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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
John Sigler

Jonathan Vilma assigned to Saints-Falcons broadcast on FOX in Week 1

A familiar voice will be on the call when the New Orleans Saints kick off with the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday: FOX Sports has assigned legendary former Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma to its Week 1 broadcast of the game, along with his usual booth partner Kenny Albert on play-by-play and sideline reporter Shannon Spake checking in from the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. His old coach Sean Payton was hired by FOX Sports earlier this year, joining their in-studio pregame show.

Vilma has done well on the mic for Saints games in the past, sharing some insightful commentary and anecdotes from his playing career. And while most of his old Saints teammates have moved on (he last played in 2013; of that year’s Saints team, only Cameron Jordan remains after Malcolm Jenkins’ retirement with Thomas Morstead and Terron Armstead joining the Miami Dolphins) he does share a history with first-year head coach Dennis Allen.

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Allen was the Saints’ secondary coach when Vilma arrived in New Orleans through a 2008 trade with the New York Jets, and they won Super Bowl XLIV together. Maybe he’s got some fun stories to share from their time together. We’re sure to get some great memories from Vilma’s experience in the storied Saints-Falcons rivalry — New Orleans went 9-3 against Atlanta when he was calling defensive plays for them.

We’ll be tuning in to find out what Vilma has in store for us. The Saints are scheduled for a 1 p.m. ET/noon CT kickoff from Atlanta United FC’s big soccer stadium, which also hosts sparsely-attended Falcons games, on Sunday, Sept. 11. It’s an ideal environment for the Saints to begin their 2022 regular season, playing against their little-brother rivals in front of a lot of visiting fans and with a friendly broadcast crew on the call. Let’s see if Allen’s Saints tenure starts off with a bang.

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