Nov 21, 2024
PHILADELPHIA — Like Michael Jordan’s iconic dunk from the foul line, immortalized in a bronze statue outside of Chicago’s United Center and adorning his billion-dollar line of Nike apparel, Saquon Barkley’s jaw-dropping reverse hurdle has quickly become his signature. And now everyone can do it. EA Sports announced on Wednesday that the Eagles running back’s “creatively extraterrestrial” backwards hurdle, which he performed in the second quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars three weeks ago, has been added to the latest update of the “Madden 25” video game. “It’s rare, this day and age, to see something that’s never been done before,” game designer “Spade” Etheridge stated on the EA Sports website. “That’s when we knew we wanted it in-game.” But not every player in the game can do it — only Barkley — and the gamer has to pull it off just the right way. “To trigger the spin hurdle, the ball-carrier must be Saquon Barkley, the defender must be incoming from a 45-degree angle in front of the ball carrier, the defender must be within a close proximity to the ball carrier, and the user must press the hurdle button with the right timing,” according to EA Sports. The move capped off an electrifying 14-yard catch and run in which Barkley had already juked and spun past two defenders before going airborne. “What really happened was, I was going to hit a double spin,” Barkley told Whistle Sports, a company specializing in social-media content, about the acrobatic leap. “When I spun, I went to spin again, and I just … it’s probably going to take away from how cool the play is … I thought he was going low, so I thought it would be cool if I could jump up … my body kind of took over.” The entire home crowd at the Linc gasped when it happened, and then exploded into cheers. Now, as the EA Sports slogan touts, “It’s in the game.” *** Remember, ahead of the Eagles’ trip to Dallas, when head coach Nick Sirianni let slip that Jalen Hurts was dealing with an ankle injury? The Eagles finally confirmed as much with a surprise on their injury report late in the day Wednesday, listing Hurts as “limited (ankle).” But the Eagles quarterback set out to put people’s minds at ease later that evening as the team prepares to visit the Los Angeles Rams. “Just a little program we have for our mini-bye, so I’m fine,” he said, referencing some extra days to rest following a Thursday game. “Throughout the course of a year, you’re just really making sure you do the things you need to do to stay on top of stuff, and that’s kind of what we’re doing. A lot of other players are doing it as well.” *** While DE Bryce Huff was scheduled to undergo surgery on his injured left hand Thursday, likely causing him to miss at least a couple of games, Sirianni was in wait-and-see mode about placing him on injured reserve (to open up a roster spot), which would mean Huff missing a minimum of four weeks. Second-year edge rusher Nolan Smith, who has gradually improved in both pressuring the passer and stopping the run, will see more time with Huff out. Huff, who signed to a 3-year, $51.1 million contract in the offseason, had some early struggles and currently has 10 tackles, 2.5 sacks and one forced fumble. —— Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X at @the_defranc.
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