Playmaker Mobile

Kissing Ray Lewis

Don't deny it. You know Suzy Kolber's thinking, "Ray, I want to kiss you."

(Somewhere Joe Namath is crying.)

- Dewey (@D3WEY & @PlaymakerMobile)

Nobody cares about the kicker, Dan

But Dan already knew that. That's why Dolphins kicker Dan Carpenter called his Mom while every other NFL player at Pro Bowl practice was getting swarmed by the media after today's AFC Pro Bowl practice. Actually I have no idea if he was actually talking to his Mom. For all I know he could've been doing a phone interview with a huge media outlet like, um, who am I kidding. Of course he was talking to his Mom.

- Dewey (@D3WEY & @PlaymakerMobile)

The closest you'll ever get to sleeping with a beautiful, female Olympic athlete

Playmaker athlete and Olympic sprinter Lolo Jones posted on Playmaker Mobile a photo of herself taking a nap after a grueling (read: boring) two-hour press conference.

- Dewey (@D3WEY & @PlaymakerMobile)

We talkin' 'bout PRACTICE?!!!

It's almost not an overstatement to say literally nothing happens on the field at Pro Bowl practice. Guys in shorts and t-shirts moving quarter-speed, catching a few balls, maybe throwing a few balls, and you're just as likely to see WRs pretending to be QB, or lineman pretending to be WRs, as you are to see guys playing their actual positions. Discipline is not exactly the M.O.

Which is why it surprises me they've still got guys taking care of the down-markers. As far as I could tell from the past two days of AFC practice, there is zero reason for this guy to have a job this week.

- Dewey (@D3WEY & @PlaymakerMobile)

New Orleans judge postpones jury trial 8 days so Who Dat Nation can go to Miami for Super Bowl

"Saintsmania. Who Dat Nation. The Holy Grail of the Vince Lombardi Trophy."

This is the legal basis for postponing a jury trial eight days, from February 1 until February 9, the day after You Know What. I mean, this was written by a legitimate judge, one sure to make the Ghost of Judge Wapner very, very proud.

Hat tip to Saints LB Jonathan Vilma, who sent me this PDF.

- Dewey (@D3WEY & @PlaymakerMobile)

More NFC Championship photos: Jon Vilma

Before it was post-game photos of Vilma, and now we've got in-game photos of Vilma, again courtesy of Playmaker Mobile friend and photographer, Mark Scott.

Thanks, Mark!

- Dewey (@D3WEY & @PlaymakerMobile)

 

NFC Championship photos: Jon Vilma

Photos courtesy of Playmaker Mobile friend and photographer, Mark Scott.

- Dewey (@D3WEY & @PlaymakerMobile)

Ray Lewis talks about the rest of his career

Ray Lewis appeared on Fox Sports Radio talking about the rest of his career with the Ravens, and connecting with fans via Playmaker Mobile.

Check it out here: 

- Dewey (@D3WEY & @PlaymakerMobile)

012310_Ray_Lewis_Interview

Win free trip to Miami for NFL Pro Bowl

Playmaker Mobile (i.e. that's us!) is giving away a free trip to the NFL Pro Bowl. Five days, four nights, airfare, hotel, be on the field to meet athletes like Ray Lewis. Plus free $500 gift card.

Enter multiple times via Facebook or via Twitter. Contest starts today and ends Monday at 11:59pm PT. The winner will be announced on Tuesday. By Friday the winner will be at the beach.

If you care about things like rules, or if you're in the mood to feel like a lawyer, or if you wanna go blind reading fine print, you can check out the rules here.

- Dewey (@D3WEY & @PlaymakerMobile)

Jonathan Vilma's season with the Saints

Jonathan Vilma has been a BEAST on Playmaker Mobile, posting literally hundreds of updates throughout the season. Below is a large handful of Vilma's Playmaker Mobile posts to date.

Enjoy and follow Playmaker on Twitter.

- Dewey (@D3WEY & @PlaymakerMobile)

Getting started on Playmaker
"For me, this is exciting for me, Playmaker Mobile that is, because I want to do something where I can get back to my fans and keep them more in touch than doing just a quick Twitter. I want to do something where I can get everyone involved into what I’m doing in the season. I’m excited about this season. I’m excited about what’s going. We have a good team."

"Good team" was an understatement, Jon.

Miami produces the best linebackers
He also put USC on blast for its claims that it is Linebacker University, that the Trojans produce better linebackers than "The U," about which Jon wrote: "Look at the linebackers who have been to the Pro Bowl in the NFL. You’re gonna see Miami guys up and down the list. Sorry USC. You can be #2."

This year each school has two Pro Bowl linebackers (Miami: Ray Lewis and Vilma; USC: Brian Cushing and Clay Matthews) but we're gonna give the nod to Miami because Clay Matthews is an injury replacement,
and also because Brian Cushing is not Ray Lewis.

Hurricane teammates
Vilma got ready for his matchup with the Bills (Saints 27, Bills 7) by posting scouting reports, which he does weekly, and in Week 3 he wrote this about Roscoe Parrish, his former teammate at the University of Miami: "His athletic ability is second to none. I’m happy for him. But of course not this week. I definitely won’t talk to him before the game. I might give him a cordial hello, but we all understand this is about winning and losing and right now I’m here to win."

Vilma & Friends held Roscoe to one catch for only five yards. Then he got ready for his Week 4 matchup against his old team, the New York Jets (Saints 24, Jets 10).

Vilma's playbook vs. the Saints

"It’s going to be emotional but I’ll do a good job of controlling my emotions because I don’t want that to cloud my emotions or my game, especially me being the signal-caller, the game is a little more cerebral for me, so I can’t have emotions in the way of my judgment."

Dirty Mark Sanchez
Vilma had this to say about New York's rookie quarterback, Mark Sanchez: "Rookie quarterbacks are going to make rookie mistakes, regardless of how good they are, how talented they are."

Speaking of "rookie mistakes," remember that dirty hit Sanchez laid on Vilma? Helmet to knee?

Vilma remembered: "When he did it, I was ready to get up and sock him one, but I restrained myself. I saw the flags come out and I know it’s a long game so I said let’s just take the points and get the victory."

Strong words for Brady Quinn
Vilma also had strong words for Brady Quinn after his cheap shot on Ravens LB/DE Terrell Suggs, who subsequently missed a number of games because of the cheap-shot injury: "What bothers me about this play is, for one, Brady Quinn is not a rookie—he's a second year guy. Two, he knows right and wrong, he knows fair and foul play. And three, as much emphasis as there is put on protecting quarterbacks, quarterbacks need to understand they need to do the same thing. There is a reason defensive players can't go low on quarterbacks. Look at Tom Brady. Look what happened to him. So why would you reciprocate and do the same thing if you're the QB? That's what really bothers me."

Bye week in Puerto Rico

Vilma in Puerto Rico during Week 5 bye

Rush 'N' Rams
During his bye week Vilma also chimed-in with his thoughts on Rush Limbaugh's failed bid for part ownership in an NFL franchise, the St. Louis Rams, and yes, the Rams are still considered an NFL franchise.

"I heard Rush is out of the bid for the Rams. I think they’re gonna find another minority-interest owner so they can bid for the Rams. It’s a tough position to be in because America says it’s the land of the free and if he has the money—IF he has the money—I don’t know if he did or didn’t—he should be able to buy a team, but of course his views, some of the things he says on the radio, it’s really tough for me as a football player, as a black American, to say, you know what, that’s perfectly OK with me because has enough money he should be able to an NFL team, especially when NFL teams, the majority of the players are black. It creates a very very very tense situation."

Fine for hitting Eli
The NFL loves its Manning boys! If you hit one, you might get fined. After beating the Giants 48-27 in Week 6, Vilma said, "definitely going to celebrate tonite and pray I don't get fined for my hit on eli lol..."

"The Fine"

So much for your prayers, Jon

Wildcat Ricky runs wild
In Week 7 the Saints beat the Dolphins but not before Ricky Williams racked up 3 TDs against the Saints defense, the most of any running back this season, and a performance that probably didn't surprise Jon too much considering he had this to say about Ricky before the game: "he can run you over, he can run by you, he can run in between the tackles."

He also probably wasn't too surprised by Chad Henne's dismal performance (45 QB rating, 2 INTs). Before the game, Vilma touched on Henne's skills: "No knock on him. He's not a Peyton Manning or Tom Brady."

Welcome home, New Orleans!

Fans greet Vilma when he returns after road game in Miami

The team needed a 21-point comeback to beat the Dolphins: "We scored 22 points in the 4th and they didn't score any. It was a great comeback for us and on the sideline it felt great that everyone had each other's back and we were ready to play, but there was definitely, most definitely, a feeling that we can not let that happen again."

Dirty Birds
In Week 8 the team defeated the division rival Atlanta Falcons, 35-27, and before the game Vilma blogged about QB Matt Ryan: "like most pocket passers and young guys, he holds the ball too long at times, or he may try to force it in if he didn't read the coverage right..."

Ryan forced it, all right, to the tune of 3 interceptions.

Wake-up call
Only one team swept the Saints last season. The Carolina Panthers. A fact not lost on Vilma & Co.

"Waking up bright and early for these guys... the only team to beat us twice last year. Our chance to return the favor starts Sunday."

Fact: Vilma wakes up earlier than me 

Playing the Panthers
Vilma's scouting report on DeAngelo Williams, who burned the Saints D in Week 9 for 149 yards and 2 TDs: "One of the things about him that's underrated is his power. Because of his size, players, defenders, sometimes we underestimate his power. He's able to run through a lot of tackles."

The Saints got the W, though (30-20) and Vilma came home to find this note from his neighbor:

New Orleans love

Who Dat?!!
Week 10 saw the season's first 'Who Dat?!!' mention, after New Orleans beat the Rams 28-23: "Who dat...who dat....who dat said they gona beat dem saints!!??! WHO DAT! 9-0 baby!!"

Biggest victory, longest winning streak
The team's Week 11 31-point victory over the Tampa Bay Bucs (Saints 38, Bucs 7) brought the team to 10-0, its best start in franchise history. Vilma also got his first INT of the season. He had 3 during the regular season.

"Not to be disrespectful or anything but [Bucs QB Josh Freeman] is a young quarterback and that's what shows on film right now. He's still learning the offense. You can tell he's going through his growing pains right now. You'll see the ball thrown but with a veteran you'll see it get thrown quicker."

Freeman's numbers on the day?
126 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs, 33.1 QB rating

Before playing the Patriots
"There may have been one or two people on our team who ever started 10-0 so this is new territory for us, so we’re all excited and we’re all happy to be 10-0 but we understand that after we watch the tape and get the corrections from Tampa Bay it’s time to move on to New England and you can’t look forward to being 11-0 you gotta work to get to 11-0."

Y'all already know this but New Orleans dismantled New England, 38-17.

"To play like that against a Belichick defense was huge. (Brees) did things against them that no one has ever done before, which only adds to his credibility as one of the best quarterbacks in the game."

Drew Brees: 5 TDs, 0 picks.
Tom Brady: 0 TDs, 2 picks.

Topping that, Vilma had a baby girl, his first child.

Baby Vilma!

Vilma's new #1 fan

Clinching the NFC South
Then came the team's first snow game, a Week 13 33-30 OT victory over the Washington Redskins. It clinched the division. Vilma got his second interception on the season.

"It's not football if u don't get at least 1 of these games a season...welcome to Washington yall, a lil snow never hurt nobody!!"

Let it snow, D.C.

"We had back to back possessions when we made plays, I had the interception and Chris McAlister caused the fumble. Those plays changed the momentum. They were leading the whole game and we stole the momentum. We were down 7 points with a less than two minutes left and our offense tied it with the big play. Football is an emotional game and when we shifted that momentum we were excited and it was push the pedal to the metal. For us to pull out a victory like that says a lot about the makeup and character of this football team and it will be good experience for the playoffs."

2009 NFC South champs!

Goodbye, Atlanta; thanks for playing
Vilma and the Saints then traveled to Atlanta, where with a victory they could clinch a first-round and also knock the Falcons out of the playoff hunt.

"What we see first is what we have to gain. We have a chance to clinch a first round bye. It's a division opponent, they understand how we operate and we know how they operate. Division games are always important. If we can knock them out of the playoff picture too that will be a little extra for us."

Vilma earned his third interception and four games, and must have been feeling nostalgic, because after the game he posted this throwback photo of him with the Hurricanes.

"The U"

13-0 with a first-round bye
"Man that is everything that I can imagine right now. As far as the season, the games haven’t been perfect but the record is perfect and that’s all you can ask for, especially this time of year and with the talent level across the NFL. Look at the teams we’ve faced. We’ve faced legitimate opponents. We’ve faced legitimate quarterbacks, running backs, you name it. We’re excited about where we’re at and there is MORE to come."

The coaching staff gave Vilma the game ball.

"The ball that sealed the deal vs ATL. Clinched a 1st rd bye. I think I like this "INT every week" deal I got goin here lol...another big game sat, better order nfl network now if u don't have it."

The ball Jon intercepted to seal the win

Fortunately New Orleans had that first-round bye locked down, because the team lost its final three games, the first of which, a home loss to the Cowboys, saw Jonathan get more tackles (14) than any other game this season.

Vilma's pregame scouting report on Tony Romo
"Tony Romo in my opinion is one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL. The thing about Tony Romo is that the team he’s playing on is probably one of the most scrutinized teams in the NFL so they’re gonna look at EVERYTHING he does, good and bad. With that being said you gotta take the media out of it and look at what he does on the field, on film, and what he does, he goes out there and extends plays, he makes the right throws, he can make EVERY throw, he makes the right reads, the guy can play. Every now and then he’ll throw an errant pass but at the end of the day what quarterback doesn’t try to fit it in there? I think he’s a good QB and a good fit for their system"

Dealing with the team's first loss
After the loss, Vilma had this to say about what the coaches said in the locker room.

"What was said in the locker room after the loss is that our main objective was not 16-0. Our main objective is bigger than this loss. It was a tough loss and there wasn’t much to say except move forward and grind away and get ready... at least it didn't happen in January."

Clinching the #1 seed
The Saints followed up its loss to the Cowboys by giving up a 17-point lead to the Bucs, losing 20-17 in OT. It didn't matter, though, because the Bears beat the Vikings and the Saints clinched the #1 overall seed.

"I stayed up and watched that whole Bears game. It goes to show that in the NFL on any given Sunday it’s not about records or who is supposed to win, it’s about whoever executes and plays the best game, that’s who will win the game on Sunday. It happened to us versus Tampa Bay. They were the better team and won in OT. We had a couple miscues. The same thing happened to Minnesota. They played a very good game. First half they played lights out. Second half they were able to hold on and pull out the victory in OT. That’s why you never take a team for granted. You go out and prepare each week as though it’s a Super Bowl game. Everyone is 0-0 or whatever you want to call it, because there are too many great athletes across the NFL. Any one player can make a difference."

Earning respect
"And to think...last year I only got 1 of each."

 

Jon's game balls and big-hitter "Bring The Wood" team awards

Playoffs! Playoffs!
Before embarrassing the Arizona Cardinals in the first round of the playoffs, Vilma scouted the Arizona offense and shared it with Playmaker Mobile. Here are some of his thoughts on KW and LF.

Kurt Warner: "Kurt gets the ball out quickly. He can find the open guy. It sounds simple but you’d be amazed at how many quarterbacks cannot do that in the NFL. He has a real knack for getting the ball out on time and reading and understanding defenses. One of his weakeness would be putting the ball on the ground. He does have a tendency to put the ball on the ground. Sometimes he does try to put the ball in where it shouldn’t be, to force it, but other than that it’s really nitpicking because the guy can play quarterback really well."

Larry Fitzgerald: "I wish there was a chink in Larry Fitzgerald's armor. If there is, nobody has found it yet. I don’t think so. I mean, the guy is GOOD. He can run after the catch. He can catch any ball thrown to him. He knows how to adjust his body in the air. Great body control. He’s tough as they come. Tough as nails. He’ll go across the middle. It doesn’t matter."

NFC Championship Game
Now it's time for the Minnesota Vikings!

"The fans should expect a high-scoring game, but for me, on the defensive side of the ball, I’m trying to prevent those fireworks, trying to keep it like we did against Arizona. Arizona was riding high, put up a lot of points the week before but they came and played us and it was a different story. So that’s what we’re hoping to do against Minnesota.

One thing about Minnesota is they’re a balanced attack. They obviously have, well, their talent is way up there, let’s just say that. They have a Pro Bowl quarterback, Pro Bowl running back, Pro Bowl wide receiver, Pro Bowl offensive lineman. They’re stacked and that’s a credit to them because they deserve it."