Chip Kelly has been hired to take over from Jim Tomsula as the 49ers coach. This has led many Australian NFL fans and observers to ask what exactly this means for Jarryd Hayne.
This question won’t be high on Kelly’s list. He’s inherited a roster largely devoid of blue chip talent, and has a big question to answer at the sport’s most important position – quarterback. Though for the many Australians who have been looking at their red and white, number thirty-eight jersey with more than a hint of buyer’s remorse this question is of vital importance.
As a punt-returner Hayne fumbled more than flashed when his number was called, and all of the pre-season hype and goodwill soon dissipated. Things won’t be any different under Kelly – ball security is the single most important thing in American football and players who prove to be careless with the ball aren’t long for the game.
There is simply no two ways about it, Hayne needs to get rid of the fumbles. To be fair to the former Eel, he proved to have sure enough hands in his time in the NRL for us to believe he can do it but any more costly mistakes could see him out of favour as a return specialist.
As a running back, things are a little more interesting under Chip Kelly. Special teams are fairly similar league wide, but Kelly’s move to the NFL from college football was met with intrigue because he is an outside the box thinker on offense.
Without going into too much depth and specifics of the tactics of an American football, Chip Kelly is a proponent of what is known as the ‘Spread Offense.’ The spread offense is favoured in college football, and its basic principals revolve around using as much space on the field as possible to spread the opposing defence thin, opening up lanes for receivers and running backs to move through.
On top of using the spread, a Chip Kelly offense will generally try to move quickly up and down the field by going with what is known as a ‘no-huddle offense,’ an offense in which little to no time is spent in a huddle calling plays.
Instead the plays are called by the quarterback at the line of scrimmage. In theory this up-tempo offense should create a situation where opposing defences have no time to substitute players or make adjustments, giving the offense a chance to create favourable mismatches for their team to exploit.
It also means that a Kelly offense should get off a greater number of plays in a shorter period of time than just about any offense in the league.
So what does all this mean for Jarryd Hayne? First, it means that Jarryd Hayne’s football IQ needs to develop quickly.
To operate in a no-huddle offense you need to understand exactly what’s going on around you and you need to execute your role consistently and correctly for the system to function – there’s little to no time to think things over.
Should Hayne master that then he’s also got to make sure he’s in peak physical condition, the 49ers will be moving the ball quickly with little respite should Kelly get his way. The latter shouldn’t be difficult for an athlete like Hayne, but the former is hard for even seasoned NFL players, so the Australian has his work ahead of him and he best already be looking a game film.
Already facing his second offense, mastering the playbook will only be the first hurdle for Hayne under Chip Kelly. Much of the controversy that surrounds the former Eagles head coach comes from his regimented midweek methods that have been criticised by some as encroaching on players personal lives.
True to form, Kelly is a keen advocate of sports science, and in Philadelphia he did everything from install a smoothie bar at training, to presentations on alcohol intake, to monitoring his players sleeping patterns.
Though his approach brought initial on-field success, taking the Eagles from a four-win season to a ten-win season, he was also criticised by players for being overbearing. These criticisms were met with quick departures as Kelly cut or traded any player, no matter how big a star, who didn’t buy into his system.
If Hayne, who is surely humbled by this season’s missteps, buys into what Kelly brings to the table then there’s an opportunity for him to succeed. The nature of the no-huddle offense means that player rotation is pivotal, and second and third choice backs will get their chance to perform.
Furthermore, Kelly is known for using two back sets (formations using two running backs), so the likelihood of Hayne being on the field will increase no matter his position in the pecking order. Kelly also tends to favour physical “downhill” runners, so Hayne’s combination of size as speed should come at an advantage– should he make the roster.
The NFL, like every sport, loves an underdog, though second chances are few and far between.
In San Francisco next season we’ll possibly get a chance at two underdog tales, and two second chances. Critics of Kelly call the spread a ‘gimmick offense’ and critics of Hayne use the same word to describe his time in the NFL.
We’ll find out soon if those gimmicks can make the most of their second chance.
Hey, supercoach? Choose your own ultimate NFL team and compete with other players for cash prizes in daily competitions on any match. If you’re after the best odds on the NFL, PlayUp is your best bet. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
The extraordinary episodes after his life as an American Football hero quite overshadowed the career of O.J. Simpson, who has died at the age…
The Kansas City Chiefs, steered brilliamtly at the end by star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, downed the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime to secure…
San Francisco 49ers will make their eighth appearance in the Super Bowl after a stellar season from a team stacked with real talent across the whole line-up.
The Chiefs are no longer strangers to playing matches in February. What was once a multi-generational 50-year drought has become an almost yearly tradition.
Daniel Faalele and Mitch Wishnowsky have kept their Super Bowl dreams alive, with Baltimore and San Francisco winning the divisional round playoff.
Six-time NFL champion Bill Belichick has agreed to part ways as the coach of the New England Patriots, bringing an end to his 24-year…
