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New Orleans Saints kicker and former Down goalkeeper Charlie Smyth. Alamy Stock Photo

Saints want more consistency from 'talented' Charlie Smyth as monster practice kick turns heads

The Down man walloped a 65-yarder during Tuesday’s practice, but head coach Denis Allen is more concerned about mid-range accuracy.

CHARLIE SMYTH’S 65-YARD field goal during the New Orleans Saints’ pre-season practice session on Tuesday night made a splash on both sides of the Atlantic, but Saints head coach Dennis Allen would prefer to see the Co. Down man improve his consistency from inside 50 yards if he is to win his battle with Blake Grupe for New Orleans’ starting jersey in 2024.

Smyth’s monster kick was viewed hundreds of thousands of times on social media — and with good reason. The vast majority of career-long American kickers don’t possess 65-yard leg distance, not to mention a 22-year-old international recruit who first kicked an American football 12 months ago.

The longest ever kick in an NFL game was Justin Tucker’s 66-yarder for the Baltimore Ravens against the Detroit Lions in 2021. Nobody has made one from 65, the distance from which Smyth cleared the posts with several yards to spare in Tuesday’s controlled environment. Matt Prater stands alone with a 64-yarder for the Denver Broncos against the Tennessee Titans in 2013.

In all, only 11 NFL players have made field goals from 62 yards or longer during an official game.

Former Down goalkeeper Smyth, 22, made multiple 60-plus-yarders in training two nights ago and Saints head coach Dennis Allen was complimentary towards the Irishman’s leg power — but the New Orleans boss was equally quick to point out that a 65-yarder would only be attempted in extraordinary circumstances in a competitive game.

Allen warned that he is instead more focused on Smyth’s accuracy inside a more conventional distance, which remains less consistent than that of last year’s starter Grupe.

“It’s nice to know that you can knock one in from 65,” Allen said of Smyth. “I think we kicked six in that deal, and I think he was five-of-six, if I’m not mistaken. So, I thought he kicked the ball really well in the practice environment.

And look, he’s a talented player and being able to make one from 65, I think that’s great. But we’re not going to attempt a ton of 65-yarders. So, it’s really, to me, what are we really getting inside of 50 and the consistency in that range? ‘Cause that’s where a majority of the kicks are going to come.

Grupe doesn’t have the same power as Smyth but while he made a below-average 81% (31 of 37) of his kicks last year, he went 86% (24 of 28) from 50 or inside.

The 25-year-old Notre Dame graduate, who signed with the Saints following the 2023 NFL Draft, also boasts the most important intangible in his battle with Smyth for the starting berth: a year’s worth of NFL experience on top of high-level experience in both college and high school.

Allen said that Smyth’s lack of game reps is “part of it” when evaluating the position for the Saints. “Anytime you’re going through the evaluation process, the unknown is always difficult,” the head coach added.

Still, though, Allen pointed out that Smyth — who did kick a 37-yard game-winner against the Arizona Cardinals earlier in pre-season — remains in competition with Grupe ahead of the Saints’ season opener at home to the Carolina Panthers on 8 September, and that he would have called off the race by now if New Orleans didn’t consider Smyth to be a noteworthy talent.

“From where he was when he first got here to where he’s at now, I think he’s improved significantly,” Allen said of the Mayobridge man. “There’s still some consistency that we’ve got to see, but I like some of the things I’m seeing from him, for sure.”

Even if Smyth doesn’t manage to overtake Grupe this pre-season, he should get a couple more cracks at it: players who sign to an NFL franchise through the International Player Pathway (IPP) are allotted an extra slot in a team’s practice squad for their first three seasons should the franchise choose to keep them onboard.

The limit for a practice squad is 16 players, but the Saints would be free to include Smyth as their 17th reserve should they opt to start Grupe come kick-off next month.

Smyth, though, will still hold out hope of securing a spot in the Saints’ first-team roster next Tuesday, when each franchise has to trim their playing squad down to 53 players.

In the meantime, the Irishman will hope for opportunities when the Saints host the Titans in their final pre-season game this Sunday.

Author
Gavan Casey
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