Look no further than Rich Eisen of NFL Network’s “Punters Are People Too” campaign to realize that specialists are usually outcasts in NFL locker rooms.
For the Ravens, that isn’t the case as, punter Sam Koch, kicker Justin Tucker and long snapper Morgan Cox are routinely hustling their teammates in the locker room’s popular beanbag toss game.
The game is played daily by the Ravens between meals, meetings and practices, and has helped create a bond in an already strong locker room.
As Koch ran into the end zone on Sunday following a fake field goal for a seven-yard touchdown, his teammates had to feel elated for their punter.
Koch’s touchdown and subsequent extra point made the score 48-17 and officially classified the game as an embarrassment for the Oakland Raiders.
Following the game, much talk centered around the Ravens potentially running up the score on the Raiders. After Koch scored, he didn’t feel as if that was the case, or at least the Raiders were upset about it.
“Oh, not that I know of,” Koch said after the game. “I was too busy doing high-fives and spiking the ball.”
Koch’s spike was almost as impressive as the play call itself. The force he used to drive the ball into the ground would make Rob Gronkowski, the New England Patriots tight ends and arguably the best spiker in the NFL, applaud.
Even though the ball bounced high into the air following the spike, Koch was able to retrieve it.
“I got the ball, I gave it to my wife,” Koch said. “She’s got it right now, so it’s safe.”
This isn’t the first time Koch has been a part of the Ravens trickery and likely won’t be the last. In his career, Koch has a 100 percent completion percentage as he passed to Cary Williams on a fake punt for 13 yards and has also rushed two times for 16 total yards.
Koch’s first scoring play came during the Week 1 matchup last season in the 35-7 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He faked an extra point and rushed into the end zone for a two-point conversion.
The play call for the two-point conversion was exactly what was called yesterday versus Oakland.
Raiders punter Shane Lechler has often had the upper hand on Koch. Lechler has beaten out Koch six times for the AFC punter spot in the Pro Bowl but at least on Sunday, Koch was able to do something Lechler has never done – score a rushing touchdown.
