New York Giants kicker Jude McAtamney has already had some big nights in his short NFL career
Jude McAtamney(Image: Perry Knotts, Getty Images)
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, Northern Ireland, to the MetLife Stadium in ‘the Big Apple’.
McAtamney, 26, is the youngest of seven boys in a family of eight and recently became the first Irish-born player to start an NFL game since Neil O’Donoghue did it 39 years ago in 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, reports Belfast Live.
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“There’s John, Mark, Gary, me in the middle, Paul, Niall, Ciara – and Jude is the wee’n of the house.
Gary and Conor McAtamney saw their brother Jude play for the Giants against the Philadelphia Eagles
“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 meters 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.”
College Football to NFL
From an Australian kicking school to Chowan High School in North Carolina, then onto the big New Jersey college team Rutgers and finally landing with the Giants, McAtamney has been on this journey for over five years. With only 32 field goal kicking spots in the NFL, these positions are among the most high-pressure roles in any sport.
McAtamney was on kicking duty during the 34-17 victory over current Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, at Met Life Stadium last week, successfully making four extra point kicks. The Giants are set to face off against the Broncos on Sunday night in Denver.
McAtamney successfully made four extra point kicks against the Philadelphia Eagles at Met Life Stadium(Image: Cooper Neill, Getty Images)
McAtamney’s opportunity arose when regular field goal kicker Graham Gano was injured, but it wasn’t a straightforward transition. Former Derry under-20 player McAtamney faced competition after the Giants signed experienced former Atlanta Falcon Younghoe Koo, leading to a showdown in practice.
When McAtamney was promoted from the practice squad three times to play in NFL games, he had to be signed to the 53-man roster to be eligible to play again.
“The last three weeks have been nerve-wracking,” says Conor McAtamney, 31, who joined the Derry senior squad at 18 and played until 2020. “When Graham got injured we realized, ‘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 100 percent 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 truth is that field goal kickers must prove their worth early and at every turn.
McAtamney was recently promoted to the Giants’ active roster(Image: Jim McIsaac, Getty Images)
Elite kickers at the highest level can pull in over $5 million annually, but consistency is non-negotiable.
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Practice squad players take home anywhere from $190,000 to $330,000 per year.
However, when players get promoted to the active roster, as McAtamney recently was, the minimum salary jumps to $720,000 annually.
It’s an extremely profitable profession, but the pressure is relentless.
“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 scrutinized. Practice is scrutinized. The games are scrutinized.
“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.
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“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 hung out with their brother following the Eagles matchup.
“He’s relatively calm about the whole thing and to be fair to him seems to be taking it all in his stride,” Conor noted. “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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