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He's been a Raven for 10 seasons, and in NFL circles, the best at what he does. Yet, few people really know much about this humble, low-key individual. (But that's because he makes a concerted effort to dodge the spotlight.) Charm City, meet Sam Koch.

What You Might Know

• At 44.2 yards per kick, Koch is on pace to set an NFL record for net punting average in a season. In addition to his No. 1 net mark (44.2), his 48.0 gross average ranks fourth in the NFL. Koch also dominated the league in 2014, producing the NFL's No. 1 net average (43.3) and No. 3 gross average (47.4). (Both marks were career highs and Ravens single-season records.)

• Koch isn't your typical, end-over-end, boom-the-ball punter. His arsenal is far more complicated and refined, with him boasting several different types of kicks (including one that acts like a boomerang) no other punter has mastered.
  
  "He's a great punter," former teammate and Pro Bowl returner Jacoby Jones said earlier this season. "He's got punts nobody has really seen before – all kinds of kicks. He's got a knuckleball, a ball that hooks and so on. He hits it a certain way by turning the ball a different way, and he's able to control it."
  
  Added Ravens Special Teams Coordinator/Associate Head Coach Jerry Rosburg: "He's changing the way the game is going to be played. It's remarkable to me that more have not necessarily followed the lead. Perhaps that's an indication of how difficult it is to do what he's doing."

• Koch hails from Ulysses, Neb., a small town with a population of 270 people in the nation's heartland. His first job at age 13 was "detasseling" corn stalks. "If you want to experience something miserable, do that," he shares with laugh. In high school football, Koch played fullback, linebacker, kicker/punter and tight end. He walked on as a punter/kickoff specialist at the University of Nebraska, where he later earned a scholarship and was then drafted by Baltimore in 2006. "Where I come from, playing in the NFL was a dream, and it was far-fetched," he admits.

What You Don't Know

• Koch legitimately thought his second NFL season might be his last. Baltimore's special teams coordinator at the time, Frank Gansz, Jr., made this very clear.
  
  "He came to me near the end of 2007 when we were playing at Miami and said: 'Sam, if you don't punt better, this is going to be your last game.' So, at a crucial point in the game, the ball was on the 1-yard line, and we had to punt from the back of the end zone. Imagine that! Well, thank God I punted it to the opposite 35. Let's just say the rest is history."

• Should both of Baltimore's active quarterbacks on gameday go down, Koch would get the nod as the emergency backup. Though he never played quarterback in high school or college, Koch's all-around athleticism and strong arm make him the guy the Ravens would turn to in a pinch.
  
  "I have all the confidence in the world with my arm," Koch says. "I'm not saying I'm Joe Flacco, but if I needed to throw an out route and nobody was there except for our guy, I could do it. But hopefully the corner is playing deep or off!!" (laughter)

• Koch is a talented handyman who takes great pride in his ability to fix, construct and tackle home projects. "I build whatever. I do electric work, plumbing work and crown molding. The crown molding is really tough. I'm very meticulous. I don't have a whole lot of patience, but when it comes to that, I have all the patience in the world."

What You Need To Know

• Koch credits Rosburg for saving his NFL career and taking his punting to new heights.
  
  "If it wasn't for Jerry and having the privilege to work with him that 2008 offseason, I wouldn't have the career I've had. He could have gotten rid of me. I'll admit, I was not good at that time. I was middle of the pack. He showed me a few things to help us be top 10 in the league every year. I am grateful for him teaching me things I had never been taught."

• Calling Rosburg a "father figure," Koch also notes that the respected coach's impact extends far beyond punting perspective.
  
  "Not only for me, but for every special teamer who comes here, Jerry has your back. He will help you in any way, he will look after you, and he will make you a better player. I think a lot of guys would agree."

• Despite his consistently incredible numbers and enormous impacts made, Koch has never been selected to the Pro Bowl. Truthfully, it's a darn shame. But hopefully, that changes this season. "You'll never hear Sam talk about it, but he is the NFL's best punter," Ravens long snapper Morgan Cox states. "No one deserves a Pro Bowl more."