Former NFL defensive end, coach and scout Tommy Hart has died, the 49ers announced Thursday. Hart was 80.
The 49ers made him a 10th-round pick in 1968, and Hart played 10 seasons with San Francisco. He also spent time with the Bears (1978-79) and Saints (1980).
During his playing career, Hart appeared in 177 games with 140 starts. He totaled 83 sacks, eight fumble recoveries with two returned for touchdowns, and two interceptions.
He also appeared in 17 postseason contests with 14 starts and recorded one fumble recovery and half a sack.
Hart, a member of the defensive line known as “The Gold Rush,” received second-team All-Pro honors in 1976 and was named to the 1977 Pro Bowl.
Hart also was a two-time recipient (1972 and 1976) of the prestigious Len Eshmont Award, selected by his teammates for his inspirational and courageous play.
Hart was born in Macon, Georgia, and attended Morris Brown College (1964-68), a historically Black college, where he played all four seasons at offensive guard/tackle and defensive tackle. He earned second-team NAIA All-America honors in 1968 and all-conference honors for three consecutive seasons.
In 1993, Hart was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.
Following his retirement from the NFL, Hart returned to the 49ers as an assistant defensive line coach (1983-91). He contributed to three of the team’s Super Bowl championships (XIX, XXIII and XXIV). He also spent two years (1992-93) as a scout for the team before joining the Cowboys as a defensive line coach (1996-97) and area scout (1998-2005).
Reasons to smile have been in short supply around the Saints this season, but Taysom Hill provided several of them last Sunday.
Hill ran seven times for 138 yards, caught eight passes for 50 yards, and completed 1-of-2 passes for 18 yards during a 35-14 win over the Browns. Three of Hill’s runs resulted in touchdowns, including a career-long 75-yard scamper for a score.
The versatility that Hill showed on Sunday has been the hallmark of his career. The tight end is the second player in NFL history with 25 rushing touchdowns, 10 touchdown passes, and 10 touchdown catches.
Sunday’s showing led the NFL to name Hill the NFC offensive player of the week for Week 11. It’s the second time he’s been the conference’s offensive honoree and he also won special teams player of the week in 2018.
Saints jack-of-all-trades offensive weapon Taysom Hill had a day to remember, in more ways than one, against the Browns.
Beyond rushing for 138 yards and three touchdowns on only seven carries, catching eight passes for fifty yards, and throwing a pair of passes, Hill achieved a milestone only one other player in NFL history had accomplished: 25 rushing touchdowns, throw 10 passing touchdowns, and catch 10 touchdown passes.
I asked Hill by phone after the game if he knows the name of the other player. “No,” he said. “I probably should.”
I told him it’s Hall of Famer Frank Gifford.
“I definitely should,” Hill said with a laugh.
He was willing to give up one of his three rushing touchdowns. On his 75-yard rumble along the left sideline for the Saints’ final score of the game, Hill looked over his left shoulder. He said he was checking to see whether coaches were telling him to go down and not score, given the broader circumstances of the games.
No one told him to get down, so he kept going. And he had a day to remember.
Making it even more memorable? Hill said he didn’t know it was coming. It wasn’t part of the game plan; it just happened as the game unfolded.
Taysom Hill scored three touchdowns as the Saints cruised by the Browns 35-14 on Sunday.
The Saints used Hill as a runner, thrower, receiver, and returner in Week 11, clearly making him the focal point of the offense. While Cleveland did force two turnovers off of Hill — an interception and a fumble — it wasn’t nearly enough to negate Hill’s impact.
The offensive weapon finished with 138 yards rushing on seven carries, 50 receiving yards on eight catches, 18 passing yards, and 42 yards on a kick return.
Hill opened the scoring with a 10-yard touchdown run in the first quarter before adding 33- and 75-yard TD runs in the fourth quarter to help ice the contest.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling also had a 71-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter and Juwan Johnson had a 1-yard TD as well in the contest.
Derek Carr completed 21-of-27 passes for 248 yards with a pair of touchdowns and no picks. Alvin Kamara had 67 yards on 16 carries and four receptions for 22 yards.
Cleveland largely kept pace with New Orleans for the first three quarters, but couldn’t do enough in the fourth. Things started poorly for the visitors, as Cleveland couldn’t convert fourth-and-1 on its first drive for a turnover on downs. Kicker Dustin Hopkins also missed a pair of field goals, including one from 27 yards out.
Quarterback Jameis Winston finished 30-of-46 for 395 yards with two touchdowns. Jerry Jeudy had an 89-yard score, ending the game with six catches for 142 yards.
Saints interim coach Darren Rizzi is now 2-0 since taking over for Dennis Allen. At 4-7, New Orleans will have a bye in Week 12.
The Browns are now 2-8 and will play the Steelers on Thursday night.
The Browns and Saints have both missed on opportunities to score in the first half of Sunday’s matchup, but New Orleans leads 14-6 at halftime.
Taysom Hill has been a Swiss army knife throughout the first half — throwing, catching, running, and returning kicks for New Orleans. He opened the scoring with a 10-yard touchdown run to cap the Saints’ first offensive drive.
But Hill has also committed a pair of turnovers courtesy of Cleveland corner Denzel Ward. Ward intercepted a wayward Hill pass deep down the middle — Ward’s first pick of the season.
Then Ward forced a fumble on Hill late in the first half in the red zone, recovering the loose ball to give Cleveland an extra possession.
Ward had to go to the injury tent multiple times in the first half and is officially questionable to return with a chest injury.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling scored yet another long touchdown, taking a 71-yard catch-and-run to the end zone for a touchdown to make the score 14-6 early in the second quarter. He now has three TDs in the last two games.
The Browns scored on an 89-yard touchdown pass from Jameis Winston to Jerry Jeudy. But the club stayed at six points when the Browns went for two after a penalty moved them to the 1-yard line and didn’t get it.
Kicker Dustin Hopkins missed wide left from 51 yards and would have missed from 32 yards as well, had the Saints not committed a holding penalty. But then he missed from 27 wide left, too, as time expired in the second quarter.
Browns left tackle Dawand Jones had to exit the game on a cart late in the second quarter. He had an air cast on his lower left leg after being rolled up on by teammate Wyatt Teller. With former starting left tackle Jedrick Wills inactive due to an injury, Germain Ifedi came in to replace Jones at left tackle.
Jones is officially doubtful to return with an ankle issue.
Saints tight end Foster Moreau is questionable to return with a shoulder injury.
New Orleans will receive the second-half kickoff.
Jerry Jeudy had not found the end zone since Week 1, but he got back to the paint in a big way on Sunday.
Jameis Winston hit Jeudy over the middle for an intermediate pass and the receiver did the rest for an 89-yard touchdown.
But after a penalty put the Browns on the 1-yard line for an attempted two-point conversion, Winston had to throw the ball away and that kept the score at 7-6, New Orleans.
It was the longest completion of Winston’s career and the second-longest catch for Jeudy.
On the other side, tight end Foster Moreau went down after a fourth-down play that technically did not count because New Orleans was flagged for holding. The Saints announced Moreau has a shoulder injury and is questionable to return.
Cleveland had not allowed points on an opponent’s opening drive all season.
That is, until the club played New Orleans today.
Taysom Hill broke the streak, running in a 10-yard touchdown to give the Saints a 7-0 lead over the Browns.
Cleveland had the ball first but turned it over on downs when Nick Chubb was stuffed on fourth-and-1 for a 2-yard loss.
It took only six plays for New Orleans to end up in the end zone and Hill was involved in multiple ways throughout the possession.
A shovel pass to Alvin Kamara got the Saints moving with a 13-yard gain. Then Hill got the ball in the backfield on a creative play and completed one to Kevin Austin for an 18-yard gain down to the red zone. On the next play, Hill caught a pass for a 3-yard gain.
Then Hill got it again, taking a handoff for the 10-yard score. It was Hill’s fourth touchdown of the season.
Every week we bring you all the inactives from the 1 p.m. ET games in one post, constantly updated with the latest information.
Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich said on Friday that he expected wide receiver Davante Adams to play against the Colts on Sunday and Adams is in the lineup.
Adams missed two practices with a wrist injury and an illness, but returned for a full practice on Friday. Sunday’s game will be his fifth since being traded to the Jets by the Raiders and his new team will be looking for their second win with the wideout.
On the Colts’ side, the team announced that right tackle Braden Smith (personal) would play on Sunday morning. They are missing left tackle Bernhard Raimann, however.
Colts at Jets
Colts: T Bernhard Raimann, WR Anthony Gould, TE Will Mallory, G Josh Sills, DE Genard Avery, S Darren Hall, QB Sam Ehlinger
Jets: T Tyron Smith, LB C.J. Mosley, G Jake Hanson, DB Jarrick-Bernard Converse, DE Braiden McGregor, RB Izzy Abanikanda
Ravens at Steelers
Ravens: CB Arthur Maulet, S Eddie Jackson, LB David Ojabo, WR Devontez Walker, RB Rasheen Ali, C Nick Samac
Steelers: QB Kyle Allen, RB Jonathan Ward, LB Alex Highsmith, G Max Scharping, TE MyCole Pruitt
Jaguars at Lions
Jaguars: QB Trevor Lawrence, RB Tank Bigsby, CB De’Antre Prince, LB Yasir Abdullah, OL Javon Foster, DT Esezi Otomewo, DT Maason Smith
Lions: TE Sam LaPorta, LB Al-Quadin Muhammad, S Loren Strickland, G Christian Mahogany, OL Colby Sorsdal, T Giovanni Manu
Rams at Patriots
Rams: QB Stetson Bennett, CB Charles Woods, RB Cody Schrader, OL Dylan McMahon, OL Joe Noteboom, T Rob Havenstein, DT Neville Gallimore
Patriots: S Marte Mapu, LB Ochaun Mathis, QB Joe Milton, WR K.J. Osborn, G Tyrese Robinson, DT Jaquelin Roy, DE Deatrich Wise
Browns at Saints
Browns: QB Bailey Zappe, WR Jaelon Darden, RB D’Onta Foreman, CB Chigozie Anusiem, OT Jedrick Wills
Saints: S Millard Bradford, QB Spencer Rattler, RB Jamaal Williams, LB Jaylan Ford, G Lucas Patrick, WR Mason Tipton, DT Khristian Boyd
Vikings at Titans
Vikings: QB Brett Rypien, CB Fabian Moreau, CB Dwight McGlothern, DL Levi Drake Rodriguez, OL Dan Feeney, OL Walter Rouse
Titans: RB Josh Kelley, DB Justin Hardee, CB L’Jarius Sneed, LB Cedric Gray, OL John Ojukwu, OL Leroy Watson, TE David Martin-Robinson
Raiders at Dolphins
Raiders: CB Nate Hobbs, C Andre James, TE Harrison Bryant, G Cody Whitehair, RB Dylan Laube, S Trey Taylor, DT Zach Carter
Dolphins: CB Kendall Fuller, FB Alec Ingold, CB Ethan Bonner, RB Jeff Wilson, LB Mohamed Kamara, OL Andrew Meyer, WR Dee Eskridge
Packers at Bears
Packers: DB Robert Rochell, DB Kitan Oladapo, OL Travis Glover, DL Colby Wooden
Bears: DB Ameer Speed, OL Teven Jenkins, OL Kiran Amegadjie, DL Dominique Robinson
Kadarius Toney is now in a position to make his Browns debut.
Among several Saturday roster moves, Cleveland announced that the club has elevated Toney from the practice squad to the active roster for Sunday’s game against the Saints.
Toney signed with the Browns’ practice squad back in September after the Chiefs cut him in the roster reduction to 53 players. Toney, a 2021 first-round pick, had made several on-field errors during the 2023 season. He also dealt with an injury and ended up playing only 13 games. He caught 27 passes for 169 yards with a touchdown and had 11 carries for 31 yards last year. He did not appear in a game after Week 15.
The Giants’ No. 20 overall pick in 2021, Toney has caught 82 passes for 760 yards with three touchdowns in 32 carer games. He also has 21 carries for 119 yards with a TD.
Additionally, Cleveland has signed defensive tackle Sam Kamara and defensive end Emerson Smith to the 53-man roster from the practice squad.
Defensive tackle Mike Hall has been placed on injured reserve with a knee injury.
And offensive tackle Jedrick Wills (knee) has been downgraded to out.
The Saints are set to get center Erik McCoy back in the lineup this weekend.
McCoy has not played since suffering a groin injury in Week Three. McCoy had surgery and went on injured reserve, but he was back to full practice participation to close out the week and interim head coach Darren Rizzi said on Friday that McCoy is on track to play against the Browns.
“Should be good to go. I thought we did the right thing here the last couple of weeks with his volume in practice, amped it up a little bit every day, and he looks like he’s ready to go,” Rizzi said, via Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com. “Unless we have a setback between now and Sunday, I imagine he’d be in there.”
McCoy will need to be activated by Saturday afternoon to play on Sunday.
Running back Jamaal Williams (groin) and offensive lineman Lucas Patrick (ankle) are out this week. Linebacker Pete Werner (hand), defensive back J.T. Gray (hip), cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry (hamstring), wide receiver Cedrick Wilson (shoulder), and linebacker Nephi Sewell (knee) are listed as questionable.
