NFL: San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Tomsula trying to put a lid on Jarryd Hayne hype after debut

WHEN Jarryd Hayne joined the 49ers, most in the NFL had never heard of him. Now coach Jim Tomsula has a problem.

49ers coach issues Hayne warning

WHEN Jarryd Hayne came on board with the 49ers, most in the NFL had never heard of him. Now San Francisco coach Jim Tomsula has a problem.

The Hayne hype needs to turn down a notch.

After Hayne’s spectacular debut for the 49ers where he posted the longest run, longest kick return and longest punt return for the red and gold, Tomsula has warned the public not to get too carried away.

Hayne made an awesome 53-yard run against Houston. Picture: 49ers.com.

“I’d just want to temper everything,” Tomsula said after San Francisco’s 23-10 loss to Houston.

“We don’t need to put undue expectations [on him].

“That’s unnecessary to me, to put that on his plate right now. I just want him to stay focused on getting better. The guy is a world-class athlete.”

Tomsula has been fielding questions about the former NRL star from local 49ers media since he was signed as a free agent for the modest sum of US$100,000 guaranteed. Naturally, in Australia too, Hayne’s development has been closely monitored.

But following Hayne’s unbelievable showing against the Texans, the legend of the ‘Hayne Plane’ and the unorthodox journey he took to playing for an NFL team, travelled far and wide across the USA.

Before San Francisco travelled to NRG Stadium for their first preseason fixture, Hayne was viewed in some quarters as a bizarre experiment bound to fail, as it had with so many other athletes who took up American football late in life and tried their luck in NFL teams.

Now all eyes are on Hayne, and Tomsula is worried it could be a distraction, especially when there is still so much the Minto product is yet to learn.

Jarryd Hayne makes the back page of San Francisco newspaper Bay Area News.

“The things we got to stay on is when you get into those tighter quarters and seeing the little creases,” Tomsula said.

“That’s where the improvement is. That’s where he has to keep working. Not that he’s bad at it. He’s not, but we have to keep improving there.”

Preseason and the rigours of training camp is a brutal environment where only the best are kept on the books, and the rest are left to linger on the free agency list, hopeful of garnering interest from other teams or getting a call up to a practice squad.

In the post-game press conference yesterday, Tomsula was quick to point out that Hayne “absolutely has to battle to make the roster”.

Competition at running back is fierce in San Francisco with Carlos Hyde, Reggie Bush, Kendall Hunter and Mike Davis all in a tight tussle for the position, with Hayne probably sitting at the bottom of the depth chart. Five running backs in an NFL team is mostly unheard of, but Hayne’s versatility in special teams — as he showed against Houston in kick returns and punt returns — does make a case for the Dally M medallist making the 53-man roster.

Today Tomsula reiterated the challenges that Hayne will face back in camp, and in the pre-season games to come, starting with the Dallas Cowboys next Monday, Australian time.

“We’re definitely looking for the big growth to be from Week 1 to Week 2, and 2 to 3,” Tomsula said.

“After Week 3 you’ve an idea where it is and you’re running out of time.

“The thing that excites me is the type of person that he is. You’re rooting for guys, you’re pulling for guys.”

Hayne was still a hot topic in the US media a day after his NFL pre-season debut.

Tim Kawakami, writing in the San Jose Mercury News, noted “this is the summer of Jarryd Hayne, it turns out, and maybe it’s a lot more than just an exhibition fling.”

“Hayne isn’t just a novelty act anymore,” Kawakami wrote.

“Hayne is big, he has fast feet in traffic and he can run away from second-level defenders, that’s for sure.

“He’ll have to prove a lot of other things in the ensuing games and practices; but if Hayne can make one or two big plays every week this summer, he’s going to be on the team in the fall.

“This is right kind of summer for big jumps like this—the 49ers could use some more playmakers on offense, and they sure could use a great, positive international storyline, too.”

Originally published as NFL: San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Tomsula trying to put a lid on Jarryd Hayne hype after debut