How GAA helped Smyth make NFL kick with 7% success

Charlie Smyth made headlines on Sunday as he not only landed a 56-yard field goal on his debut in the NFL, but he also made one of the rarest kicks in American football.

After being signed to the New Orleans Saints after coming through the NFL's International Player Pathway, Smyth was elevated to the roster for the game against the Miami Dolphins.

While the Saints would ultimately lose the game, the former gaelic footballer was a positive in what has been a difficult season for New Orleans.

After nailing his first NFL field goal, which flew between the posts with room to spare, Smyth then completed an onside kick - a short restart tactic used to try and regain possession when losing on the scoreboard.

The kick-off technique is rarely successful. In fact, it only has a 7% recovery success rate in the NFL this season.

But how did his GAA background help him against the odds?

According to Saints' special teams coordinator Phil Galiano, the onside kick was the "easy part" of the game for Smyth with the technique used to strike the ball.

The 24-year-old grew up playing gaelic football in County Down, and as a goalkeeper would have regularly taken shots off the turf at the opposition's posts from range.

Galiano said the onside kick was a similar technique to striking a gaelic football, and it was his job to "figure out what players do best, and utilise that to our advantage".

"His background in being able to kick the ball, it was kind of a natural swing," Galiano added.

"We practice onside kicks on Friday, Saturday and at training camps, and that was something he done really well.

"As he explained to me, in gaelic football it was a natural swing of how the ball was. He felt really good about it, so I said 'let's go for it'."

After regular kicker Blake Grupe was waived by the Saints, Smyth, who had been on the practice roster for 18 months, was in a shootout with veteran Cade York to play against the Dolphins.

Galiano said Smyth "showed he was ready" with his performance in the competition, and he was "locked in and focused".

The 48-year-old was also impressed with Smyth's field goal attempt in the game in Miami, which he felt would have been good from 70 yards.

Galliano also felt that, if needed in the last play of a game, Smyth had the range for 68 yards - the current record distance for a field goal in the NFL.

"He does get it up really high, and you want that," he said.

"It's harder for the big guys to block, which you see when they are lower.

"The higher you get it the less chance you have of it being block, but one of the things that caused him a lot of issues that we've been working through, was when we were in California and it was a windy day.

"The further back you go then the wind can affect it a little bit more, so you have to slightly change how you kick the ball. That's another thing for him to get used to."

After a successful debut for the Saints, Smyth will get another opportunity to impress against Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

But as Galiano warns, despite making "the most of his opportunity", the hype is now done and dusted and full focus is on Tampa.

Smyth's family flew out to the Miami at the last moment after leaving of his selection, and his NFL debut was celebrated back in his home village of Mayobridge as free pints were handed out in his local pub.

To his credit, this is something Smyth had already addressed in an interview with BBC Sport NI about his self-imposed "24-hour rule" about moving on from any lingering emotions from a game.

"There was a whole lot of intrigue and all that sort of stuff. That's great, but I had a talk with him and that's over," Galiano added.

"We had our chance to enjoy that, but now we're on to Tampa and his next kick.

"He's got to stay humble, stay hungry, keep developing and do a good job that way for us."