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.
