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'A childhood dream': Elks coach making moves in Madden NFL video games

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When he's not on a CFL football field, Edmonton Elks running backs coach Jordan Linnen likes to pretend he's on an NFL gridiron.

He even gets paid to do it, as a motion capture athlete for the Madden video game franchise created by EA Sports.

"You're not going to see my face, probably for the better, but all of the motions and movements are us. It's a childhood dream," he told CTV News Edmonton at practice on Friday.

After being referred by a friend and connected through a talent agency, Lethbridge-born Linnen has been part of the team that makes the popular NFL game for six seasons.

Elks running backs coach Jordan Linnen at practice in Edmonton (Dave Mitchell/CTV News Edmonton).

A former CFL player he often travels south to out plays and unique celebrations in an EA Sports studio.

"You wear the suits that have all the markers on them and on set the producers capture all the movements and then they send that off to the game developers," he explained.

"Not a lot of people get an opportunity to do it recurring, let alone even, fortunately I've been able to be on it for the last six years."

Linen also works in the offseason as a stunt actor for network TV shows.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Dave Mitchell

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