TSR’s Punter of the Week:
Sam Koch – Baltimore Ravens
Who is he?
A three-way player in high school (Seward, Neb.), Koch walked on with Bill Callahan’s football team at the University of Nebraska and was the regular punter in Lincoln his junior and senior seasons. Not sure why it took so long for him to win the job but once he got it, he demonstrated dominance at the position. The Ravens used a sixth-round pick on Koch in 2006 and have kept him as their punter in every regular season game (111 total) since. His last name is pronounced “Cook” rather than “Kotch.” He turned 30 this past August. At Nebraska, Koch graduated with a degree in business administration. He’s listed at 6-1, 218 lbs. and looks every bit that big or bigger with zero flab. Koch flashed great athleticism on a fake field goal earlier this season against the Raiders. He also made an incredible open field tackle on Washington punt returner Richard Crawford a few weeks ago. Koch notched a two-point conversion last season on a fake PAT and is always a threat to engage in trickery. There’s not a punter in the league who is handed the opportunities to do the kinds of creative things Koch gets to do.
The Koch stat line vs. the G-Men 12-23-12:
Two punts. 117 yards total. 58.5 yards per. 52.5 net.
The punts in detail:
1. The Ravens scored touchdowns on their first two possessions so Koch didn’t go out to punt until late in the first quarter. Wearing a fanny pack stuffed with who-knows-what, Koch wore a long-sleeve shirt under his jersey. The bulge on his fanny pack protruded off his lower back and was emblazoned with the Ravens logo. Baltimore’s home field is covered with an artificial playing surface called “Sportexe Momentum.” There’s a distracting sheen to it when you watch Ravens games on television. The left side of the Giants punt rush got penetration and nearly disrupted Koch’s kick. Koch’s powerful leg snap – combined with his right foot’s perfect alignment with the pigskin’s sweet spot produced a boom-shock-a-lock-a of a boomer. It was a cannon shot on a fall-like late afternoon in Charm City. Big Blue return man Domenik Hixon caught it at his own 11 and ran lateral to his right hoping to turn it upfield around two Ravens gunners who sped full-on straight north-south. What Hixon didn’t anticipate was the tremendous cut and shift ability of Ravens cover guys Brendon Ayanbedejo and James Ihedigbo. The pair combined to haul Hixon down at the thirteen. It was a 60-yard punt and a two-yard return. Ihedigbo celebrated the tackle with a theatrical demonstration that seemed to simulate the digging of a grave. The symbolism of this display would prove true blue as the game went on because the postseason chances of the football Giants were all but buried by a lackluster effort on both sides of the ball.
2. With his team up 24-7, Koch came on to punt early in the third quarter after one of just a couple stalls by the Ravens offense. The look and feel of this punt mirrored the first one. Koch was facing the opposite direction but it was another clean strike and the ball sailed beautifully. When Hixon fielded it at his sixteen, he had lots of running room. But he went the wrong way and got bottled up by a swarm of defenders. It was a 57-yard punt and a ten-yard return. The stripes tacked on ten more yards for the Giants after flagging Ihedigbo for a hold at the line of scrimmage. FOX ran a replay that showed Ihedigbo with an excessive clench on Adrian Tracy making the flag toss a good one.
The Sound of a Punt:
Gerry Sandusky is the radio voice of the Ravens, He has zero connection to the convicted child molester bearing the same last name. Gerry Sandusky is sports director and anchor on the NBC affiliate in Baltimore. He also does radio play-by-play on Towson (his alma mater) hoops games. Sandusky’s Dad John is a former NFL player and longtime assistant coach. Gerry Sandusky has a smooth broadcaster voice and does a nice job calling the game. He’s joined in the booth by former Baltimore Colt linebacker Stan White. On the cut below, Sandusky and White call Koch’s first boomer. As is often the case on radio descriptions of punts, Sandusky lets White go long with his analysis of the third down play leaving little time for the play-by-play guy to set up the punt. Still, Sandusky gets a rise out of the boot, which is cool. The game was carried in Baltimore on WBAL-AM and a sister FM station WIYY.
The Punt-osis:
There were just two punts from Koch in this one but both backed the Giants up at moments the game was still a game. Koch reinforced field position advantages on both chances. He’s having the best season of his life. His gross is over 48 per and he looked fantastic against Big Blue. Koch signed a juicy five-year deal before the 2011 season said to be worth $12.5 mil with three million guaranteed. Koch has gotten rich punting a football and appears to be very much in the prime of his career. The thing I admire about him (as a Sauerbrun fan) is the swashbuckle you get on his coverage effort and the risk he poses as trickmeister. If you plan on watching the Ravens in the postseason, be ready for a Koch fake job of some sort.
Next week’s Punter of the Week:
Adam Podlesh – Chicago Bears