Mark McNamee says he has “everything to prove” despite being re-signed to the Green Bay Packers practice squad.
The 25-year-old kicker from Dublin was initially released by the NFC North franchise on Tuesday when their final 53-man roster for the regular season was revealed.
There was an opportunity for another team to acquire his services over the following 24 hours, but a return to the Packers was always on the cards and “all went to plan”.
McNamee was in limbo when released by BC Lions on the Canadian Football League, but by mid-July – having signed up for the NFL’s International Player Pathway – he was made aware of interest from the Packers when initially planning to attend a kicking combine in San Diego with former NFL star John Carney.
Instead, he found himself landing in Green Bay at 23:00 on a Saturday night before kicking off in a pre-season game against the New York Jets the following day – and in recent weeks has shown enough to earn a return.
“Now’s not the time to celebrate as it’s the start of the season and I’m coming in as somebody who hasn’t played the sport properly yet. I’ve everything to prove, so there is a lot ahead of me,” McNamee told My Newspaper Sport NI.
“I spoke to the coaches and they said they were happy, so they told me I’d be released and then re-signed for the international squad.
“I wasn’t anxious going into the day. I just took them at face value and it went to plan. If I sat thinking of the variables, I could have gone mad, but I just focus on what is in my control.”
It was a whirlwind introduction when kicking off less than 24 hours after touching down in the United States, but the former gaelic footballer took it in his stride and when presented with the opportunity said “there’s no way I’m not taking it”.
He took all of the kick-offs in that game against the Jets. Although he converted two extra points and landed a 43-yard field goal against the Indianapolis Colts the following week, there was also a miss from 39 yards and from another extra-point.
“It wasn’t in the script to miss two easy field goals, but that’s sport,” he said.
“I was pretty quick in the door and I feel I need time to settle in and feel comfortable. Matt [Orzech, snapper] and Dan [Whelan, holder] are like clockwork, but it took time to sync up with them.
“I think I kicked three or four times with them before the game and I was probably trying to get it off too quickly, which is on me. I’ve felt way more comfortable since, so it’s simple fixes.
“I was down to kick field goals in the second half against the Seahawks [in the final pre-season game], but unfortunately we didn’t get one.”
Although delighted to be recalled to the Packers’ practice squad, McNamee is not making any bold predictions as to where he will be this time next year.
Instead, his sole focus is on continued development and he will not look “too far ahead” as he learns from starting kicker Brandon McManus.
“I’ll reassess at the end of the season if I’m still here,” he said.
“Right now, I kicked yesterday, recover today, recover tomorrow and watch film, then get ready to kick again, so that’s all on my mind.”
