The Ravens don?t have a juicy quarterback controversy in training camp these days. Nor is there animosity between running backs vying for slots.
So far, the most intense battle at McDaniel College in Westminster is perhaps the most forgotten position on the field ? punter. Rookie Sam Koch, picked in the sixth round out of the University of Nebraska, is battling veteran Leo Araguz for a spot vacated by Dave Zastudil. Zastudil signed with AFC North rival Cleveland in the offseason after four seasons with the Ravens.
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Despite its traditional obscurity, the punting position has been especially important to the Ravens in recent seasons, as the defense has thrived when it has had an opposing offense pinned deep in their own territory.
Is there tension between the two competing punters?
“Oh, I hate Sam,” Araguz joked Wednesday, as Koch stood several feet away. “I wish he?d go back. No, I?m kidding. We get along great. That?s the type of relationship you want to establish. It?s nothing personal. It?s competition.”
“Having competition always makes you better, especially a young kid that comes in with a strong leg,” Araguz continued. “It?s got to make me work a little harder and stay focused. It just kind of keeps me in check with my mechanics.”
Araguz, signed in April, has lived the life of the typical NFL punter for his eight-year career. The Ravens are the fifth team Araguz has played for in a career that has seen 322 punts for a 42.6-yard average.
Koch played in 30 career games at Nebraska, averaging 44.1 yards a punt. As a senior, he averaged 46.5 yards. He has been sterling so far in training camp.
“In some ways, it?s a little overwhelming,” Koch said of the NFL competition. “I?m just taking it day by day, not taking anything for granted and just doing my job.”
Koch was a find of special teams coach Frank Gansz.
“Interestingly enough, this was not a (NFL) combine guy. ? This was a guy that he discovered,” scouting director Eric DeCosta said when the team selected Koch in April.
Koch wants to stick with the Ravens.
“I feel like if I just come there and prove myself, hopefully I can be here a while, just like (place kicker Matt) Stover,” Koch said of the 17-year veteran.
