Eagles' Saquon Barkley announced as Madden NFL 26 cover athlete
Barkley's sensational backward hurdle over a defender from Week 9 of last year's Super Bowl-winning season is depicted on the standard cover. The deluxe edition features a tight shot of Barkley in his game-day gear.
Barkley last season set an NFL single-season rushing record, postseason included, topping the mark of 2,476 yards set by Terrell Davis. He ended perhaps the greatest debut season of any free agent in Philadelphia sports history with 2,504 yards rushing and 18 rushing touchdowns.
'Starring on the cover of Madden NFL 26 and being named to the Madden NFL '99 Club' are both dreams come true,' Barkley said in an EA Sports news release. 'I'm grateful to my teammates, coaches, and Eagles fans for their support, and I can't wait to hit the field again to give Madden players more highlight-reel moments in Madden NFL 26.'
Barkley is the first Eagles player on the cover since Donovan McNabb was on Madden 06.
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Winnipeg Free Press
4 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Good coach, great dad
Ron Gustafson earned the nickname Magic for his ability to turn seemingly nothing plays into magical moments during his college football career at the University of North Dakota. The speedy, sure-handed wide receiver set a number of school receiving records with the squad between 1971 and '74. Along the way he was named a team captain, earned All-American status and was selected to the school's All-Century Team in 1994 as one of the top 100 players in North Dakota history. In 1975, he was drafted by the NFL's New Orleans Saints and later had stints with Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Rams and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL. Truth be told, Gustafson wove his magic in pretty much any sport he tried his hand at. Softball? He was a member of Canada's national softball team that participated in the 1981 World Games in Santa Clara, Calif. Baseball? He was scouted by the Cincinnati Reds while attending high school in Duluth, Minn. Track? Although he only dabbled in it, he could beat his brother Gord, a top-rated college sprinter, in a head-to-head race. Perhaps most telling is the fact his sporting accomplishments landed him in nine different halls of fame. Phil Hossack / Free Press Ron Gustafson was an inspiring football coach. 'I think that people like Ron are such gifted athletes that they can just take up any sport,' says Monica, his wife of 48 years. 'I was the exact opposite. I remember one time I took him roller-skating. He'd never roller-skated before. I thought, aha, finally something I'm better at than him, but he was skating circles around me by the end of the night.' Gustafson died Jan. 17 in Kingsville, Ont. (he and Monica moved there in 2023), following complications of a rare heart condition. A celebration of his life was held June 14 at St. Paul's High School in Winnipeg. While he excelled at multiple sports, none held quite the same sway with Gustafson as football and that was one of the main reasons why he accepted a scholarship to play at UND, where he became one of the leading pass-catchers in U.S. college football. A career in the pros seemed almost a certainty, especially after he was chosen by the Saints in the 1975 NFL draft. He attended training camp with the Saints where he caught passes from future Pro Bowl quarterback Archie Manning. Despite a solid performance in camp, he was released. He was later signed by the Blue Bombers, whose general manager at the time, Paul Robson, was a UND alumnus. He was later cut by the Bombers after failing his physical due to a wonky knee. The Saints re-signed him a year later and assured him he would have every opportunity to make the team. It wasn't to be. He was claimed on waivers by the Atlanta Falcons and was later released. Gustafson decided enough was enough and decided to get on with life after football. SUPPLIED High school backfield, with Ron Gustafson on the left. Son Erik, who ended up playing football with the University of Manitoba Bisons and won a Vanier Cup national championship with the team in 2007, says his dad had no lingering bitterness over how his pro career played out. 'Dad always had a competitive fire, so he just channelled it into other things,' he says. Chief among those endeavours was coaching. An education major at UND, he moved to Winnipeg with Monica in 1977 and was hired as a teacher at Churchill High School where he was recruited to join the football team's coaching staff. He spent four seasons as the team's offensive co-ordinator and was a big part of the Bulldogs team that won its first Winnipeg High School Football League championship in 1981. In 1982, Gustafson left Churchill to join Grant Park High School where he served as head coach of the Pirates football team for 16 seasons until retiring from coaching in 1997. It was at Churchill that Gustafson became close friends with Brian Dobie, the Bulldogs head coach who would later go on to guide the U of M Bisons football squad. Dobie says the one thing he remembers most about Gustafson as a coach was the commanding presence he had. SUPPLIED Ron Gustafson as an all-American football player at the University of North Dakota. 'Ron just has a presence about him. With his (football) resumé, players respected him and looked up to him and even kind of idolized him. He had a background that they kind of dreamed of having for themselves,' he recalls. Their friendship endured even when they were patrolling different sidelines. 'One of the things I really respected about him as a coach and absolutely as a friend is Ron really listened. He was a great listener,' Dobie says. 'He would listen and then respond and his response always carried weight because Ron was so genuine. He would tell you like it was and because you trusted him it was easy to accept even if it was something that went against the grain.' As for Gustafson's passion for coaching, his wife says it all came down to a desire to help others and repay all the great coaches he had along the way. 'I think two or three of the most influential people in his life outside of family were coaches,' Monica says. SUPPLIED Ron Gustafson during his time with the NFL's New Orleans Saints. 'Although Ron had a great upbringing with his family, there were a lot of kids who didn't and he knew coaches can be a great influence for kids. (Since his death) so many of the kids he coached have reached out to me and said, 'I was on a bad path,' and told me what he did for them and how they'll never forget him.' Gustafson's contributions to the game of football didn't end when his coaching career did. In 1998 he became the commissioner of the WHSFL and served in that capacity until he retired from education in 2009. As commissioner, he was instrumental in expanding the league and creating a tier system to create more opportunities for young men to play the game. One of the most influential figures in Gustafson's life was his father Reuben, a talented softball player in his own right and one of Ron's first coaches. As valuable as the athletic teachings he learned from his dad on the field of play were, it was the life lessons he shared that helped shape the man Gustafson would become. Gustafson's mom, Mildred, suffered from rheumatoid arthritis and had to use a wheelchair from the age of 14. In addition to working at a local steel mill, Reuben was a doting husband and attentive father, traits Gustafson would inherit. 'I saw in him everything I wanted in a husband. It had nothing to do with athletics,' Monica recalls of Ron when they started dating as seniors at UND. SUPPLIED Ron Gustafson and his wife, Monica, in Paris. 'I remember after we started dating, he invited me to a wedding in Duluth. We went and that's when he became Ron. He wasn't Magic, he was just Ron. I saw him as the person he really was. I saw how his father did everything for his mother. I thought if the apple didn't fall far from the tree, than this was the man I wanted to be with.' Ron and Monica were married in July of 1977 in the latter's hometown of Thunder Bay, Ont. They moved to Winnipeg later that year where the both landed jobs in the education field. A short time later they started a family, with daughter Kari being born in 1980 and Erik arriving in 1983. Football was very much a family affair for the Gustafsons. When Ron was coaching at Grant Park it wasn't uncommon to see daughter Kari running the downs markers, Erik working as the team water boy and Monica recording the game stats. Wednesdays Sent weekly from the heart of Turtle Island, an exploration of Indigenous voices, perspectives and experiences. And while he was a good coach, his kids says he was an even better dad. 'He never missed a game in any sport we played. He never missed a dance recital of any kind. He drive us across the country. He wanted us to succeed in all things. You couldn't ask for anything else,' Erik recalls. 'He was just a really great dad,' Kari adds. SUPPLIED Ron Gustafson's family with the Vanier Cup. 'He was always very supportive and good to talk to. He was also this quiet observer who could whip a zinger out of nowhere. When we would go to visit family he was the favourite uncle across the board for all of the kids. My cousins would just devolve into giggles anytime he came into the room.' fpcity@
Winnipeg Free Press
10 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Titans edge Falcons 23-20
ATLANTA (AP) — Kendell Brooks scored on a 53-yard interception return and rookie quarterback Cameron Ward had mixed results as the Tennessee Titans beat the Atlanta Falcons 23-20 in a preseason game Friday night. Joey Slye's 23-yard field goal with 9:03 remaining gave Tennessee (1-1) the lead. Falcons backup quarterback Emory Jones was stopped on a fourth-down run near the Tennessee 20 with 2:57 remaining. Jones was shaken up on the hit by linebacker Amari Burney and cornerback Jemari Harris. Jones walked off the field with assistance. Ward played three series and completed 2 of 7 passes for 42 yards. Ward's highlight was a 35-yard completion to Elic Ayomanor on the Titans' opening series. Ward, the No. 1 overall pick in this year's NFL draft, had another long pass dropped by Van Jefferson. The teams traded third-quarter touchdowns. Jemar Jefferson's 16-yard scoring run, which capped a 13-play drive, gave the Titans a 20-13 lead. Easton Stick, who played the first three quarters for Atlanta, threw a 52-yard scoring pass to Chris Blair to tie the game. Brandon Allen, who played behind Ward, threw a 25-yard scoring pass to tight end Gunnar Helm late in the first half. Nathan Carter produced the Falcons' first touchdown with a 43-yard run in the third quarter. Younghoe Koo kicked field goals of 42 and 36 yards for Atlanta (0-2). SEAHAWKS 33, CHIEFS 16 SEATTLE (AP) — Sam Darnold looked the part of a franchise quarterback in his first appearance at Lumen Field as Seattle beat Kansas City. Darnold, who did not appear in the Seattle Seahawks' preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders, completed 4 of 4 passes for 34 yards on the opening drive. Darnold, who signed to a three-year, $100.5 million contract with Seattle in the offseason, made good use of both his legs and his tight ends during his sole series. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. He had no issues rolling out to either his left or right, locating tight ends AJ Barner and Elijah Arroyo for short passes, as well as fullback Robbie Ouzts and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba for deeper completions. Backup quarterback Drew Lock impressed in relief of Darnold, throwing a couple of touchdown passes to wide receiver Jake Bobo, and completing 10 of 12 passes for 129 yards. Running backs Zach Charbonnet and Damien Martinez each added touchdowns on the ground in the first and third quarters, respectively. The Chiefs, meanwhile, did not play quarterback Patrick Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelce and other starters from the team that fell to the Philadelphia Eagles in last season's Super Bowl. Backup quarterback Gardner Minshew found tight end Robert Tonyan for a 1-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter.
Winnipeg Free Press
10 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Sam Darnold impresses in preseason debut with Seattle Seahawks, win against Kansas City Chiefs
SEATTLE (AP) — Sam Darnold looked the part of a franchise quarterback in his first appearance at Lumen Field as the Seattle Seahawks beat the beat the Kansas City Chiefs 33-16 in a preseason game on Friday night. Darnold, who did not appear in the Seattle Seahawks' preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders, completed 4 of 4 passes for 34 yards on the opening drive. Darnold, who signed to a three-year, $100.5 million contract with Seattle in the offseason, made good use of both his legs and his tight ends during his sole series. He had no issues rolling out to either his left or right, locating tight ends AJ Barner and Elijah Arroyo for short passes, as well as fullback Robbie Ouzts and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba for deeper completions. Backup quarterback Drew Lock impressed in relief of Darnold, throwing a couple of touchdown passes to wide receiver Jake Bobo, and completing 10 of 12 passes for 129 yards. Running backs Zach Charbonnet and Damien Martinez each added touchdowns on the ground in the first and third quarters, respectively. The Chiefs, meanwhile, did not play quarterback Patrick Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelce and other starters from the team that fell to the Philadelphia Eagles in last season's Super Bowl. Backup quarterback Gardner Minshew found tight end Robert Tonyan for a 1-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter. The Seahawks' defense in large part held strong, limiting the Chiefs' reserves to three points in the second half. Kansas City wide receiver Skyy Moore, though, did return a punt for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Scampering Seahawks After rushing for the fifth-fewest yards as a team in 2024, the Seahawks have made it their prerogative to be more effective on the ground in 2025. They demonstrated on Friday, racking up 268 rushing yards on 48 carries. Five different players rushed for at least 30 yards. Tight end time Since Noah Fant is now a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, tight end remains a key position battle for the Seahawks. Arroyo and Barner combined for three catches and 24 yards on Friday, not letting any passing attempts escape them despite slippery conditions. Barner is the more veteran player, with 30 catches and 245 receiving yards under his belt from last season. But Arroyo, who was a second-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft, has been more productive in the preseason. He has four catches for 33 yards through two exhibition games. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Up next Seahawks: Visit the Green Bay Packers on Aug. 23. Chiefs: Host the Chicago Bears on Aug. 22. ___ AP NFL:
