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Last year, the brightest spot for the Ravens was Justin Tucker. People remember him "single-legedly" kicking the lions to defeat, and eventually Tucker would claim team MVP for the Ravens by the local media. But just like the rest of the Baltimore squad after last year's rough outing, the punt team has been another bright spot this year.
It's clear this season has been different, and with Sam Koch's 73-yard booming punt on Monday Night Football, the special teams unit is completely owning their positions.
We obviously don't know what the troubles were last season with Koch. Maybe he was injured, or maybe with such a lackluster offense in 2013 his leg was worn out from punting on our consistent three-and-outs. Maybe it was just a bad-luck season. All we know is, Koch's cannon leg can fire football rockets deep into the sky, and the coverage team has helped secure positioning when Sam lets the ball come back from the heavens to the gridiron.
We all saw that blast 73 yards downfield, and Jon Gruden replaying just to show what kind of punt he let loose. Obviously with me being a part of the 8th and 9th grade punt team back in middle school, I can claim myself to be a professional punt observer, but I'll just re-explain what Jon Gruden mentioned, and also explain the slight differences between the punt Koch used against the usual punting style.
A usual punt involves that the football is tilted slightly and parallel to the ground. Then letting it fall while kicking with a diagonal angle to create the spiraling effect that of a QB pass. Koch, on this punt, drops the ball nose first which allows the kick to fly end over end, and also with enough practice (which I assume Koch has had) can become the most accurate, and farthest distancing punt style. There is a 10-second clip of somebody recording the punt on their television which I'll link here. Just know the recording isn't "magnificent" and was found scrounging around online. Not quite as exciting as Odell Beckham Jr. and his filthy catch against Dallas, but still something worth a look.
With the punt game strong again, and the kicking game to the point I don't sweat if it's under 50 yards, the Ravens' leg unit is something the Ravens are sitting on top of, possibly first in the NFL.