I woke up on Sunday morning to discover two things. Firstly, Jarryd Hayne had made the San Francisco 49ers 53-man roster. And secondly, I was being mercilessly hammered on Twitter.
So here it is. The definitive “I was wrong” about Jarryd Hayne piece for all you Hayniacs.
I was wrong.
On October 14 last year, in the wake of Hayne’s shock announcement, I tweeted: “Jarryd Hayne can’t be serious. There is zero chance he is going to be successful in the NFL.”
Dead wrong.
Two days later I wrote a piece for The Roar where I outlined why I thought his dream was doomed to fail.
I pointed out the depth of the NFL talent pool, the difficulty of learning a playbook and the trend that was making specialist kick and punt returners more and more redundant. I touched on Hayne’s age, the youth and athleticism of his competitors.
It turns out I was wrong. I underestimated Hayne and I overstated the ability of those on the fringes of the NFL.
But what I didn’t get wrong was how much hard work it was going to take. I just didn’t realise how badly Hayne wanted it. That was the intangible in all of this.
Hayne’s physical traits and sporting resume were good enough to get a look-in with any NFL team during pre-season. But did he have the work ethic, the drive to make it through months of isolation in a new city learning a completely new sport? Could he overcome any setbacks or lingering self-doubt?
That is what I underestimated.
There had been others, athletes from other sports who boast incredible physical attributes, who had tried to make an NFL roster and failed.
Australian rugby player Hayden Smith is two metres tall and 116 kilograms and after workouts at a number of NFL teams in 2012 he signed with the New York Jets.
The Jets thought he could be a project player and fancied him as a tight-end. A year later when he was waived he gave some insight into what it was like trying to learn the intricacies of the game.
“The first thing you have to understand is the language they use and the little nuances of what is actually happening on the field,” Smith said in 2013.
“Only then can you start working on techniques. It is a long process before you can actually take to the field and contribute.
“It took me months to be able to coherently understand what was going on and that was after putting in 12 or 14-hour long days.
“The playbook would contain hundreds of plays and thousands of varieties. “You only have a couple of seconds to react once we snap the ball.
“You are also dealing with some incredible athletes so it is a pretty tough environment.“
I applied this logic when foolishly dismissing Hayne’s chances last year.
The former Parramatta Eel may be a far superior athlete to Smith, but understanding the game in the moment is something that takes time. And, in a league where there is unmatched pressure to win and win now, it is something that NFL coaches have little patience for.
But Hayne impressed almost immediately. His 53-yard run against the Texans, albeit through a nice sized hole on the left side, showed he had learned a thing or two. I mean former number three overall pick Trent Richardson would have turned that into a four-yard loss, amirite?
Then he showed how good he was in broken play, on kick and punt returners and how he could evade tacklers with ease. This was always going to be his strength, but he exceeded my expectations in this category as well. Hayne was setting up blocks, making the right cuts. By this stage Hayne Mania, in the US and back home in Australia, had started to snowball towards the inevitable.
Hayne was going to make the team. He had been almost flawless in the pre-season and was regarded by many to be the best story to come out of the four-week trial period.
So much so, that when Hayne played sparingly against Denver in week three, Australian fans and media were incensed. “Where is Hayne? Why isn’t 49ers coach Jim Tomsula putting Hayne on?” my Twitter feed barked at me.
The third game of the pre-season, when teams generally play their starters for a half or so, is the best indication of what Jarryd Hayne in the NFL will look like.
Maybe between five and eight touches a game, a few kick or punt returns. Perhaps a run or two out of the backfield. But for now, with backs Carlos Hyde and Reggie Bush ahead of him on the depth chart, that is the best Australian fans can hope for.
But that is nothing to be ashamed of. Getting to where Hayne has is an incredible achievement. His code swap is far more difficult than any rugby league player heading to AFL or union. And I would say even more impressive than Anthony Mundine going from rugby league premiership winner to WBC Silver Super Welterweight champion.
We’ve always used dual-internationals to measure the pinnacle of sporting prowess, athleticism and versatility. But what about going from being one of the best rugby league players in the world to a skill player on an NFL roster?
From the familiar to a sport so foreign to Australians most of us will watch our first game next Tuesday when the 49ers host the Vikings. It’s surely the new benchmark.
Hayne stepped out of his comfort zone like no one else ever has. He backed his ability and he won. He was right and I was wrong.
For almost a year I’ve found myself rooting against Hayne. It was the wrong attitude, but I had backed myself into a corner.
Partly because I had written the piece but mostly because I was constantly being reminded of it by workmates and those on Twitter. I should point out that at the time it was praised for providing a “sober analysis” and a “reality check” for those blindly thinking Hayne would walk onto a roster no trouble.
It was a counter point to all those writing toady ‘Good luck Jarryd’ articles. But I believed it when I wrote it. Just turns out I was wrong. Happens to everyone.
But the Internet never forgets. At last check my “zero chance” tweet has gained an extra 20 retweets this morning. And as I write this my phone lights up. It’s a tweet. “hahahahaha #eatyourwords”, is all it says.
Oh I will. Because I was wrong.
razorbacks 4 ever
Guest
It's tiring hearing all these so-called experts doubting Hayne. Most of them know nothing about American Football other than what they see on TV. Try putting on a helmet and step out on the field before commenting. I'm from Melbourne, Australia. At the age of 15 I learnt the basic rules of American football, during a PE class in High School. I loved it so much I joined a team the following year in the only "American football" league that existed here in Vic. The league had about 10 teams and was open to anyone 16yrs or older. The average age of the players in the league was about 28. At the time I was officially the youngest player in the league. My first year was very ordinary, but then I didn't have a decade of NRL experience behind me. My 3rd year I was named Best Defensive Back on my team and was selected for our local Pro Bowl. I also played wide receiver and tight end though mainly to give team mates a break. I played for 8 years before work got in the way. Now that I've finished shamefully bragging, I'll make my point; ANYONE can play ANY sport if they get off their butt and make an effort. During my time playing, I recall an 18yr old getting a college football scholarship and another went on to play in Europe. My own team mate went to London on business for a year, joined a random team over there, and ended up playing in the EuroBowl. Whilst none of these players went to the NFL, none of them even came close to being the athlete that Jarryd Hayne is. When I heard JH was trying to get into the NFL, I only questioned one thing - this guy might struggle with the playbook... if he's brain dead. I learnt the playbook in my teens as did many others here, as do many teens in America and across the world. And you question the likelihood of a mature, experienced, professional athlete who is passionately pursuing a dream? Saying JH had no chance of getting into the NFL is far more ridiculous than him actually doing it. Personally I think you all just sound like haters. I'm a die-hard Dallas Cowboys fan. I don't like NRL nor Union and I'd never heard of Jarryd until I saw him on the news saying he was heading off to the USA. I don't like that he made my team look silly a few weeks ago, but damn I hope he does well. I hope he ends up in the Hall of Fame so he can really make the haters eat their words.
Pauli maul
Guest
It's a shame there handing the "expert" title to anyone these days!! When Hayne was 14 the 110 hurdler at the state championships got injured and the coach asked Hayne to run the race even though he hadn't hurdled before he ended winning in state record time. Have you guys watched American rugby?? There hopeless...they can't read side steps at all. When Hayne announced he was heading to the NFL I was laughing hysterically at writers such as this writer who gave him no chance. Its actually no surprise he made it, in fact it was never in doubt. Hayne would average 200m per game in the nrl with 13 men charging at him in a straight line, this broken defense line with blockers is a laughing stock. This writers NFL snobbery actually lack of intelligence. Haynes years of reading defences from fullback have helped him in the pass protection game and picking up blitzes. So much so he was named this morning as 3rd running back on the depth chart ahead of mike Davis, a 4th round pick who the 49ers are paying $1m this year. Remember he already beat Kendall hunter who is on $2m per year, everybody knows he's not really injured and that he was stashed on the injured list to cover for Bush. What I am saying is, what Hayne is doing is not a surprise, A top nrl fullback will Always make and excell in the NFL.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
I must admit to always believing he would make it. It was easy to see that he had no false ideas about how easy it was, but had the work ethic to put in all the work it takes. To some extent, being alone in a new city like that helps that process, because you don't have other distractions, he probably doesn't know a single person in the Bay Area not associated with the 49ers. So when it comes to spending every waking moment training or studying the game and the playbook and all that, he has no other distractions taking him away from it. And as pointed out, in Rugby League, he has played on the biggest stage and upstaged all the other players there. He probably hasn't been as consistent in his career as some of the others, but then he's been playing in a much worse team. If he had the players around him that Slater has had through his career imagine what he could have done! As he starts this season I reckon he'll break into the gameday squad and get a few touches in the early games, but you can bet he's going to continue working his backside off and just getting better as the season goes on. Within a year or two I can definitely see Hayne being a first string running back. I've said this previously and people have slammed me for it, but then those same people were also the ones saying he'd never even make the 53, and they've been wrong so far. The moment he decided to pursue the NFL dream I looked at him and thought he could play so many positions on the field and be good at them, both attack and defense (he'd probably make a nice strong safety!) but that he really had all the raw ingredients combined with the drive and work ethic to turn himself into a top quality NFL running back, and I've seen nothing to change that opinion.
Simeon Mecah
Roar Rookie
It takes courage to admit your wrong and than write a whole article about it. Enjoy your humble pie & well done Jarryd Hayne.
Sam Rigney
Expert
Not comparing Hayne and Smith athletically. In fact I make a point of saying that. Comparing them in terms of learning the playbook and the language of the NFL.
Pauli maul
Guest
It constantly makes me laugh when writers like this compare Hayden smith to jarryd Hayne. Nobody has heard of Hayden smith and who cares about his height. Hayne, rookie of year, 2 x dally m, as per Joey johns had the greatest origin performance in history last year at suncorp. The sign of his greatness was in the 2013 world cup final where he was in a back line with slater, inglis, thurston, cronk, Morris and Boyd, slater said "Hayne is our go to guy" anyway he was man of the match after getting knocked out. This phenom was always going to make the team, he will unseat Reggie bush as number 2 by november then be pushing Carlos Hyde next year for the starting job. He will have a 5 year career in the NFL. This journalist fell victim to American exceptionalism, however didn't realize that Hayne is the most exceptional of all.
Sam Rigney
Expert
Who is Scott? Am I Scott?
Glenn Innes
Guest
The divide is still wide hahaha.A journeymen level Rugby Union player who would not rate in the top one hundred in his sport was capable despite no background in the game of getting on an NFL roster and actually getting game time jumping over thousands of elite college players to do so.. By the end of this year people like Scott will be in therapy, their comic book fantasy )t exposed, their world view in shatters.It is already obvious that if the NFL had a reserve grade Hayne would be carving it up (so much for the dozens of Haynes). As a League man I Must say I do find some Rugby League peoples OCD level hate for Rugby Union extremely boring.This is a discussion about an Australian NFL writer admitting he gave Hayne no chance and indeed wanted him to fail partly to protect the image of his favoured sport Yet the the usual suspects lob on the scene ignore all that and just want to have a boring, provincial. myopic and entirely irrelevant League vs Union debate. WTF do they ever think about anything else other than how much they hate Rugby Union.What the hell has Sam Burgess or English Rugby writers got to do with it.I don't watch much Rugby Union so I couldn't comment on how Sam is playing but people who claim to hate the sport seem well versed in how he is going, which means they must be watching. Most Rugby Union people concede that elute League players transition well , it's not an issue.The issue is how Rugby players (both codes) would transition to American Football.and the example of Hayden Smith making a roster indicates as far the elite players go (Smith was a third tier player)they would probably transition very well if they were prepared to put in the work as Jarryd Hayne is showing.
nerval
Guest
Exactly.
Lostintokyo
Guest
Big article about Hayne in an Tokyo English tabloid today. Surprising the impact he is having.
Sam Rigney
Expert
An entire article. Yes.
Andy
Guest
You wrote an entire article about how Hayne was wrong to go to the NFL.
Sam Rigney
Expert
True Tiger you're a visionary. Similiar response to David Boston. Running the ball back on punt returns is not that difficult for someone like Hayne. Agreed. But when I wrote the piece in October I wrote that Hayne’s best chance of making a roster was being versatile – playing RB and return man – and because the return position had been undervalued he would need to play RB as well, therefore learn playbook, understand schemes etc.
Sam Rigney
Expert
You're not wrong, David Boston. But when I wrote the piece in October I wrote that Hayne's best chance of making a roster was being versatile - playing RB and return man - and because the return position had been undervalued he would need to play RB as well, therefore learn playbook, understand schemes etc.
Sam Rigney
Expert
The media coverage has been a bit embarrassing hasn't it. I cringed a week or so ago when Australian media were saying the Broncos were running scared and kicking the ball away from him when they were just kicking touchbacks.
Sam Rigney
Expert
I mean overall the divide is still fairly wide. Hayne is one of only a few that could do it. Just my opinion.
Sam Rigney
Expert
Cheers. I had to do it.
Sam Rigney
Expert
Cheers, Worlds Biggest.
Tammy Lee
Guest
I normally hate media coverage like this about any event but on this occasion, I'm fine with it. What he has done has been amazing. He deserves the praise he is getting for it. I find the whinging over the media frenzy even more annoying. You guys do realize you don't have to read any jarryd hayne article or watch any sports reports about him, if you do not want to
David Boston
Guest
There is a big difference between being a tight end learning plays, blocking Etc to being a punt returner. 1 has 100's of plays to learn, the other catches the ball and runs back as far as possible.