and a 14-yard scoring pass to Vernon Davis in the closing seconds to wipe that all away.

It’s a shame. If the Saints had won that game, they’d have hosted the same Giants team they ran off the field at midseason, and then all that stood in their way was a vulnerable New England Patriots squad. As Vilma said, it’s the one that got away.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

FOX announces broadcast crew for Week 18 Vikings vs Bears

The longtime play by play broadcaster will be calling another Vikings game on Sunday

The Minnesota Vikings have faced the Chicago Bears in the final week of the regular season three times in the last four seasons, and they’ll add to that total this weekend as they travel to Soldier Field. It was announced on Tuesday that Fox will have the broadcast crew of Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma, and Shannon Spake call Sunday’s matchup. This crew also called the Vikings and Detroit Lions in Week 14 where the Vikings lost 34–23.

The Vikings are still potentially playing for the number two seed in Sunday’s game versus the Bears, so this game definitely holds value. In the end, a loss wouldn’t matter that much, as the Vikings are set to host a playoff game regardless of the outcome. The hope for the Vikings is that they can come out healthy and focused on whoever their opponent is in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs.

NFL broadcast maps: Week 11 Saints-Rams game limited to home markets

TV coverage of the Week 11 Saints-Rams game will be limited to home markets, but Jonathan Vilma will be on the call for FOX Sports:

Let’s start with the good news. Week 11’s game between the 3-7 New Orleans Saints and 3-6 Los Angeles Rams will be broadcast on FOX with Saints legend Jonathan Vilma on the call, joined in the booth by Kenny Albert with Shannon Spake reporting from the sidelines. That’s a well-liked crew who should offer some valuable insight to the game.

But not many fans will get the opportunity to tune in. TV coverage for Week 11’s early-afternoon slate at FOX is reflected in this map from 506sports.com, with the regions shaded green receiving the Saints-Rams kickoff. That game will be limited to local markets around New Orleans and Los Angeles, with the vacancies around the nation filled instead by matchups featuring the 3-6 Detroit Lions, 7-2 New York Giants, 3-7 Chicago Bears, and 4-6 Atlanta Falcons.

Yuck. See if you’ll be getting the Saints game on Sunday, or if you’ll have to turn to streaming options instead:

Former Saints LB Jonathan Vilma to call Sunday’s Vikings game

Vikings fans are not too thrilled with this broadcast crew

The Minnesota Vikings sit at 4-1 on the season and head down to Miami to face the 3-2 Dolphins. The game kicks off on Fox at noon at Hard Rock Stadium.

Fox announced the broadcast crew for Sunday’s week six clash and the Vikings draw a crew that isn’t well-liked by the fanbase. Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma and Shannon Spake will be on the call.

Albert, son of legendary broadcaster Marv Albert, has been calling games for Fox for the better part of three decades. He is one of the better announcers in football. Spake is also a really good sideline reporter.

Some fans have expressed some annoyance that Vilma will be calling the game on Sunday considering that he was the main catalyst on the player side of Bounty Gate. He was suspended for the 2012 season for his actions.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyjpbajmjvnqmj player_id=none image=https://vikingswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Jonathan Vilma shares quality advice for Sean Payton on his broadcasting career

Jonathan Vilma had some brilliant advice for his old Saints coach Sean Payton in his turn to broadcasting:

Leave it to Jonathan Vilma to keep it real with his friends. The fan-favorite former New Orleans Saints linebacker welcomed his old coach Sean Payton to the FOX Sports broadcasting team this offseason, and on Sunday he was given the opportunity to share some tips of the trade. Payton is covering a full day of NFL games from the FOX Sports studio, while Vilma is in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium press box working the Saints’ rivalry game with the Atlanta Falcons game.

“Just do the opposite of what you did as a coach,” Vilma grinned in a video call with Payton at the studio. “Don’t be a jerk, don’t be a know-it-all, and don’t have that constipated look on your face all day on Sundays.” He and his old coach shared a laugh, but Vilma advised Payton to have fun and enjoy the new perspective on games. It was a great moment.

Vilma and Payton are still very tight given their history — having won Super Bowl XLIV together and then experienced a lot of turmoil during the NFL’s Bountygate scandal. Vilma has been a special guest of the team at times during Payton’s tenure, and now they’ll be working for the same network each week. It’s good to see one of Payton’s former players is close enough with him to chop it up like this.

[listicle id=115541]