One play altered the course of which players the Ravens selected in the National Football League Draft this past April.
It occurred Nov. 30 when return specialist B.J. Sams sustained a season-ending broken ankle injury during a kickoff return against the Cincinnati Bengals. Losing Sams exposed a lack of depth in the return game and led the team to take Yamon Figurs in the third round.
Figurs, who starred at Kansas State, had his share of struggles during training camp. But he also displayed the blazing speed the Ravens coveted during a 52-yard kickoff return in a preseason game against the Giants.
“Show me you won?t cough it up and you know where you?re running,” said Ravens coach Brian Billick on what he expects from Figurs. “Those are instincts he has and he?ll do fine. The subtleties are what?s weighing down on him right now because he?s thinking.”
However, Sams, who averaged 25.7 yards on kickoff and 10.6 yards on punts in 2006, isn?t ready to cede his starting spot. He said he is fully recovered from the broken ankle. He is also no longer distracted by legal matters after being cleared of driving under the influence charges in May.
“Every time I come to camp there?s competition for me on the team,” said Sams, who is expected to start against Cincinnati on Monday.
“I just go out there with the mentality of having to earn my place on this team. I?m just going to give it my all. There aren?t any distractions right now. Everything off the field has been taken care of. Our main focus now is to win games.”
Punter Sam Koch enters the season a similar mindset. Koch, a former standout at Nebraska who was taken in the sixth round of the 2006 draft, earned the starting job a year after competing with veteran Leo Araguz.
But Koch doesn?t plan on becoming complacent after a rookie season when he averaged 43 yards a punt and ranked second in the NFL for most punts downed inside the 10-yard line with 12.
“The nature of the job is that you?re always competing for your job,” Koch said. “I?m always trying to refine my skills.”
