Tag: charlie smyth

Keeping Blake Grupe came down to dependability and consistency

Blake Grupe won his battle over Charlie Smyth by affirming Dennis Allen’s beliefs from last year

Dennis Allen has full confidence in Blake Grupe as the Saints starting kicker. Grupe won his competition over International Player Pathways rookie Charlie Smyth. Smyth repeatedly showed off his leg strength with multiple field goals of more than 60 yards in practice and in pregame as well. Allen made it clear that wouldn’t decide the battle, though.

When asked about the decision to keep Grupe over Smyth, Allen gave a strong endorsement of Grupe that extends into the previous season. “I like Blake Grupe. I thought this last year. I think it again this year. When he’s gotten into the games, he’s made the kicks he’s needed to make.”

Allen continues by saying, “I think he’s been consistent in practice. I’ve seen an improved player even from where he was at this point last year. I feel very confident about that.”

Allen described everything you’d want in a kicker, a consistent, dependable player. Grupe will need to deliver on this belief. There were some question marks a year ago, but if he can make the kicks he needs to make then he should wipe away doubt that Allen made the right call.

Saints are keeping Charlie Smyth on the practice squad

Well that’s a relief. Irish kicker Charlie Smyth has cleared waivers, and has returned to the Saints’ practice squad:

The New Orleans Saints were able to retain one of their own high-priority practice squad players, after waiving Charlie Smyth he has cleared waivers and been signed to the Saints practice squad, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. This comes after the Saints kept second-year kicker Blake Grupe and waived Smyth, presumably in hopes that he would clear waivers and they could retain him long-term.

Smyth did not have a significant chance to play in the preseason, missing time due to a minor injury later on but also losing most reps due to Grupe getting the first look. His most notable moment however was his first NFL kick, which was a 37-yard game-winner in the first preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals. It was a big moment for the rookie kicker from Ireland, who the Saints are retaining with an International Player Pathway roster exemption.

He has been routinely hitting 60-plus yard field goals in training camp according to multiple reporters, including a 65 yarder in their practice at Yulman Stadium (which may have been good from further distance, by the looks of it). It will be nice to have depth at the kicker position, in the event that Grupe begins to struggle, there are options to be had this time.

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Matthew Hayball showcased leg talent, consistency to win punter battle

Matthew Hayball defeated Lou Hedley in the Saints’ punter battle. Dennis Allen listed three key factors in that decision:

The New Orleans Saints had the potential of major special teams changes going into this season. Lou Hedley and Blake Grupe were both competing for their jobs after questionable first seasons in the Black and Gold.

New Orleans brought two undrafted free agents. Matthew Hayball was brought in to challenge Hedley at punter and Grupe had to contend with Charlie Smyth at kicker. Grupe held on to his spot, but Hayball looked good enough in Saints training camp for the team to make a change at punter.

Dennis Allen explained the decision as coming down these three factors: age, ability and consistency. “Hayball is younger. I think he’s got a little bit more leg talent. Over the course of the last couple weeks of practice, (Hayball) was a little bit more consistent than Lou.”

Through the preseason, Hayball had a better averages in yards per punt and net yardage, which subtracts return yardage from the punt yardage. Hayball also had a longest punt of the preseason.

Most importantly, Allen called the rookie the more consistent player. Allen still believes Hedley is talented and will be “punting in our league again,” but consistency can’t be understated. If you’re more talented and more reliable, the job is typically yours.

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Saints waive rookie kicker Charlie Smyth, an International Player Pathway standout

The Saints have waived rookie kicker Charlie Smyth, ending the battle with Blake Grupe — for now. The International Player Pathway program standout could return:

The New Orleans Saints kicker battle has come to a close for now, with rookie Charlie Smyth being sent to waivers per Nola.com’s Luke Johnson, and confirmed by NewOrleans.Football’s Mike Triplett. This is an intriguing one, as it clearly indicates Blake Grupe winning the starting kicking spot at this point in time, and subjects Smyth to waivers even as an IPP player. But the rookie from  Ireland could still return.

If Smyth were to make it through waivers, he would most likely end up on the practice squad for the Saints, and in the event of Grupe struggling at some point, could be utilized. However, his making it through waivers is no guarantee, as other teams will have seen his game-winner against the Arizona Cardinals, as well as his potential with a strong leg, and consider making the move if they need a kicker.

This unfortunately leaves the Saints in somewhat of a limbo, as they have to sit and wait to see if he will clear waivers before doing anything to get him back, but regardless, hopefully he will end up back with the Saints.

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WATCH: Supercut of Charlie Smyth’s first year of field goal tries

It’s a year to the day since Charlie Smyth kicked his first football. Now he’s booting 65 yards for the Saints. Here’s a look at his progress from his trainer:

It’s been a full calendar year since Charlie Smyth kicked his first American football. Now the New Orleans Saints’ rookie kicker is booting field goals from 65 yards and pushing for a job at training camp. That’s impressive no matter how you slice it.

Here’s a look at Smyth’s progress from his trainer, starting with his first try in Northern Ireland back in Aug. 2023 and running up through his training in South Florida to preseason game-winning field goal against the Arizona Cardinals this preseason.

Can Smyth win the job? Maybe so. But there’s more to kicking in the NFL than hitting long-distance field goals. Saints coach Dennis Allen has said he wants to see more consistency from Smyth at moderate ranges inside 50 yards, where the team is more likely to try field goals anyway, as well as on kickoffs. But Smyth has clearly put in a ton of work. If he can finish strong this preseason he just might push Blake Grupe aside just like he displaced Wil Lutz last summer.

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Charlie Smyth’s big field goals are impressive, but won’t decide kicker battle

Charlie Smyth is making field goals from 60-plus yards, but Dennis Allen says that alone won’t decide the Saints kicker competition with Blake Grupe:

It’s difficult not to be impressed when a kicker makes a field goal from beyond 60 yards. New Orleans Saints rookie Charlie Smyth seems to be doing it regularly. But head coach Dennis Allen made it clear that while those kicks are impressive, they won’t be the deciding factor when choosing between Smyth and Blake Grupe.

Smyth knocked in a pair of long kicks prior to the first preseason game, and he added another one from 65 yards at Tuesday’s open practice that had room to spare.

By Allen’s count, Smyth made five-of-six field goals from 60 yards or more on Tuesday. Allen said that “it’s nice to know that you can knock one in from 65” but later went on to say “we’re not going to attempt a lot of 65 yarders.” That’s obviously a risk that teams are only choosing to take in select situations.

Instead, Allen is focusing on kicks inside of 50 yards. These are the tries you’ll see more often. Smyth is improving here as well. Allen is looking for a little more consistency but acknowledged how much better Smyth has gotten: “Where he is now from where he was when he first got here, he’s improved significantly.”

There’s one final test coming up in the final preseason game. Last year Grupe displaced Wil Lutz. Could Smyth push him aside this summer? Earning trust on field goals from a more moderate distance is important, but so is nailing his technique on kickoffs. Smyth has put a couple of kickoffs out of bounds at training camp so we’ll be looking for improvement in that phase, too.

Something to keep in mind? Even if he doesn’t win the job, Smyth can stick with the Saints and continue to develop on their practice squad. They’ve been given an extra spot for him as part of the NFL International Player Pathway program.

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WATCH: Rookie kicker Charlie Smyth boots 65-yard field goal at Saints practice

Rookie kicker Charlie Smyth connected on a 65-yard field goal at New Orleans Saints practice. It might’ve been good from 70:

Have a night, Charlie Smyth. The rookie kicker from Northern Ireland has picked up the American game quickly after playing Gaelic football, and he’s made life tough for New Orleans Saints incumbent Blake Grupe.

And when the Saints kicked off their open practice at Tulane’s Yulman Stadium on Tuesday night, Smyth stole the show. He capped his eight field goal tries — nailing seven of them with a miss from 55 yards — by booting a 65-yarder through the uprights. Nola.com’s Jeff Duncan noted it was near the same spot Tom Dempsey once set an NFL record from 63 yards.

That’s very impressive. Smyth has a big leg but he’s put in the work to hone his craft in a very short time. ESPN’s Katherine Terrell shared that he first kicked an American football almost exactly one year ago on Aug. 22. If he can keep developing and earning confidence from his coaches, Smyth just might unseat Grupe. This Sunday’s final preseason game with the Tennessee Titans looms large.

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Saints’ two-minute drill experience showed vs. Cardinals

The New Orleans stress situational football at practice. Those repeated reps showed as Spencer Rattler led a two-minute drill to win the game:

New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler’s preseason debut felt like a fictional story. He led the Saints down the field for their first touchdown on his first drive then led a game-winning drive on his final possession.

Rattler reflected on the game’s ending by saying, “You couldn’t ask for a better finish.”

Situational football is a point of emphasis during practices. The final drive is a result of repetition. The Saints didn’t panic.

After scoring on his first drive, Rattler admitted the offense began to lull for a little bit afterwards. When it came time to two minute drill, they came alive. The thought process was to “play free, play fast, make smart decisions and distribute the ball.”

Rattler prioritized safe and quick throws to ensure the team continued to get closer to field goal range before delivering a back shoulder throw to Samson Nacua. That made the field goal much easier.

Charlie Smyth told Rattler before the drive, “Just set me up and I’ll knock it in.” All parties involved took care of business.

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Spencer Rattler shows flashes of brilliance in Saints’ preseason victory

Saints rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler showed flashes of brilliance in the team’s 16-14 preseason victory over the Cardinals:

All offseason long, there has been a little bit of what we call a “hype train” moving along the tracks for New Orleans Saints’ rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler. Now, granted, this is one preseason game, and it should be taken with a grain of salt, as Rattler was working against backups in this game. However, it is also worth noting that Rattler was working behind a pretty brutal offensive line as well, and was working with backups on offense too.

The stat line does not necessarily paint the whole picture in this case, as he ended the game 9-for-17 with 70 passing yards, as well as two rushes for 8 yards and a touchdown. As the third quarterback onto the field, he got some time to play for sure, but not a significant sample size as we may see in preseason games two and three.

Rattler was running for his life at multiple points in this game, trying to make things happen for the offense. When he came into the game, the Saints had not scored a touchdown, and were down 7-6. He handed off for two medium-length runs, and then threw a bomb to A.T. Perry which resulted in a 34-yard defensive pass interference foul. After a couple more short gains, Rattler took the snap, faced pressure from both sides and began to climb in the pocket, when a rusher charged him right up the middle. He decided to roll out to the right and cut upfield, and was hit pretty hard by Xavier Weaver right at the goal line. But he managed to get a touchdown, sneaking the ball over the plane as he went out of bounds.

Things were pretty slow after that touchdown, going 2-for-6 through the air on the next three drives, all leading to punts. However, he was under immense pressure for a few plays, and was sacked on one as well. The Saints went down 14-13 with 1:55 remaining, and a five second return to their own 25 yard line. Rattler would then go 6-for-8 on the last drive for 44 yards, leading the Saints down the field on a methodical dink-and-dunk drive, and putting them in place for a game-winning field goal. Rookie Charlie Smyth would drill it, and put the Saints up 16-14 with five seconds remaining, all but winning the game.

Is it just one start? Sure. Do we want to make too much of this? Not at all. However, given the circumstances Rattler was placed in, he looked pretty impressive for his first NFL appearance. Jake Haener also looked solid in his time on the field for what it is worth. However, Rattler was the leader of the Saints’ lone touchdown drive, and that makes things extremely intriguing for the next two games. If the Saints follow the same pattern as last summer, Derek Carr will likely get little to no playing time, and the two backups will hash it out with a half for each presumably.

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Charlie Smyth struck while the iron was hot in Saints preseason opener

Charlie Smyth struck while the iron was hot in the Saints’ preseason opener. The rookie kicker came through in the clutch:

What a way to start your career in American football. Not just the NFL — when Charlie Smyth took the field on Saturday night to attempt a 37-yard field goal for the win, he did so on his first kick in the American game. The rookie from Northern Ireland joined the New Orleans Saints through the NFL’s International Player Program this offseason, and he’s been turning heads all summer.

That included during pregame warmups. Smyth booted two tries from distances of 60-plus yards, then watched Blake Grupe go to work for three quarters. When his turn finally came, it was in the game’s final seconds, with the Saints trailing by a single point. And his coaches had full confidence in him in that moment.

“We would’ve kicked it from, I don’t know, sixty. You know? Depending on how much time was left in the game and whether I thought the down and distance was, what we thought the percentages was. So it’s a little bit of a hypothetical,” Allen mused in his postgame press conference.

At about the same time, the Irish rock band U2’s hit single “With You or Without You” could be heard echoing from the celebratory Saints locker room, per Nola.com’s Luke Johnson. Allen continued: “But I felt good about him hitting the distance. Wasn’t worried about that at all. And I thought that was awesome. First kick in not an NFL game a football game, in an American football game. For him to knock it through like that in a pressure situation, that was cool to see.”

That’s not to say Smyth has won the job just yet. He needs to keep up the good work and harness the power in his leg (he pushed a few warmup kicks wide to the right, as has happened at training camp practices) and improve his placement on kickoffs. He’s sent too many of those out of the field of play. But he may just need more experience. You don’t see many players with his raw talent. His status in the IPP has bought some time to better learn the sport, but Smyth just might end up pushing the envelope.

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