As you are almost certainly aware, ex-Rugby League golden boy Jarryd Hayne is in the process of trying to make it in the NFL. It’s a ludicrously difficult task but Hayne has been doing an admirable job of having a go. He’s hardly at the finish line yet, but he’s outperforming expectations.
Now he’s gonna be in Madden. The video game.
Well kinda…
Jarryd Hayne isn’t playable in the main Madden game, but he is now featured in the Madden Ultimate Team mode. For the uninitiated, ‘Ultimate Team’ is sort of like Madden’s version of Fantasy Football — it allows players to collect players, build teams and compete with friends. FIFA has a similar mode and they’ve become real money spinners for EA.
Today Hayne was revealed as the featured player in the Madden Ultimate Team Mystery Box, meaning that some fans have been able to add him to their team. Other players will be able to bid and trade him in the Madden Ultimate Team auction house.
I have no understanding of NFL or how any of this works, but EA Australia sent through this explainer of some of his ratings:
— 95 Acceleration – He gets up to speed incredibly fast, he’s on par with the elite running backs in the NFL in this category
— 93 Carry – He’s really good at hanging onto the football, all that rugby league training has taught him how to protect the ball and not fumble!
— 90 Juke Move – He’s able to cut on a dime and shake defenders who are about to tackle him, a tough guy to bring down in the open field.
This all seems reasonable to me, but I suspect that some hardcore NFL fans will protest. Hayne hasn’t even been selected as part of the main squad for the San Francisco 49ers yet. He’s done amazing things to even be in the running and has survived the first cut. Plenty seem enthused about his progress but it remains to be seen whether or not he’ll actually make it in the sport.
Regardless, this is pretty cool.
Comments
16 responses to “Jarryd Hayne Is Now In Madden (Kinda)”
i really dont see what the big deal is, plently of aussies have gone from footy code to the NFL and have been successful. Its not like the NFL is some super hard game that none but supermen have a chance to play.
Plenty of Aussies have gone to play as a kicker… Theres something like 4 that have been successful – Sav Rocca being the most recent.
All AFL players – No one has gone in there from Aus, thrown the pads on and been smashed by some defensive linemen. It is EXTREMELY hard to adapt to all the plays and the positions before the snap!!!
Those AFL players who went over there successful just played on a special team everytime the team needed to punt. Jarryd has adopted to the plays the 9ers are running and not only “getting” it but fucking EXCELLING in it!!!! It is a game of stats!!! the longest punt return last year by any 49ers was 23 yards and Jarryd smashed that with his first return.
Jarryd’s 53 yd rushing play was AMAZING for any newcomer – not just the fact hes an Aussie! There is a reason the American’s are clamouring over his merch… And its not just true blue aussie pride 😉
Plus it’s not like he played a bit of NFL on the side, or as a teen. He had never played the game before.
Lol pretty big deal to go from Madden to the NFL!
Like going from playing Fifa to be accepted in the EPL… It just doesnt happen haha
He’ll be a punt returner who can be a reserve running back. Those stats are a bit generous, he certainly won’t be a star running back this year (give him 4 or 5), which these stats seem to suggest.
Yer but there punters or goal kickers
Hayne is playing as an active player it’s a bit different kicking a ball and not been touched to using your athleticism to beat a defender
At the moment he is basically in as a wild card based on popularity. He will be a playable character if he makes the final squad.
I really don’t understand the fuss. As usual seems to just be local media agenda.
We have football players all over the world with more of a foot in the door than this player does in the NFL, yet we’re not seeing any love for them.
Over the past few weeks for example football player & our own national team goal keeper – Mat Ryan – has represented Spanish side Valencia in both La Liga and Champions League. We have our NT football captain Mile Jedinak captaining EPL side Crystal Palace – local mainstream media here barely mentions the guy.
Just on the weekend, Aussie Matthew Leckie won the game for his side in Germany’s Bundesliga, local commercial media acknowledgment, zilch. View below:
so these players went from playing soccer here to playing soccer elsewhere?
But……….that’s soccer, it goes a little somethin’ like this-
Kick the ball
Add product to hair
Kick the ball
Pretend someone 10ft away hit you in the back with a crowbar
Roll around in agony for an obscene amount of time
Get up
Kick the ball
Score a goal
Touch teammates inappropriately
NFL – spend over 50% of the game not playing, get one or two kicks if you are a kicker, touch the ball a few times or for some, just run and tackle people who may not even have the ball, get hit while wearing padding and rolling around as if in agony.
It doesnt equate. It would be just like if he went over to England and played Superleague or whatever its called these days!
A lot of NRL players do and you dont hear of them anymore
THE US MEDIA IS GOING NUTS over Jarryd!!! The fans are buying up the merch they’re making for him so much so Nike had to do an official run!
Do some reasearch instead of blaming the local media… And yes – I have seen Leckie’s goal through commercial acknowledgement – Get your head out your ass
http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/article/socceroo-attacker-mathew-leckie-relives-bundesliga-winner/133sw96l2xlqp13hvehox4h6xi
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/socceroos-leckies-stunning-strike-gives-him-hope-he-can-add-to-socceroo-tally-20150901-gjcky2.html
http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/robbie-kruses-loan-deal-with-stuttgart-can-re-launch-his-career-says-fellow-socceroo-mathew-leckie/story-e6frf423-1227508188499
I hate the Hayne hyperbole as much as anyone, but his NFL achievements deserve the attention they’re getting. Hayne had never played gridiron before this pre-season. He fell in love with the sport through the Madden video game series. To be on the verge of making a 53-man NFL roster is massive, especially when compared to athletes who have played the sport all their lives, like the footballers you mentioned.
I think Jarryd Hayne attempting to make it in the NFL is great, as it is for anyone who represents Australia in a sport abroad.
My point above was that this particular story is receiving an excessive amount of coverage from local media outlets compared to many other Australian sporting accomplishments abroad. I think it is perfectly fine to question why this is happening.
You only have to read against the grain of our current media and sporting landscape here in Australia to see why that is.
His ball protection during a carry is atrocious – watch the gap between elbow and body during his footage, he changes hands to protect the ball from oncoming tackles which is incredibly hard to teach though.
I hope he does well, it would be good to see more Aussies play NFL. I may even get somewhere near halfway the leaderboard in the fantasy football comps…
Stats seem a bit over the top.. this puts him in Reggie Bush territory.. Hayne looks good in the NFL so far but yet to prove himself to be that good.
Because I haven’t already heard enough of some guy playing football enough on my Facebook newfeed…