Tomsula plays down Hayne's performance

Hayne

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Speaking after Hayne made some incredible kick returns and a few decent rushes from running back, Tomsula said there was still a long way to go in Hayne’s development.

“He’s on a road. He’s doing things. It’s good, it really is, but we’ve still got a ways to go,” he said.  

“Seeing him in those tight areas and being able to make the cuts when everything’s very condensed - that and pass protections – those kind of things.

“Those improvements are continuous and he’s done that from the day he’s got here.

“But I’m trying to calm it.”

Tomsula seemed to be anticipating the obvious question of whether Hayne had played himself onto the 53-man roster, and avoided answering it definitively.

“Obviously the guy’s doing really well and he’s making a case for himself and that’s the story in itself,” he said.

“You’ve got a guy who’s never played the game, so to be in the conversation to make a 53-man roster on an NFL football team when you’ve never played football, there’s the story.

“That just speaks for who he is. Having the guts to leave what he knew, he walked away from all that to come do this.

“That what makes all this special to me.

“Still a long way to go though. I want to make sure we say that.”

Still, it’s hard to argue with the stats.

Last season, the 49ers’ longest punt return was 23 yards. Hayne met or exceeded that three times against the Cowboys, with runs of 23, 27 and 34-yards.

He also rushed for a game high 54-yards from eight rushes, including a spectacular 34-yard run that lit up social media.

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