Tag: super bowl 44

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.

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Peyton Manning says Super Bowl 44 loss ended his Saints fandom

Peyton Manning says Super Bowl 44 loss ended his Saints fandom

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Fans’ relationships with their teams can be complicated. No one learned that lesson better than Peyton Manning, who grew up in New Orleans as a fan of his father Archie’s Saints. But decades later Manning found himself lining up against the black and gold in Super Bowl XLIV chasing an elusive second championship trophy.

And the interception he tossed to Saints cornerback Tracy Porter, who returned it for a legendary defensive touchdown to put the game out of reach, ended Manning’s Saints fandom. He briefly noted his fractured relationship with his childhood hometown team during Monday night’s “Manningcast” coverage on ESPN of the Giants-Buccaneers game.

“You grew up a Saints fan and you abandoned them,” Eli chided his older brother.

To which Peyton drily replied, “When you lose to them in the Super Bowl, you tend to abandon them.”

That’s understandable, I guess. The years of work Manning put to get into that position ultimately went to waste, and that’s got to be tough to accept. All that negativity is going somewhere, and this case it went towards the team he grew up cheering for. It would be nice to see him feel happy for his dad’s old team on some level, but at the same time he’s allowed to feel a certain way about it. Maybe Manning can reconcile with the Saints some day once he’s not feeling so hot under the collar.

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SEC Network hires Deuce McAllister to analyst role

SEC Network hires former Saints RB Deuce McAllister to analyst role

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Good news, SEC fans. Legendary New Orleans Saints running back Deuce McAllister accepted a position with the SEC Network to work as a college football analyst this year, bringing the proud Ole Miss product back to his old stomping grounds. His first assignment will be working the Sept.11 game between Auburn and Alabama State, so mark your calendars.

Interestingly, McAllister will continue to work Saints games for WWL Radio — he’s now joined in the booth by longtime television broadcaster Mike Hoss, who replaces Zach Strief. So he’ll have quite a busy schedule in the fall.

McAllister is the latest former Saints player to join the SEC Network, along with his teammate and Super Bowl XLIV champion Roman Harper (an Alabama alum) and fan-favorite tight end Benjamin Watson (who studied at Georgia). With Jonathan Vilma calling NFL games for FOX Sports and Drew Brees on the call for Notre Dame kickoffs on NBC Sports, there’s quite an assembly of former Saints on the airwaves this year.

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Watch: Peyton Manning’s father Archie presents him with Hall of Fame jacket

Watch: Peyton Manning’s father Archie presents him with Hall of Fame jacket

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Here’s something you don’t see every day. Iconic New Orleans Saints quarterback Archie Manning will be presenting his son Peyton for enshrinement to the Pro Football Hall of Fame soon, but before that he got the honor of putting a gold jacket on his son’s shoulders. The “golden moment” was shared on social media ahead of the weekend’s festivities.

Manning’s relationship with his father runs deep — he described the decision to have his father introduce him as “just a no-brainer” in a statement through the Hall of Fame earlier this summer. Manning won two Super Bowls in his storied NFL career, and he might have had three titles to his credit had his dad’s old team not stolen his thunder in Super Bowl XLIV with an all-time clutch interception returned for a touchdown by defensive back Tracy Porter. Such a shame.

Because the 2020 centennial class’ induction was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, those new Hall of Famers will be enshrined first on Saturday, Aug. 7. Fans can tune in for the 2021 enshrinement ceremony featuring the Mannings on Sunday, Aug. 8, at 6 p.m. CT. Manning will enter the Hall of Fame alongside Alan Faneca, Tom Flores, Calvin Johnson, John Lynch, Bill Nunn, Drew Pearson and Charles Woodson.

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New Orleanians Peyton Manning, Alan Faneca selected for HOF; Sam Mills overlooked again

The 2021 class for the Pro Football Hall of Fame included QB Peyton Manning and OL Alan Faneca, but overlooked Saints LB Sam Mills.

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The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced its 2021 class of inductees on Saturday night during the annual NFL Honors event, and it features several names familiar to Louisiana: quarterback Peyton Manning, who lost Super Bowl XLIV against the New Orleans Saints, and legendary LSU Tigers offensive lineman Alan Faneca. Other honorees include wide receiver Calvin Johnson, defensive back Charles Woodson, safety John Lynch, wide receiver Drew Pearson, coach Tom Flores, and contributor Bill Nunn.

Unfortunately, iconic Saints linebacker Sam Mills did not make the cut after again reaching the finalist stage. A leading member of the “Dome Patrol” defense, Mills was teammates with Hall of Famer Rickey Jackson, Pat Swilling, and the late Vaughan Johnson. Mills himself passed in 2005 after helping found the Carolina Panthers as an expansion franchise, having turned to coaching after retirement as a player.

He’ll enter his 20th year of eligibility in 2021, but enshrinement may continue to elude him. He’s joined again by the great Clay Matthews as well as a list of first-time eligible players like DeMarcus Ware, Vince Wilfork, Steve Smith Sr., Devin Hester, Andre Johnson, Robert Mathis, and Anquan Boldin. It’s a crowded field, and Mills’ supporters have an uphill battle ahead of them in making his case. Hopefully he gets in someday.

In the meantime, maybe the Saints can consider putting up a statue memorializing him, along with Jackson and their peers on the Dome Patrol? There’s plenty of room for it outside the Superdome.

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Saints beat Chargers, improve to 3-71 when trailing by 17 points

The New Orleans Saints have won just 3 of 74 games in team history when down 17 or more points, including their win over the Chargers.

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Well, that was an ugly win. But it joins one of the most memorable victories in New Orleans Saints history. The Saints have improved to 3-71 when trailing by 17-plus points after defeating the Los Angeles Chargers, who held a commanding 20-3 lead late in the first half (which Drew Brees narrowed with a leaping touchdown “run” over the goal line). Saints coach Sean Payton was understandably gassed after the game.

It’s just the second time the Saints have overcome that kind of deficit in the Brees-Payton era, and the third occurrence in team history. The last instance was an iconic win in their Super Bowl XLIV campaign, when the Saints rallied to defeat the Miami Dolphins on the road after going down 24-3 (final score: Saints 46, Dolphins 34). That’s a comparison Saints radio announcer Zach Strief, a veteran of that same 2009 Saints team, pointed to often during the game broadcast.

If nothing else, that illustrates how rare these sort of comebacks are.

This is also the second week in a row in which the Saints rallied back after going down multiple scores. Last week, the Detroit Lions jumped out to a 14-0 lead that they couldn’t hold onto. This time around, the Chargers tried to push the envelope, but the Saints were up to the task.

That isn’t the kind of good fortune they should count on week in and week out. Serious adjustments must be made during the bye week, both on offense (where yards have been hard to come by) and on defense (where too many yards have been given up uncontested).

Ugly as it is, a win is a win. The Saints are 3-2 and in the thick of the NFC South title race. Let’s see what they look like on the other side.

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Jonathan Vilma to call his first Saints game for FOX Sports

Super Bowl 44-winning New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma will be in the FOX Sports broadcast booth for Week 4’s Detroit Lions game

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Here’s a name known well to many New Orleans Saints fans: Jonathan Vilma. The Super Bowl XLIV-winning linebacker will be in the FOX Sports broadcast booth for Week 4’s road game against the Detroit Lions, his first brush with the Saints since leaving ESPN’s college football coverage team earlier this year.

Vilma has been working as a color analyst, paired with longtime play-by-play man Kenny Albert in the booth and Shannon Spake reporting from the sidelines. He was on hand to see his old rival Atlanta Falcons choke another big lead for a loss in Week 3 (this time to the Chicago Bears, after losing in similar fashion to the Dallas Cowboys a week earlier) but did a great job keeping his composure.

Now he’ll get something of a reunion with the Saints. Vilma joined Jonathan Stinchcomb and sideline reporter Meghan Payton to cover the 2019 Saints preseason games, so this is a role he’s used to playing. He’s also remained close with Saints coach Sean Payton and some of his old teammates in the locker room over the years, so he’s as clued-in as anyone else could hope to be.

Saints games have made for must-see television this season, which means Vilma can expect a large audience when they travel to Detroit. The matchup is scheduled for a noon CT kickoff on FOX affiliates across the country, but check back with us soon for exact details on which markets will be carrying the game.

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USC ends the exile of Reggie Bush, former second-overall Saints draft pick

The USC Trojans ended their disassociation with Reggie Bush, the second-overall pick by the New Orleans Saints in the 2006 NFL Draft.

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While he didn’t meet the lofty expectations put on him as the new face of the New Orleans Saints back in the day, there’s no questioning the achievements Reggie Bush made in college with the USC Trojans. They happened, even if the NCAA wished everyone could pretend otherwise — Bush helped win a national title in 2004, earned the 2005 Heisman Trophy, and gave everything he had for the Trojans in their 2006 Rose Bowl loss to the Texas Longhorns, one of the most iconic games in college football history.

Now, a decade after an improper benefits scandal brought the hammer down on USC and forced his disassociation from the school, he’s back. Initially banned for life, a 2017 NCAA rule change limited such school-individual disassociation to 10-year sentencings.

USC President Carol L. Folt welcomed Bush in a letter, writing, “I am pleased to inform you that all restrictions and prohibitions on your involvement in our athletics program are officially removed and you will be afforded the privileges and courtesies extended to all Trojan football alumni.”

Bush played 11 seasons in the NFL, winning Super Bowl XLIV with the Saints, and hadn’t so much as attended a Trojans game until he was tapped to help work the Fox Sports broadcast of a USC game against Utah last season. He was also inducted to the Saints Hall of Fame alongside Marques Colston in 2019.

It’s unclear yet just how frequently he’ll be seen at the Los Angeles Coliseum, but Bush’s status as one of the most prominent players from a program with as rich a history as USC’s means fans shouldn’t have to wait long. The more pressing question: how long will Bush have to wait for his Heisman Trophy to be returned?

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Former Saints kicker Garrett Hartley waived by XFL’s Seattle Dragons

Ex-New Orleans Saints kicker Garrett Hartley initially made the cut for the XFL Seattle Dragons team, but was waived due to poor medicals.

Super Bowl XLIV-winning New Orleans Saints kicker Garrett Hartley received tough news Wednesday: the XFL’s Seattle Dragons waived the 33-year-old, which Hartley explained was due to medical concerns. XFL News Hub’s Konnor Fulk first reported that Hartley would be waived. He recently joined the XFL’s Seattle branch last weekend.

Hartley announced his departure from Seattle on Instagram in an emotional two-minute video. He expressed frustration with the process, saying, “Unfortunately my time in Seattle has been cut short. Even with a world renowned spine surgeon’s backing as well as other experts, the XFL wouldn’t clear me to play.”

He was a long shot to stick in the XFL anyway, having last kicked professionally in the 2015 presesaon with the Pittsburgh Steelers. But a hamstring injury ended his NFL hopes, and it appears a spine issue will keep him out of the XFL. It’s a tough break for someone who has worked hard to get back to this stage, and appeared to get so close before the XFL’s doctors shut that door. It’s puzzling that Hartley’s medicals were cleared for his XFL workout and that he made it so far into the process as to be assigned a uniform before someone pulled the plug.

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Garrett Hartley joins XFL’s Seattle Dragons

Garrett Hartley, the kicker who helped win Super Bowl 44 with the New Orleans Saints, officially signed with the Seattle Dragons of the XFL.

Here’s big news from one former member of the New Orleans Saints: Garrett Hartley, the kicker who sent the Saints to Super Bowl XLIV with his overtime field goal against the Minnesota Vikings, has signed with the Seattle Dragons of the XFL. Funnily enough, it’s the same mascot as represented him at Southlake High School in Texas. Hartley announced his big move in posts from his official Instagram account.

Hartley, who turns 34 in May, last kicked professionally in 2014 with the Cleveland Brown, though he spent the 2015 preseason with the Pittsburg Steelers before a hamstring injury ended his year. He’s spent the years since trying to stay in shape and preparing for his next opportunity, while also logging a lot of hours in his turkey blind. He’s clearly grateful for this shot in the XFL.

Now, he’ll get to compete again as a professional football player when the XFL kicks off its 2020 season on Feb. 8, with Hartley’s Dragons starting on the road against the D.C. Defenders (in a game that will be broadcast on ABC). Their home opener is scheduled for Feb. 16 and will take place at CenturyLink Field, also the home of the Seattle Seahawks. More than 20,000 tickets have reportedly already been sold, and the game will be broadcast nationally on FOX, so Hartley will have quite the audience when it’s his time to shine. It’ll be easy to cheer for him and the other Saints players trying their hand at the startup league, which includes Dallas Renegades XFL draft picks Hau’oli Kikaha and Tommylee Lewis.

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