San Francisco 49ers special teams coordinator says ‘you’ve got to be realistic’
JARRYD Hayne certainly had no intention of inducing a collective laugh when it came to his thoughts on the fair catch in football.
“You stick your hand in the air and they can’t touch you,” he said, straight-faced.
The simplicity of his answer cracked up the assembled US media, completely by accident.
A fair catch is a foreign concept for fans of the Australian footy codes, an action in which a player attempting to catch a ball kicked by the opposition extends one arm above their head to ensure they are not interfered with when they make the catch. Once the catch is taken, the ball then becomes dead.
Hayne is yet to opt for a fair catch, relying on his ability to catch the ball and take on the defence — rugby league style.
“I had opportunities to do it, but I backed my ability,” he said. “I felt comfortable being able to catch the ball and get out of the way.”
San Francisco 49ers special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey Jr. said he loved that “fearless” nature. And with it becoming more and more apparent that Hayne’s best chance of making the 49ers roster is as a return specialist, McGaughey is a man worth listening to.
“You obviously want to make smart decisions, but Jarryd’s fearless,” he said.
“That’s one of the characteristics it takes to be a great punt returner.
“It’s fun when you see a guy who can make the first guy miss and he’s not scared. (He’s) very, very comfortable fielding the ball. When you have that fearlessness, it gives you an edge.
“He has great lateral quickness. That’s another characteristic of a great open-field runner. If you look at all the great open-field runner they all have that characters — Dante Hall, Devin Hester —- those types of runners, guys who can make you miss.”
McGaughey did, however, play down the hype around Hayne ahead of the Australian’s second pre-season appearance, against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday (AEST).
“You got to be realistic here,” McGaughey said.
“It was the first preseason game,” he added, referring to Hayne’s headline-grabbing debut last weekend, which included an impressive 53-yard run.
“It’s not like we’re playing Week 8, going down the stretch. He’s got a long way to go. He’s doing some good things, and hopefully he’ll continue down that path.”
Hayne said he felt most comfortable as a returner, but was enjoying working on his game as a running back, where he may be required to fill in when necessary long-term.
“Being a running back, you just want to not lose yards and you want to make as many yards as fast as you can,” Hayne said.
“But sometimes you need to be patient and wait for the holes.
“Obviously, I’m far away from being a crisp running back. And returning punts and kickoffs is the thing I’m most natural at. For me, I have to work on my whole game.”
The former Parramatta Eels star said he felt confident in the game situation, and not just because of his head-turning debut.
“I was always confident. I didn’t need a play to have that confidence,” Hayne said. “Good or bad, I knew I’d always have to work on something. I was fortunate enough to have a couple of good plays.
“Now it’s about Dallas this (Sunday) and being focused on what I do.”
Jarryd Hayne NFL: Fair catch ?joke? cracks up US media