‘Here we go’ – what’s it like to make your NFL debut?

Charlie Smyth had been having dreams since he was a teenager.

He had always been interested in the NFL, despite having played gaelic football as a child in County Down.

He had already sent an email to the NFL asking how to get involved as far back as 2019 because of his desire to play American football.

However, he was soon switching from a promising sporting career to an NFL career in 2024 through the International Player Pathway.

He impressed the New Orleans Saints, and he was chosen for their practice squad this year.

The Saints then suddenly announced that the 24-year-old and veteran kicker Cade York were competing for the starting spot against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday when regular kicker Blake Grupe was traded.

Smyth received the news from Phil Galiano, the Saints’ special teams coordinator, after a lot of frantic fighting.

Because of how the practice week went, Smyth told Thomas Niblock of BBC Sport NI, “I was at peace with whatever was going to happen, whether I was playing or not.”

“It was a little emotional when he told me I was playing.” What if I ever had the chance to do this when I was 16 or 17 years old? ‘.

He had to wait until the fourth quarter before making his first field goal attempt, which was a 56-yard attempt.

He delivered on every detail.

My eyes begin to sputter a little bit at that. I get to show off my strong leg there, Smyth said, “but that’s where it’s a little deeper.”

What if I miss this, what if I just embraced it, and it wasn’t an ounce of it? ‘. We could resump our one-score game and move on.

After perfecting his first kick in the NFL, which would have been good from 65 yards, never mind 56, things improved as Smyth’s onside kick, a quick restart strategy used to try to regain possession when the scoreboard was down, was completed.

Rarely does the kick-off technique work. In fact, this season’s NFL recovery success rate is only 7%.

Smyth said, “I don’t know what it was, but I just felt confident.”

I’ve seen a lot of NFL games, but I’ve never really seen one like that. However, Riley Paterson, the Dolphins’ kicker, had already done it before, so we got it.

“It was cool to support the team, and the boys did a great job recovering it.”

Due to a snow delay in Chicago, Smyth’s family and kicking coach Tadhg Leader had to travel to Miami for the game.

Videos of his kick being celebrated like it was a last-minute winner in a World Cup final started to go viral on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

Although it is small, the village of Mayobridge, which is situated between the city of Newry and the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland, is close.

Smyth’s accomplishments are so remarkable because it is so different from Miami in every way.

His sporting career began when he was six years old and was battling a gaelic football on muddy pitches. He is now playing and appearing on one of the biggest sporting stages in the world.

After his 56-yard effort, pints of beer started to pour down the bars, and his onside kick-strike gave way to a second free round.

Smyth laughed, “I watched all the videos after that, and it was class.”

“You wish you could clone yourself so you could be there as well,” said one participant.

About the youngster who was diving to try to block the ball and who would later win the Under-20 Ulster Championship, one of the biggest prizes in underage gaelic football, with Down.

What would he think of playing on a large-scale sporting stage?

You still miss them a little bit, Smyth said, “but they are great memories.”

Smyth called the support “unbelievable,” whether it was from close friends or famous people like golf legend Padraig Harrington or GAA star Paudie Clifford.

Smyth claimed that whenever he got on the plane to Miami, he made a call to “shut off the outside world” in the midst of the noise surrounding his NFL debut.

“I want to make sure that everyone at home has as many days as Sunday as possible, but I can only be selfish and silent.”

You can sort of get sucked in by the messages, “I want to perform at my best, and you can get distracted by that. “

Smyth says he had to remind himself of the self-imposed “24 hour rule” after his highs of making his NFL debut.

Smyth wants to be there for the long haul, so his focus is now on Sunday’s Saints game against Tampa Bay.

Whatever feelings come up from the previous game, you either get them for a day and feel bad about yourself.

“But you have to move on,” you say.

Because this is a difficult business, you really have to get yourself in the mindset that “that’s easier said than done.”

Understatement in a business that is unforgiving.

Smyth only had a second chance after costly field goals that were missed by the experienced Grupe.

And if he wanted to look more specifically at Jude McAtameny, a former gaelic football player, who had a successful season for the New York Giants, he only needed to watch his recent performance before being unceremoniously cut after a number of missed kicks.

Everyone thinks you’re great because you’ve kicked one, but the fans might not be as fond of you if you miss a field goal in the fourth quarter, “she said.