There are 49ers fans enthralled by the team's history, and 49ers fans fascinated by the offense new head coach Chip Kelly will run. And then there is the most unflappable core of San Francisco's fan base: Jarryd Hayne supporters.
Franchise legend Ronnie Lott told reporters this week that he bumped into a couple from Australia and the National Rugby League convert was all they wanted to hear about.
"They didn't want to talk about Joe Montana. They just wanted to talk about Jarryd Hayne," Lott said, via The San Jose Mercury News. "That was it!"
Perhaps those fans are onto something.
Though the now 28-year-old was cut last year, the team re-signed him to the practice squad and eventually bumped him back onto the 53-man roster. Hayne had 17 carries for 52 yards and six catches for 27. He also returned eight punts for a total of 76 yards.
It was enough to catch the eye of Paraag Marathe, a 49ers executive who is in charge of the team's analytics department. Marathe also weighed in on Hayne.
"I think you'll see a jump from him," Marathe said, adding: "You look at elite athletes and those guys who have that willpower and desire to succeed and there's something special in them."
Hayne will need to crack a depth chart already populated by the likes of Carlos Hyde, Mike Davis, DuJuan Harris and Shaun Draughn. But if there is any coach -- and any offense -- open to doing things differently, it might be Kelly.
