MizzouHawkGal
Well-known member
I can delete it for ya no problem. As for him being a PR? I hope he does actually try out for us because I'm sure we can find something for him to do if what we've been reading about him is remotely true.
razgriz737":2cgim9ot said:This is very cool. I know next to nothing about rugby, but I've heard others say this guy is like the Michael Jordan of the NRL.
rastahawk":2bq4ix5k said:I share the same sentiments as chawx. Be interesting to see how he measures up athletically. The NFL is a freak show of athleticism. Most of our best athletes in the US gravitate to gridiron. You put him in the back field he has to run with guys with 4.4 speed. Put him at RB, while he looks to have good vision, he has to learn to block. Maybe slot receiver? Definitely special teams as a starting point I think.
I played League in college and at the club level but I always wanted to try football because of my love of Seattle and the Seahawks. Never got the chance being on the other side of the world in my youth. I have always wondered how rugby and rugby league players would do in the NFL. And I have always wondered how the US Rugby team would do if it were the NFL guys playing instead! Russell Wilson at half back, Colin Kaepernick at first five, Beastmode at second five, AP at center, Vernon Davis and DeShawn Jackson at the wings, and Megatron at fullback. Yikes!
FormerEvil":36njigrz said:The thought from him is he thinks he can make it as a KR/PR. He appears to be an absolute stud and you have to give the guy respect for leaving something he is apparently the best at to chase $$$$$$$$$$$.
SomersetHawk":be70ll02 said:Lawrence Okoye was a reasonably promising Rugby (Union) player, he gave it up and became an Olympic discus thrower, and now he's with the 49ers. He looked absolutely horrible last year but flashed a fair bit of promise this preseason. I'm in doubt as to whether he'll ever see the regular season but he's only 22.
Hayne's 26 already, and I think it's probably a little too late for him to learn the linebacker or safety position. It would be interesting to see what his route running's like though. I bet he'd be pretty great on special teams, and I'd feel much better about him catching the ball than most guys. Fullback's always an option too (as some have mentioned).
I've always wondered how some Rugby players would get on in the NFL. I'd bet there's a few guys out there who would make stud TEs.
HawkAroundTheClock":2uzr03o4 said:He has the size, but based on those 11 minutes of highlights I don't see the crossover potential. I see a guy running fast, but very upright and stiff as a board.
mikeak":173g38o4 said:FormerEvil":173g38o4 said:The thought from him is he thinks he can make it as a KR/PR. He appears to be an absolute stud and you have to give the guy respect for leaving something he is apparently the best at to chase $$$$$$$$$$$.
Fixed it for you
So I'll mark you down as one who believes there are 1700 NFL players better than him. Otherwise he has a place in the NFL, doesn't he?rastahawk":2p4r3rch said:Not sure if anyone meant you take NFL players right now and make a rugby team out of them and they would immediately be good. In my case I was thinking along the lines of if you took these players and groomed them in rugby from the start instead of football.
Yes Hayne is a top Aussie athlete but how many league players are world class strength and speed athletes? Some of these guys in the NFL could be Olympic sprinters and hurdlers if they wanted. One year they figured (mathematically) that they could take the fastest four guys in the NFL and they could medal in the 100 meter relay in the Olympics. While I do agree that the guy is an athlete but I think he is stepping into an arena where the talent is a tier up than what he's use to and on top of that he will be playing them at their game!
Hawkscanner":1oddsv0y said:I played some rugby in college, so you could say that I have a bit of a different perspective on this. Athletically, from what I saw from that film ... I simply say, "WOW!" Physical-tools wise -- this guy most certainly DOES have what it takes to make it in the NFL. I would say there's no question about that. The biggest question (of course) is what's between the ears. Rugby (and the mentality that you play with) is very different from that of a football player. Learning the rules and all of the nuances of the game of football -- there's no question that's going to be a huge challenge.
Hawkscanner":1oddsv0y said:And for the football player transitioning to rugby it can be difficult as well. We had some college football players who played on our club and let me tell you, it was a bit of an adjustment for those guys. We had guys who had played linebacker ... and I remember vividly in the first couple of games how much some of them would struggle. These guys would gear up to smack the living snot out of the ball carrier with everything they had ... whack their opponent to the turf and they'd expect a breakage in the action. They had been geared from a young age that once the guy is down, you wait for the whistle to blow ... everyone huddles up ... and you line up for another down after a few seconds of stoppage. I remember this one ex-football player's eyes practically bugging out of his head after he had just laid this guy out with everything he had ... and the opponent calmly picked the ball back up and proceeded to start running down the field again. So yes, rugby IS a real physical game ... but you learn real fast that you can't hit guys with 100% of everything every time because there is no stoppage of play. If you do that, you'll tire quickly because it's somewhat like soccer (with hitting/tackling involved). You DO learn to tackle in rugby (to wrap up -- that's what you mostly do), so that skillset I would say would translate well for him.
Hawkscanner":1oddsv0y said:That said, I COULD absolutely envision a scenario where this guy makes an NFL roster and could become a contributor. If you give him a little coaching, I could certainly see him as a Special Teams guy. If he can actually catch (at the 1:17 mark in that clip it sure looks to me like he's got decent hands), then I would say he would be a natural Punt Returner. Can we think of a team near and dear to our hearts who could use a PR? I most certainly can. Bryan Walters isn't exactly setting the world on fire as a return man nor in the passing game by any means. He's sure handed, but that's about it. Walters has absolutely NO sizzle -- no jets whatsoever.
Hawkscanner":1oddsv0y said:Hayne obviously has speed and elusiveness -- from looking at that film, that's obvious. All he has to be able to do is catch the ball, head upfield, and avoid tacklers. As a rugby player, that's what he does on a game in and game out basis. Can I envision a scenario where Schneider brings him in and gives him a tryout with the idea of making him a return man? Absolutely. From Day 1, Schneider said that he and his scouts would be everywhere and in on everything. Pete Carroll is always looking for freak athletes -- he has said that many, many times -- that's what he's all about. He is always looking for physically gifted guys. If Hayne showed he could actually handle punts, is it completely crazy to suggest that they might make a spot for him as a PR? I don't think so whatsoever. Such a move may not happen this year ... but I could certainly see this as something that could possibly make sense this next offseason. Count me as one who would be highly surprised if Schneider and the Hawks don't at least bring him in for a tryout (i.e Bryan Banks and Darren Fells). In fact, I'd bank on it happening.