San Francisco 49ers rookie Jarryd Hayne cops scathing verdict from Sports Illustrated expert
It was "fun while it lasted" but the Jarryd Hayne experiment needs to be rectified quickly. That is the opinion of legendary
Sports Illustrated NFL commentator Peter King who gave a scathing assessment of Hayne's performances in his debut NFL season.
King, writing in his weekly
Monday Morning Quarterback column, said Hayne's fumbles are adding undue pressure on a San Francisco 49ers outfit that can't handle the mistakes.
"For the second time in the first six weeks of the season, Hayne fumbled a punt, and the 49ers are not good enough to hand away potential possessions once every three games because they like the former Australian Rugby League player's potential," he wrote.
Hayne has had a tough start to his NFL career. After impressing in pre-season and earning his place in the 49ers' 53-man squad, he has fumbled three punts (once due to contact from his own player) and only shown glimpses of his pre-season form.
King also was unimpressed with Hayne's blocking when quarterback Colin Kaepernick was sacked, as Hayne failed to read a blitz.
Many questioned why Hayne was not used more as a running-back, with injury concerns over Carlos Hyde and Reggie Bush, and after he almost scored a touchdown in the role the previous week against the New York Giants. But King thinks Hayne will struggle to hold down his position as punt returner, let alone move back into the offence.
"It'll be interesting to see how coach Jim Tomsula handles the punt-return job going forward," he added.
The 49ers take on rivals Seattle Seahawks on Friday (AEDT) with all eyes on how Hayne will bounce back from this latest setback. Hyde and Bush trained on Tuesday in a light session without pads or helmets.
There is extra incentive for Hayne against the Seahawks, as they were one of the major admirers of Hayne during his NRL days. They were seriously considering signing him before the 49ers picked him up as a free agent in March. Hayne had attended Seahawks games and was given tours of the facilities in Seattle.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll told
The Sacramento Bee he'd kept an eye on Hayne this season. "I thought it was an exciting prospect to get him in here. It's really cool to see that he's played and he's contributing and he's a factor in the games. He's done some really good stuff."
Hayne had another slip-up at training on Tuesday, this time tripping on a rope-ladder drill. It was reported that his teammates erupted in laughter, but he was uninjured.
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