SmashMouth

METAIRIE, La. ― When Garrett Hartley laid his foot into the ball at the 50-yard line, he knew the kick had a chance.

When it sailed cleanly over the crossbar, he knew it was a special kick.

But it was when special teams coach Greg McMahon ran onto the field like the kick had just won the Super Bowl that you knew the kick was good.

And then Hartley’s coach jokingly scolded him.

“We actually were working the Baltimore drill trying to get the returner,” Hartley said. “Coach came up to me after and said, ‘You screwed up my drill.’ ”

Hartley’s kick was good from 60 yards out, the latest sign that the third-year kicker is more than one-year wonder.

Yet, Hartley wasn’t supposed to make the kick. The team was working on a drill where the kick was intended to fall short to a returner, who would then run upfield with the ball, a la Chris McAlister with the Baltimore Ravens when he returned a field goal 107 yards for a score in 2002.

That wasn’t to be with Hartley, though, who knew from the outset that the distance might be too short for him to comply with the drill.

“Originally it was scripted at 58,” Hartley said. “I told them, ‘Look, if you’re even going to try to give the returner a chance, you’re going to have back it up a little farther.’ ”

Said McMahon, “The way you defense that is not let the returner touch the ball. If you make the kick, it takes that out of it. So, it was a great kick for him and it was exciting that we didn’t have to cover the darn kick more than anything.”

In fact, Hartley’s longest in the indoor facility is 64 yards. This one would have easily been good from 65.

The day didn’t end perfectly for the youngster, however. He followed up the make by missing a 37- and 41-yarder.

“Coming out here regardless of making a 60-yarder, they’re just as important as making a 30-yarder,” Hartley said. “That’s one thing to stress. Those are crowd-pleasing, especially from 60, but what’s more important is being consistent from 42 in.”

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