IT’S BEEN A whirlwind week for Swatragh’s Jude McAtamney.
On Sunday, the Derry man missed two extra PATs (points after touchdowns) when the New York Giants faced the Denver Broncos.
Crucially, he missed a PAT towards the end of the game, which would have given the Giants a 33-30 lead, meaning the Denver Broncos would have had to score at least a field goal to take the game to overtime.
On the following possession, the Broncos got the ball within field goal range quickly – and won the game by a point.
From the outset, the Derry man took responsibility and apologised to his team after his errors on Sunday.
“It’s on me,” McAtamney told reporters. “I missed vital points at vital times today. I’m not going to shy away from that.
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“The snap and the hold was good. It was my lack of execution on the kicks. I’m not going to shy away from my mistakes and letting the team down.
“I’ll take full responsibility, I let everyone in the changing room down. I’ve got to make my kicks once it comes up, it’s as simple as that.”
On Tuesday, McAtamney was released by the Giants after the performance – after a barrage of negativity on social media – one single post on McAtamney’s Instagram page attracted over three thousand comments from Giants fans.
Almost twenty four hours later, he was brought back into the frame with the franchise, signing to the practice squad.
The reality is, McAtamney has made history over the last two years. After moving to the US to play college football for Rutgers, he signed with the New York Giants after a tryout as a free agent in 2024 and has played five games over two seasons for the franchise, becoming the first Irish kicker in the NFL since Neil O’Donoghue in 1985.
Incredibly, Clondalkin’s O’Donoghue missed two extra point attempts in a game in 1979 – he would go on to play another six years in the league.
As a kicker with an international exemption slot with the Giants, McAtamney will be allowed to use his time in New York to continue to learn and develop. The re-signing of the Derry man shows not only a commitment from the New York Giants to help him grow as a player, but it also shows that they still believe in his ability, which is crucial.
Who knows – his next chance could come sooner, rather than later.