CHARLIE SMYTH SAYS he is “striving to become a great player for this team” after his impressive return as the starting kicker for the New Orleans Saints.
Smyth finished the game with three field goals and two extra points. The 25-year-old scored the Saints’ first nine points, bouncing back after missing his second kick from 52 yards and nailing one from 48 yards.
“I was quite proud of the performance,” Smyth reflected. “Obviously I want the 52 back, but I thought the response was the most important thing, and I was really proud of that response.
“Even on kick-off, we put a big emphasis on putting the ball inside the 5 and every kick was inside the 5. I was really proud of the 48-yarder as well, it was a big moment in the game for us.
“Obviously you want to be hitting extra points because that means we’re scoring touchdowns. Whenever your name’s called upon to go out and put three points on the board, you’ve gotta be able to do that every single time. That’s what I’m striving for, I’m striving to become a great player for this team.”
Asked about his one miss, Smyth admitted he needed to “be better” but vowed to learn from it as he continues to develop.
“I got a little over the ball, but we’ll correct that. I gotta be better there. But we talked all week about the response and I couldn’t hit a better ball than that 48-yarder. That was literally dead ball.
“You gotta keep stacking those and keep learning. It’s a learning process, but one thing I’ll take pride in is that whenever I’m needed most, I’ll step up and be ready for those moments.”
Charlie Smyth leaves the field after helping the New Orleans Saints to victory. AP Photo / Gerald Herbert
Smyth – who earned a sensational recall to the starting roster last week following the release of Daniel Carlson – was keen to highlight the team performance as the Saints secured their first home win of the season.
“Overall, great team win and let’s stack another one next week against Carolina, because why not? Why not go on a run?
“Obviously it hasn’t been the season we wanted so far, but we’re only one game back in the division. Why can’t we win the division? Why can’t we start stacking games?
“One game at a time, one rep at a time, win the next rep – that’s the mindset of this team. And if something doesn’t go well, how do you respond? That’s what we talked about all week, and the boys did a great job at responding.”
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'It's a learning process, but one thing I'll take pride in is whenever I'm needed most, I'll step up'
CHARLIE SMYTH SAYS he is “striving to become a great player for this team” after his impressive return as the starting kicker for the New Orleans Saints.
The Down native kicked the match-winning point in overtime against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday as the Saints won 23-22.
Smyth finished the game with three field goals and two extra points. The 25-year-old scored the Saints’ first nine points, bouncing back after missing his second kick from 52 yards and nailing one from 48 yards.
“I was quite proud of the performance,” Smyth reflected. “Obviously I want the 52 back, but I thought the response was the most important thing, and I was really proud of that response.
“Even on kick-off, we put a big emphasis on putting the ball inside the 5 and every kick was inside the 5. I was really proud of the 48-yarder as well, it was a big moment in the game for us.
“Obviously you want to be hitting extra points because that means we’re scoring touchdowns. Whenever your name’s called upon to go out and put three points on the board, you’ve gotta be able to do that every single time. That’s what I’m striving for, I’m striving to become a great player for this team.”
Asked about his one miss, Smyth admitted he needed to “be better” but vowed to learn from it as he continues to develop.
“I got a little over the ball, but we’ll correct that. I gotta be better there. But we talked all week about the response and I couldn’t hit a better ball than that 48-yarder. That was literally dead ball.
“You gotta keep stacking those and keep learning. It’s a learning process, but one thing I’ll take pride in is that whenever I’m needed most, I’ll step up and be ready for those moments.”
Smyth – who earned a sensational recall to the starting roster last week following the release of Daniel Carlson – was keen to highlight the team performance as the Saints secured their first home win of the season.
“Overall, great team win and let’s stack another one next week against Carolina, because why not? Why not go on a run?
“Obviously it hasn’t been the season we wanted so far, but we’re only one game back in the division. Why can’t we win the division? Why can’t we start stacking games?
“One game at a time, one rep at a time, win the next rep – that’s the mindset of this team. And if something doesn’t go well, how do you respond? That’s what we talked about all week, and the boys did a great job at responding.”
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