TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- A chipper Jonathan Vilma gave New Orleans' struggling defense an emotional lift, while Drew Brees did the rest for the suddenly resurgent Saints.
Brees throws 4 TDs, Saints hang on to beat Bucs (Yahoo! Sports)
21 Oct
2012
2012
Saints LB Vilma active for game vs. Tampa Bay (Yahoo! Sports)
21 Oct
2012
2012
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- New Orleans linebacker Jonathan Vilma made his debut Sunday while appealing a suspension for his role in the Saints bounty program.
Ahmad Bradshaw, Terrell Suggs, Jonathan Vilma are active in Week 7
21 Oct
2012
2012
As initially reported by Kim Jones of the NFL Network and WFAN, New York Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw is active and will start today against the Washington Redskins. Bradshaw is 11th in the NFL with 449 yards entering Sunday, but has been very productive in the last two weeks, rushing for 316 yards and two touchdowns in wins over the Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers. Bradshaw has been hampered by foot injuries during his career and claimed to have had his foot stepped on during last Sunday's 26-3 win over the 49ers. Bradshaw missed practice on Wednesday and Friday and was listed as "questionable" on the official injury report, but will be a go against the Redskins.
Other injury situations Shutdown Corner was monitoring this weekend included New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant and Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma and Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs, both of whom were forced to miss the first six weeks of the regular season while dealing with injuries that landed them on reserve lists.
Graham, who was "questionable" with an ankle injury, was downgraded to "out" on Saturday.
I would trade anything to be with the guys on the field today. Good luck and bring home the win.
— Jimmy Graham (@TheJimmyGraham) October 21, 2012
Bryant tested his groin and will play against the Carolina Panthers, while Suggs was activated off the "Reserve/Non-Football Injury" list on Saturday and will play in a limited role against the Houston Texans on Sunday.
Here are the full inactive lists for the early slate of games on Sunday.
Tennessee Titans at Buffalo Bills
Tennessee: QB Jake Locker, RB Javon Ringer, WR Lavelle Hawkins, OT Byron Stingily, G Deuce Lutui, LB Colin McCarthy, CB Tommie Campbell
Buffalo: QB Tarvaris Jackson, OT Cordy Glenn, G Kraig Urbik, DE Mark Anderson, LB Kirk Morrison, S Delano Howell, K John Potter
Dallas Cowboys at Carolina Panthers
Dallas: RB DeMarco Murray, WR Cole Beasley, G David Arkin, DE Sean Lissemore, LB Kyle Wilber, S Matt Johnson, P Chris Jones
Carolina: QB Jimmy Clausen, WR Joe Adams, C/G Thomas Austin, DT Frank Kearse, LB Jon Beason, CB Chris Gamble, S D.J. Campbell
Baltimore Ravens at Houston Texans
Baltimore: RB Bobby Rainey, WR Deonte Thompson, TE Billy Bajema, T Jah Reid, G Ramon Harewood, NT Ma'ake Kemoeatu, CB Asa Jackson
Houston: OT Andrew Gardner, G Brandon Brooks, C/G Chris White, DE David Hunter, LB Barrett Ruud, CB Roc Carmichael, S Quintin Demps
Cleveland Browns at Indianapolis Colts
Cleveland: RB Brandon Jackson, WR Mohamaed Massaquoi, TE Alex Smith, G Jason Pinkston, LB Scott Fujita, CB Dimitri Patterson, S Tashaun Gipson
Indianapolis: RB Donald Brown, G Joe Reitz, DT Fili Moala, DT Martin Tevaseu, DE Cory Redding, LB Robert Mathis, CB Darius Butler
Arizona Cardinals at Minnesota Vikings
Arizona: QB Kevin Kolb, FB Anthony Sherman, TE Todd Heap, G Senio Kelemete, LB Reggie Walker, CB Greg Toler, S Kerry Rhodes
Minnesota: QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson, WR Jarius Wright, OT Mark Asper, DE D'Aundre Reed, LB Audie Cole, CB Brandon Burton, S Mistral Raymond
Washington Redskins at New York Giants
Washington: QB Rex Grossman, WR Pierre Garcon, G Adam Gettis, G Josh LeRibeus, DE Doug Worthington, CB David Jones, S Brandon Meriweather
NY Giants: WR Jerrell Jernigan, TE Adrien Robinson, OT James Brewer, DT Rocky Bernard, DE Adewale Ojomo, LB Jacquian Williams, S Kenny Phillips
Green Bay Packers at St. Louis Rams
Green Bay: RB Johnny White, WR Greg Jennings, C/G Greg Van Roten, DT B.J. Raji, LB Nick Perry, CB Sam Shields
- The Packers only have 52 players on their active roster, so they only need six inactives.
St. Louis: QB Austin Davis, RB Terrance Ganaway, WR Danny Amendola, OT Rodger Saffold, OT Wayne Hunter, DT Matt Conrath, LB Mario Haggan
New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
New Orleans: RB Chris Ivory, TE Jimmy Graham, OT Bryce Harris, DE Turk McBride, DT Tyrunn Walker, LB David Hawthorne, CB Elbert Mack
Tampa Bay: RB Michael Smith, WR Chris Owusu, TE Danny Noble, C Cody Wallace, LB Jacob Cutrera, LB Najee Goode, S Keith Tandy
Commissioner Goodell re-issues bounty discipline (Yahoo! Sports)
09 Oct
2012
2012
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell upheld the suspensions of Jonathan Vilma and Will Smith on Tuesday for their role in the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal and reduced penalties for Scott Fujita and Anthony Hargrove.
Jonathan Vilma tweets phone number, email address of ESPN producer
27 Sep
2012
2012
By now, it's pretty well established that New Orleans Saints middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma will go to great lengths to defend his reputation. Suspended for the 2012 season by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for his alleged involvement in an illegal bounty program, Vilma filed multiple lawsuits against Goodell and had his suspension overturned by a three-member appeals panel just before the start of the season.
So when Vilma found out that ESPN was conducting a character study on him that would air on "SportsCenter" this upcoming weekend, his reaction was not to say "Splendid. Remind me to set the DVR and invite all my closest friends over to watch." No, the social network-savvy linebacker took to Twitter and got out in front of the report.
Why is ESPN secretly conducting a character study on me?? they really think I wouldn't find out?!? Ill post the letter tomm[orow]
— Jonathan Vilma (@JonVilma51) September 27, 2012
An hour or so after the above tweet, Vilma decided to publicly expose ESPN's programming plans by tweeting a picture of the letter that ESPN features producer Barry Abrams had sent to potential interview subjects. Vilma received the letter from former NFL linebacker Eric Barton, Vilma's teammate with the New York Jets from 2004 through 2007.
The hell with it, no ESPN its not a secret can't wait to see the show... twitter.com/JonVilma51/sta… — Jonathan Vilma (@JonVilma51) September 27, 2012
Surely ESPN's producer knew that word would eventually reach Vilma that the network was attempting to do a character study. If that was at all a concern, it wouldn't have reached out to a former teammate who, like Vilma, has been suspended by the National Football League. (Barton was suspended for the first four games at the start of the 2011 regular season, but had already decided to hang up his cleats.) The only misstep by ESPN's producer may have been not expecting Vilma to react so publicly, which may have resulted in a lot of voicemails, emails and tweets from some of the 101,000-plus people that follow the linebacker on Twitter.
As for Vilma's legal situation, Larry Holder of the Times-Picayune reports that Vilma's legal team is scheduled to meet with the legal team for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell Thursday in downtown New Orleans.
NFL seeking to block Vilma’s request for evidence (Yahoo! Sports)
24 Sep
2012
2012
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- The NFL on Monday asked a federal judge to block Jonathan Vilma's demands for evidence in the league's bounty probe of the Saints, and a magistrate has ordered lawyers in the case to convene in New Orleans on Thursday to discuss the matter.
Monday’s Sports in Brief (Yahoo! Sports)
18 Sep
2012
2012
NEW YORK (AP) -- The NFL presented Jonathan Vilma and his attorney with a sworn statement from former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams saying the linebacker placed a $10,000 bounty on Brett Favre.
Affidavit says Vilma offered $10,000 to hurt Favre (Yahoo! Sports)
17 Sep
2012
2012
NEW YORK (AP) -- The NFL presented Jonathan Vilma and his attorney with a sworn statement from former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams saying the linebacker placed a $10,000 bounty on Brett Favre.
NFL issues statement on appeals panel ruling; Vilma’s attorney strikes back
13 Sep
2012
2012
Last week, a three-member panel overturned the bounty suspensions of four current and former New Orleans Saints players — linebacker Jonathan Vilma (2012 season), defensive end Will Smith (four games), free-agent defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove (eight games) and Cleveland Browns linebacker Scott Fujita (three games) — clearing the path for the four players to play in last weekend's games. Smith was the only player to actually play on Kickoff Weekend, but the ruling was deemed to be a setback to the league, even though the panel kept the door open for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to re-suspend the players.
[Jason Cole: NFL needs arbitrator working with Goodell on discipline issues]
Thursday, nearly a week after the appeals panel issued its ruling, the National Football League released a statement to help clarify what the appeal panel had actually done.
In light of some confusion surrounding the ruling of the CBA Appeals Panel, it is important to understand what the panel did and did not rule. The panel did not overturn the suspensions and did not say Commissioner Goodell overstepped his authority.
The panel's decision asks no more than that the commissioner clarify his earlier rulings to ensure — and to clearly state — that no part of the prior ruling was attributable to matters within Professor Burbank's authority (salary cap violations). It does not require the commissioner to take additional evidence or to "reweigh" the evidence currently in the record. The panel did not take issue with any findings that were made in the course of the investigation, did not exonerate anyone involved, and did not say that the commissioner "overstepped his authority."
The panel made clear that the commissioner had full authority to impose discipline on the players so long as the discipline was attributable to conduct detrimental to the league, rather than "undisclosed compensation." The panel asked only that he clarify that he was not relying on the "undisclosed" nature of the financial incentives in imposing the discipline. In the meantime, the panel put the suspensions on hold.
So Goodell could still suspend the four players, but the commissioner has said that he hopes to meet with the four suspended players "as soon as possible," with Tuesday, Sept. 18 reportedly the date that meeting would occur. According to Albert Breer of the NFL Network, Vilma has requested a separate meeting with the commissioner, which is scheduled to take place on Monday.
Since billable hours remains a subplot of the entire issue, in advance of that meeting, and in response to the statement put forth by the NFL, Peter Ginsberg, the attorney for Vilma, issued a statement of his own.
"It is interesting and illuminating that it took the NFL almost one week to develop a publishable rationalization of the Appeals Board decision," Ginsberg said via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. "Contrary to the NFL's media statement, the Appeals Panel voided the suspensions — it did not 'put the suspensions on hold,' as the NFL now pretends. And the Appeals Board is clearly based on the conclusion that the commissioner overstepped his jurisdiction."
[Also: Saints' Sean Payton is still coaching … his son's team of sixth-graders]
This matter should heat up in the early part of next week, provided the meetings between the players and Goodell actually happen.
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