How Ireland's Charlie Smyth turned his NFL dream into a reality with the Saints
 

Like plenty of football fans, Charlie Smyth would keep tabs on what was happening around the league through the NFL RedZone channel.

Unlike many fans of the American game, he was doing so in the wee hours of the morning in northeastern Ireland. And as he watched, paying close attention to those who were kicking the ball, he entertained a thought that might not have crossed the minds of most casual fans.

I can do this.

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There was just a bit of a hitch in this idea. The NFL wasn’t exactly kicking down Europe’s door in its search for talent, and at that point, his home nation hadn’t produced an NFL player since Dublin native Neil O’Donoghue retired after the 1985 season (a barrier that was broken last season by former New Orleans Saints undrafted free agent Daniel Whelan with the Green Bay Packers).

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Re: How Ireland's Charlie Smyth turned his NFL dream into a reality with the Saints
 

Or we could stop trying to find these one in a million feel good stories and find someone who can actually kick.

Re: How Ireland's Charlie Smyth turned his NFL dream into a reality with the Saints
 

You mean like the feel good story of that place kicker that we imported from Denmark? I believe his name was Morten Andersen.

Or that feel good story of the kicker born with no fingers on his right hand or toes on his right foot? I believe his name was Tom Dempsey.

Re: How Ireland's Charlie Smyth turned his NFL dream into a reality with the Saints
 

I like the fact we're using the International Player Portal to bring in competition for Grupe. Smyth won't count against the roster numbers and we can keep him on the practice squad, if need be, as a non-counting number during the regular season, as well. It's definitely a no lose proposition.

Re: How Ireland's Charlie Smyth turned his NFL dream into a reality with the Saints
 

The Dude does have a point. There was nothing that remarkable about Justin Tucker, just an ordinary college guy that became the greatest to ever do it. I don't want us to overscout when there's a good chance Reichard from Alabama would do better.

Re: How Ireland's Charlie Smyth turned his NFL dream into a reality with the Saints
 

I like the fact that Smyth doesn't count toward our roster number.

Re: How Ireland's Charlie Smyth turned his NFL dream into a reality with the Saints
 

Re: How Ireland's Charlie Smyth turned his NFL dream into a reality with the Saints
 

Don't know why anyone would have a issue with this. It's a free hit costing peanuts

Re: How Ireland's Charlie Smyth turned his NFL dream into a reality with the Saints
 

I think every team gets an international player slot. Using that slot on a kicker is the most practical and realistic use for it if you don't already have a 'franchise kicker' like Justin Tucker. If we were really shooting for a one in a million pie in the sky feel good story we would bring in some Rugby Star TE or champion Sumo Wrestling left tackle except when you looked at the fine print their level of stardom in their previous sport would be highly exaggerated, therein why they gave it up for a tryout. Kicker is absolutely the most likely position to find an international gem. Usually when some Rugby 'star' comes to the NFL looking to play RB/WR/TE they are basically the Kevin White or Tim Tebow of Rugby, and their chance of success would be similar to, if not less than, the chances of one of those guys succeeding at Rugby.

Re: How Ireland's Charlie Smyth turned his NFL dream into a reality with the Saints
 

Re: How Ireland's Charlie Smyth turned his NFL dream into a reality with the Saints
 

Exactly.

Re: How Ireland's Charlie Smyth turned his NFL dream into a reality with the Saints
 

Well if we keep trying for the next 20-30 years we might hit gold! What a brilliant strategy! Knowing we only have to wait a few decades will take the sting away every time we lose a meaningful game because our kicker misses a chip shot kick.

Re: How Ireland's Charlie Smyth turned his NFL dream into a reality with the Saints
 

What are you even talking about? Overall our "strategy" for acquiring kickers is not much different than any other team in the league. We've had plenty of good ones over the past 20-30 years. The great Morten Andersen was hitting at lessor average than the kicker we have now when he first started his career. He didn't even better a 75% success rate until his 4th season! Guess we should have kicked him to the curb and called him a bust after those first three seasons, huh? :rolleyes:

Re: How Ireland's Charlie Smyth turned his NFL dream into a reality with the Saints
 

You make a good point about the transfers from the American Football game from rugby. They are two different totally different concepts that don't easily transfer from playing one game to playing a foreign game.

Although, I have coached and trained many ex football players into damn fine rugby players. But it takes time to learn the skills.....mostly, but not always. Ya'll have rules and rugby has laws.

But, back to your point about kickers. The Kickers, on the other hand have a similar system of aero dynamics that are universal with varying degrees of change.

Did you know that football was so dangerous that Teddy Roosevelt got involved after numerous deaths and introduced the forward pass and blocking in 1905 to the new American football game? The Chicago Tribune reported a bloody year on the grid iron. 19 had been killed and 159 serious injuries were reported that year.

Wikipedia has a great read up if you're interested in how football got started.

Ya'll should have just left it alone and then everyone would be playing rugby! :cheers:

Re: How Ireland's Charlie Smyth turned his NFL dream into a reality with the Saints
 

Wil Lutz 85% (Replaced Kai Forbath)
Garrett Hartley 83.4% (Held record for most consecutive made kicks by a first year kicker. Broken by then Redskin Kai Forbath who replaced former Saints kickoff specialist Billy Cundiff.)
John Carney 82.8%
Doug Brien 82.6%
Blake Grupe 81.1% (Replaced Wil Lutz)
Morten Andersen 77.6% ***

***Proof that "Stats Don't Matter"

Re: How Ireland's Charlie Smyth turned his NFL dream into a reality with the Saints
 

My twin brother is a big fan of the old saying "statistics can say anything you want them to."