NFL round-up: Australian Jarryd Hayne carving a roster spot out with San Francisco; Cleveland’s Johnny Manziel has sore arm

Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel has a sore right elbow, and coach Rex Ryan has made the Bills a hot ticket in Buffalo.

Australia rugby league star Jarryd Hayne has taken a giant stride towards securing a place on the San Francisco 49ers roster after another dazzling performance in a pre-season game for the NFL giants.

The 27-year-old turned his back on rugby league last year to pursue the seemingly unlikely dream of an NFL career with the 49ers, winning a place on the team’s training roster in March.

Few observers had expected Hayne to force his way onto the 49ers 53-man final roster in his first year, but after a series of impressive pre-season displays he is now looking increasingly likely to make the cut.

In his first game against the Houston Texans last week Haynes recorded a 53-yard punt return and on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, on his home debut, the Aussie speedster fared even better.

Hayne caught the eye with a 27-yard punt return before notching a 34-yard return. He then contributed another 23-yard run in the first quarter alone.

San Francisco coach Jim Tomsula was at pains to play down the buzz surrounding Hayne but admitted afterwards it would be hard to leave the rugby convert out of the final roster.

“Obviously the guy’s doing really well. He’s making a great case for himself absolutely,” Tomsula said.

“I think that’s the story in itself. You’ve got a guy who’s never played the game and he’s come out to be in the conversation of making the 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. And having the guts to leave what he knew. He walked away from all that to come and do this. That’s what makes this thing special for me.”

Tomsula said he had been impressed at the rapid improvement Hayne had shown in being able to carve open spaces in tight areas.

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

“But I do want to temper those things. He’s on a road, he’s doing things, and it is good, it really is.

“But we’ve still got a ways to go.”

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick was also impressed.

“He’s building a very strong resume for himself in a very short amount of time,” he said.

Hayne, meanwhile, was satisfied with another solid showing but insisted he was taking his fledgling career one game at a time.

“I’m still a long way off where I want to be,” Hayne said after Sunday’s victory over the Cowboys.

“I want to be able to go into games confident that everything I do I’m comfortable with. I’m still learning.

“It’s only my second game and it’s all very fresh. I’m just trying to learn as much as I can every game.”

Nevertheless, Hayne revealed he has always had a deep-lying confidence in his ability to make a success of his conversion to gridiron.

“I guess maybe people had a lot of doubts, people are surprised by the way I’m going,” he said.

“But like I’ve always said, I’ve got confidence in my ability. I’m not over here, thinking that I ‘may’ be able to make it.

“I’ve got confidence that if I keep learning and improving I can be an NFL player.”

Johnny Manziel has sore arm

Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel did not throw a pass during practice Monday due to a sore right elbow, an injury that could have been caused by his side-armed throwing motion.

Manziel’s elbow flared up during practice on Sunday and the Browns had the quarterback rest his arm Monday. Manziel only handed off and stood to the side and watched as Josh McCown and Thad Lewis threw passes .

Manziel has been bothered by soreness in the elbow for the past two weeks. Coach Mike Pettine said the second-year QB, who has shown major improvement this summer, did not undergo an MRI and the team believes rest should ease the soreness. The Browns are not practicing Tuesday.

Browns offensive coordinator John DeFilippo said he’s not concerned at the moment about Manziel’s elbow injury being a long-term condition.

“Johnny has probably got what 30 or 40 percent of the other quarterbacks in the league have right now – sore elbows, sore shoulders,” he said. “There’s a lot of wear and tear on those guys in terms of their arm. Those guys have been throwing footballs since they’ve been young guys.”

DeFilippo said Manziel’s elbow issues may be related to the way he throws.

“You see him three-quarters at times, and sometimes that’s a lot of pressure on the elbow and shoulder,” he said. “I won’t say it’s the wrong way to throw a football because I’ve seen a lot of successful quarterbacks throw the ball like that.”

Manziel played well in Cleveland’s exhibition loss to Buffalo on Thursday night. He threw a touchdown pass to cap a 96-yard drive and the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner kept his momentum headed in a positive direction following a turbulent rookie season and rehab stint.

Although veteran Josh McCown is expected to start the season opener for Cleveland, Manziel has renewed hope he can become the Browns’ long-term answer at quarterback.

“I think you see a different quarterback. I really do,” DeFilippo said. “I think his overall understanding of the game and what we’re trying to do has changed drastically. He understands protections. He’s making the calls.”

Bills selling season tickets at record pace, pass 61,000

Coach Rex Ryan and the new-look Buffalo Bills are the hottest ticket in town.

The Bills are selling season tickets at a record pace and have passed 61,000 sales. As a result, the team will establish a waiting list for fans interested in purchasing season tickets for next season.

The latest figure released Monday is about 11,000 short of Ralph Wilson Stadium’s capacity. It’s also 4,000 more than the previous franchise record set in 1992, when the Bills were in the midst of making four consecutive Super Bowl appearances – all losses.

The jump in sales coincides with numerous developments for a franchise that hasn’t made the playoffs since 1999. Ryan was hired in January and the Bills have new owners, Terry and Kim Pegula, who purchased the team in October after Ralph Wilson died.

Falcons new home will be known as Mercedes-Benz Stadium

The Atlanta Falcons will share a stadium name with their biggest rival.

Mercedes-Benz, which already has its name on the New Orleans Superdome, was announced Monday as the title sponsor of Atlanta’s new $1.4 billion stadium.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank said the company signed a 27-year agreement for the name Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which is scheduled to open in 2017. The facility is under construction next door to the Falcons’ current home, the Georgia Dome, which will be demolished after the new stadium is completed.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Mercedes-Benz USA President and CEO Steve Cannon called it “the single biggest marketing deal” in the company’s history. The agreement covers the continued construction period over the next two years and 25 years after the stadium opens.

Mercedes-Benz already has a 10-year agreement to sponsor the Superdome, home of another NFC South team, the New Orleans Saints. But the company announced in January that it was moving its U.S. headquarters from its longtime home in Montvale, New Jersey, to the Atlanta area, where it is constructing an office for some 1,000 employees in suburban Sandy Springs.

“We have a contractual obligation with the Superdome. They’ve been a great partner,” Cannon said. “When we made that deal, we had no idea we would be moving to Atlanta. We will deal with that when the time comes. Obviously, to have two stadiums in the same division, you wouldn’t plan it that way. But sometimes opportunities come your way that are too good to turn down.”

The marketing deal with help defray some of the rising costs of the stadium, which will be paid for largely by the Falcons. The city is committed to providing $200 million from hotel tax revenue, with the team picking up the rest. The Falcons already have announced a pricey new seat license plan that has been criticized by many fans, especially with the team coming off two straight losing seasons.

“This is a perfect match,” Blank said. “We could not be prouder to put the Mercedes-Benz name on our stadium.”

According to a video rendition of the new facility, Mercedes-Benz will have its name plastered in numerous locations inside and out, including its familiar three-pointed logo on the top of the retractable roof.

“I think we will be the only company in Atlanta whose logo can be seen from the International Space Station,” Cannon quipped. “Subtle marketing.”

Two new stadiums costing a total of more than $2 billion under being built in metro Atlanta. The baseball Braves are leaving Turner Field in 2017 for a facility in suburban Cobb County, SunTrust Park. The future of the Turner Field site has not been determined, though Georgia State has proposed to convert it into a downsized stadium for its football program.

Mercedes-Benz also is a title sponsor for three sports arenas in Germany and China.

Cannon said the sponsorship deal with the Falcons’ new stadium is important because it also will host a new MLS expansion team, Atlanta United, which begins play in 2017.

“Soccer is obviously the biggest global sport out there,” he said. “We’re a big global brand. If you want to be where the customers are, soccer is a great platform to do that.”

The new stadium has already been selected to host the Final Four in 2020. The city also is bidding for the 2018 college football championship game, and the NFL’s Super Bowl in 2019 or 2020.

In addition, Blank said he hopes the new stadium will be part of a possible U.S. bid for soccer’s World Cup in 2026.

“It matters to all of them the name on the building,” he said. “Mercedes-Benz is another tremendous draw for that.”

The news conference was also attended by Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, and two of the Falcons’ star players, quarterback Matt Ryan and receiver Julio Jones.

Deal was asked if it was blow to the state to give up the Georgia Dome name that has adorned the Falcons’ current home since it opened in 1992.

“Don’t lose sight that this new stadium all part of the World Congress Center complex,” he said, referring to Atlanta’s massive convention center. Then, giving the facility’s full name, he added, “The GEORGIA World Congress Center complex.”

“If people don’t know that, we will give them a map,” the governor said with a smile. “This stadium will definitely be associated with the state of Georgia and the city of Atlanta.”

Vikings release long snapper Cullen Loeffler after 12 years

The Minnesota Vikings have released long snapper Cullen Loeffler, the longest-tenured member of the team.

Loeffler had been with the Vikings for 12 years, but Kevin McDermott beat him out in the competition for the long-snapping job.

Vikings general manager Rick Spielman says Loeffler was outstanding in the community and on the field for the Vikings. He says Loeffler handled his business with class, and his impact in the locker room and on the franchise were second to none.

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