New Orleans Saints’ Northern Ireland kicker Charlie Smyth honing game

Charlie Smyth’s first taste of the NFL may have turned heads, but the 24-year-old Mayobridge man is already looking ahead.

The Northern Irish kicker showed flashes during his first year with the New Orleans Saints, but Smyth knows that’s just the starting point. The priority now is getting the details right and proving he belongs long term.

Speaking via the team website, Smyth covered his development, his reception back home, and life in New Orleans.

Chris Graythen / Staff

Charlie Smyth focused on improvement with the Saints

“It's good to be back, and now it's time to get back to work and getting better,” he said. “That's where the focus is at now. Just working on some little things.”

For Smyth, that process starts with a deep dive into the finer points of his craft.

“Looking at every little thing - my leg path on swings, diving into all the technical details of kicking. That's what I'm doing now. I'm playing about with a couple of things and trying to come up with a settled routine."

That attention to detail reflects both the challenge and the opportunity facing the former Gaelic footballer.

Charlie Smyth's NFL journey so far

Few players arrive in the NFL the way Smyth has. He transitioned from Gaelic football through the International Player Pathway, and his rise since has been anything but ordinary.

Last year, Smyth knocked through 12 of 16 field goals, including a 47-yard winner against Carolina, and didn’t miss from the extra point line in six games.

That breakthrough not only earned him a great deal of respect from coaches and teammates, but also turned him into something of a hometown star.

“This offseason was different just because of the fact that I'd played some games, and going home and seeing so many (No.) 39 jerseys back in Ireland and in my hometown, especially... it was pretty fun,” Smyth said.

“But it was different. It was brilliant to see my friends and family who couldn't get over and watch some of the games. I'm just delighted with how they've treated me since I went home.”

How Charlie Smyth is growing the NFL back home

Back in Northern Ireland, the shift has been noticeable - both in how the sport is viewed and how Smyth himself is received.

“When I first started watching American football in Ireland, it was a very niche thing to do,” he said.

“It was like, nobody else was doing it. I was watching highlights, and my classmates were saying, 'What is that you're watching?'

"Now, it's different. People actually realise that, OK, the NFL is the world's biggest league. And the fact that there's somebody from their part of the world playing in it, they see the value in it."

“It's been really fun. The coverage has just been unbelievable. There's a lot of people at home that are putting a lot of work into the marketing side of the game - more coverage and more social media clips, and people are sort of recognising what you're doing as a result of that.

"Even if that wasn't the case, I would still love to be over here doing what I'm doing. It's been a pipe dream for a long time, and the fact now that you actually have some games under your belt is pretty cool to say."

Charlie Smyth’s reputation is on the rise in New Orleans

For Smyth, adjusting to life in New Orleans seems to be an easy transition.

“The amount of support I've been getting from the people in general...it's been unbelievable. It does feel like a second home – even when I got off the plane [in New Orleans], it was like, 'We're back.' It was like a sigh, 'It's good to be back, doing what I do best.'"

There’s still work to do, and Smyth knows it, stressing, "It's time to push on.”

He's already laid the foundation. The sense now is that Smyth has the mindset and skillset to turn this into far more than just a feel-good story.