It was just one of those things where you remember where you were when it happened. Just 43 seconds into the 2nd quarter of week eight in Philly, in a game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Philadelphia Eagles. You’ve seen the play a hundred times and so have I. At the time I gave it a quick “wow” because of the sheer surprise, execution and amazing athleticism displayed in such a random moment most likely born in an instance that had never been rehearsed before, unaware that just a few months later the same very play would take on a seizmic shift burgeoning from a simple double-take to a cultural phenomena worthy of novelty, magnamity and exclusivity.
EA Sports officially immortalized the leap Monday as Saquon Barkley was the slam dunk choice to grace the Madden 26 cover, coming off a 2,504-yard season that included a Super Bowl title in his first year as an Eagle. Barkley is the first Eagle to appear on the cover of Madden since Donovan McNabb in 2006.
Just How Epic?
It was quite an iconic season for the former Penn State star running back, who was the second overall pick by the New York Giants back in 2018. He found his way out of football Hell last March when New York decided not to resign their bell cow back to a free agent deal, so that Eagles’ general manager Howie Roseman could swoop down and seize the opportunity to hitch his team to an under tapped resource that would not only stabilize a premier offense, but jettison the team’s already potent ground game to new heights.
Spoiler Alert: It worked. It worked pretty well actually. It was just one of those years where you pretty much remember where you were every time you watched #26 rip off one of his seven-60+yard touchdown runs, three in the post-season while tallying up the most rushing yards in a season by anybody, ever.
Just How Iconic?
Amidst all of his explosiveness and domination, the 27-year old, in what became his most iconic moment in a season full of them – turned a check down pass in the left flat nto a quick burst that saw Barkley bounce past the first tackler, then spin into and out of a second would-be-tackler, culminating with a gravity and sanity-defying reverse straddle jump over a third stunned Jacksonville defender. It looked like a video game cheat code, something only a superhero could pull off.
That’s because it kind of was. Which lends itself as to why a 14-yard gain in a mid-season game, on a seemingly benign dump off pass, continues to grow to such legendarily epic and iconic proportions when stamped onto such an incredible individual season that the Birds’ RB1 produced last year.
When writing this piece, I summoned my 16-year-old daughter Sara for “quality control” purposes. She’s our resident dancer and gymnastic expert consultant. I asked her what the Barkley leap is called in her world. She said, “That’s a straddle jump.” I said, “Okay cool, thank you. So, I assume if it’s done backwards, it would be called a backwards straddle jump?” for which she replied, “Well, yeah but no one ever tries it backwards.” Okay so I walked right into that one, but it did beg the question that was asked of Saquon when he took a few minutes on Monday to chat with some NFL Insiders, that included former Eagle Brian Baldinger.
“Funny enough about that play,” Barkley told the triumvirate, “They had that move programmed into Madden last year but scrapped it. They thought no one would ever actually try it so they bagged it. Then I went out and did it… so they brought it back.”
Just How Outrageous?
That’s right – Barkley’s real-life leap was so outrageous, it forced EA Sports to dig into their vault and reinstate a move they thought was too unrealistic to keep. Turns out, it just needed the right freak athlete to bring it to life.
That’s when things got a tad surreal – when EA turned the gridiron into a Hollywood stunt stage complete with grips, paid actors, pulleys and tall gibs just so they could recreate the moment and capture its audacious spectacularity.
“When we recreated the moment for the cover shoot, they had to hook me up to wires,” Barkley said. “It made me respect guys like Spider-Man or Batman. That kind of control… it’s different. It made me realize how special it was.”Just How Special?
Now let’s get one thing straight – there’s no shame getting bested by the other’s team’s top joust man, especially when you have the guts to lay your game on the line, mano y mano live, with the world watching. I’ve always found it interesting that every time I’d come across the story or see a blurb about the story, the would-be-tackler from Jacksonville was always just referred to as the “defender”. If you happen to notice what stands out on the Madden 26 cover, there’s no jersey number, nameplate, or team logo shown on the defender Saquon leaps over. That man is Jarrian Jones, a talented cornerback from the Jaguars by way of Florida State who just happened to get punked by one of the most unexpected, iconic plays in NFL history, as it would turn out. Nothing embarrassing about being on the other side of that play, EA just apparently decided to not hang Jones out to dry.
Besides, he got jumped by a real-life Superhero. Stuff happens.
Just How Historic?
Barkley racked up over 2,504 total yards last season, including playoffs, the most ever by a player in a single season. His team’s Super Bowl championship just happened to fall on his 28th birthday. Now he’s the face of Madden. It’s not just iconic, it’s historic.
And yet, the man himself isn’t letting any of it get to his head.
“Even though we had a great year, you’ve still got to be obsessed with the little details,” Barkley said. “At this level, the needle only moves a little. So, we all have to reset and go climb again.”
The challenge? A condensed offseason that went five weeks deeper than most of the others did and that means parades, press, endorsements, celebration and much less time before it’s time to go again.
“It takes a toll physically, mentally, emotionally,” Barkley said. “But we know what it takes now and I’m very fortunate to have a mentor like mine, in Ryan Flaherty. He’s instilled in me a slower pace. I tend to move from one thing to the next very quickly. He’s taught me to slow down and celebrate your wins. Don’t move on too quickly. Take a few moments to stop and look around. Enjoy your accomplishments and celebrate them with your family, your people. Let it sink in. That’s how you grow.”
Success is no Accident
You also grow by understanding that success doesn’t happen by accident. It’s accomplished through purpose and intentional acts of relentless repetition. And the early returns from Eagles’ O.T. A’s a couple of weeks ago have already shown a team who still carry with them a hungered edge.
“You could feel it,” Barkley said. “Even in indoor work, the energy was up. Everyone’s hungry.”
And for anyone wondering whether the dreaded Madden cover curse might creep in?
“I don’t believe in curses,” Barkley said. “I believe in God. I’m going to do what I need to do, and so are my teammates. Then we’ll let Him do the rest.”
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