There are only 32 field goal kicking places in the NFL and they are among the most pressurised roles in any sport.
New York Giants field goal kicker Jude McAtamney always had a big boot on him. But it’s a long way from Davitt Park in Swatragh to the MetLife Stadium in ‘the big apple.’ McAtamney (26) – the youngest of seven boys in a family of eight – recently became the first Irish born player to start an NFL game since Neil O’Donnell did it 39 years ago (1986) for the St. Louis Cardinals. It’s a source of great pride to the McAtamaney family.
“There’s a good handful of us,” says Jude’s older brother Conor, the former Derry senior who recently jetted out along with brother Gary to see Jude kick for the Giants against the Philadelphia Eagles. “There’s John, Mark, Gary, me in the middle, Paul, Niall, Ciara – and Jude is the wee’n of the house.
“From a young age he’d have shown to have a big kick on him from the dead ball. As soon as he was on to the (Swatragh) seniors he was kicking a lot of the frees and 45s for us. He would have been walking up and stroking them over. Plenty of metres on them afterwards, where if one of us went to hit it, we’d have to have given it everything we’ve got and it would just have went over the bar.
“He had the ability to stroke the ball really well. He obviously thought one day I must go and make the most of this talent. He’s went and done that.”
From a kicking school in Australia to Chowan High School in North Carolina, big New Jersey college side Rutgers and finally the Giants, McAtamney has been at this over five years now. There are only 32 field goal kicking places in the NFL and they are among the most pressurised roles in any sport.
McAtamney was kicking in the 34-17 win over current Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, at Met Life Stadium last week, nailing four extra point kicks. The Giants face the Broncos tomorrow night in Denver.
McAtamney got his opportunity when regular field goal kicker Graham Gano sustained an injury, but it wasn’t that straightforward. Former Derry under-20 McAtamney had competition after the Giants signed the experienced former Atlanta Falcon Younghoe Koo and they battled it out in practice.
When McAtamney was elevated from the practice squad three times to play in NFL games he had to be signed to the 53 man roster in order to be eligible to play again.
“The last three weeks have been nerve racking,” says Conor McAtamney (31), who went straight into the Derry senior squad at 18 and played up until 2020. “When Graham got injured we realised, ‘This man’s going to be called up here.’ That wasn’t the case. It wasn’t that straightforward. Jude had a really good pre-season. He was 100percent on all his kicks and he was kicking well in practice.
“Then he had to go and prove himself again in competition throughout the week against your other man. He did well and got a spot. All that was nerve racking because obviously you are looking him to play and then we are just waiting all week to see how things go and see if he’s playing.
“Then when he does get on the pitch, it’s funny, the camera changes over to Jude and he’s kicking the ball. There’s that wee bit of nervousness. He’s kicking well so I think those nerves aren’t as bad as they were. You fear the worst nearly but to be fair, he has it under control and he’s kicking well. We are getting to the stage where we are enjoying seeing it now.”
The reality is that field goal kickers have to prove themselves early on, and on each step of the way. Proven kickers at the top of the game can earn over €5 million per annum, but you have to keep hitting the target. Practice squad players earn anything from €190,000 to €330,000 per annum.
But when players are signed to the roster, as McAtamaney was recently, the minimum salary is €720,000 per annum. It’s a highly lucrative business but the pressure is intense.
“So far he’s done really well, but at the same time he’s not going to go through his career and not miss kicks,” says Conor. “Nobody does that. But the big thing in NFl and professional sports is that you’ve got to get on to the next one. Bounce back and don’t let it affect you, which he’s done really well so far.
“It’s more of a permanent position he is now compared to this time two weeks ago but at the same time it doesn’t guarantee you anything. It’s professional sports. You’ve still got to go out and perform. If he goes out and performs and is doing his job, he is probably going to be there for a while It’s like anything. It’s scrutinised. Practice is scrutinised. The games are scrutinised.
“There is no real room for error there at all. You can be easily dropped, cut and somebody else take your place. It’s a good position he’s in now. He will be able to establish himself as the main kicker but the caveat is you have to perform.
“If the Giants don’t feel he is doing the job for them any more they can cut him and he can be picked up by somebody else. It’s as cut throat as that. He has the contract but that doesn’t mean they have to keep him.”
Conor and Gary McAtamney spent a bit of time with their brother after the Eagles game.
“He’s relatively calm about the whole thing and to be fair to him seems to be taking it all in his stride,” says Conor. “But I suppose he has visions to set out and do exactly what he’s doing. He’s just going out and doing it now. He’s not that nervous about it I don’t think really.
“At the end of the day, it’s his job and he’s going out and doing his job and that’s it. In those positions I don’t think you can think about anything else around it. We can make all the noise here at home and fans can make all the noise, but at the end of the day he’s got a job to do and that’s kick points and nothing else changes. He’s fairly grounded there and knows exactly what he has to do.
“You never know what can happen in the NFL. Things can chop and change very, very rapidly. If he’s in there and doing the job they tend to hang on to you and there will be plenty of other opportunities.”
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