Special Teams Coordinator Jerry Rosburg didn't mask his feelings Wednesday afternoon when talking about punter Sam Koch getting snubbed of a Pro Bowl selection.
The nine-year veteran was left on the outside looking in for his first career Pro Bowl, despite winning the fan vote and leading the NFL in net punting average.
That decision did not sit well with Rosburg.
"I think the fans got it right. The fans prove to be more informed than the experts in this particular regard, in my opinion," Rosburg said.
"We are passionate in our support of Sam Koch, because he's such an outstanding man and an outstanding player. The other thing that I think is largely unnoticed, but to very few, is he's changing the game right now. The things that he's doing – because he's so skilled – nobody else is doing them, and it's changing the way football is played."
Koch also admitted that he was disappointed when he found out that he was a first alternate instead of one of the two punters selected to the squad. Cincinnati's Kevin Huber and Indianapolis' Pat McAfee both made the team over Koch.
"Honestly, I was pretty pissed, to say it lightly," Koch said. "But I understand there are 32 other punters. Pat McAfee has great stats. Kevin Huber has great stats."
Koch ranks above both of the Pro Bowl punters in both gross and net punting average. His season-long punt of 73 yards also tops the two Pro Bowlers.
"The numbers kind of speak for themselves. It is what it is," Koch said. "It's unfortunate. The fans did speak for us. But we're going to move forward. It's nothing that we can look at now."
Koch wasn't the only Raven with some legitimate beef over the selections.
Running back Justin Forsett is having the best season of his career with 1,147 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, but he was passed up by six other running backs. Like Koch, Forsett is a first alternate.
"I would have liked to have made it on the first go-round, but to think about where I was last year, and to think now that I'm a Pro Bowl alternate, it's pretty special," Forsett said. "With the six spots, I knew that it would probably be tough for me to get in, but I was hoping that my stats would get me in. Hopefully we go to* *the Super Bowl and I don't have to worry about going to the Pro Bowl."
Veteran outside linebacker Terrell Suggs missed out on his seventh career Pro Bowl nod despite having another strong all-around season with 58 tackles and 11 sacks.
Fellow outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil made his first Pro Bowl as a Raven, and Suggs stressed that his counterpart deserves the honor.
"I think the guy that made it is deserving," Suggs said. "Every year somebody is going to get left out. There's only X number of positions. I'm pretty sure last year or a couple years ago, I probably edged somebody out. It happens. We'll just see. I could still play because guys could opt out or go to the Super Bowl. If we get in the playoffs it will all be better."
The 11-year veteran has played in his share of Pro Bowl games over the years, and he doesn't put as much stock in the recognition as he did earlier in his career.
"You care, but it doesn't affect you as much if you don't [get selected]," he said. "I don't think that validates my season."
One player who wasn't even on the alternate list is inside linebacker Daryl Smith. Rookie C.J. Mosley was one of Baltimore's three selections, and his stellar rookie campaign has largely overshadowed the veteran in the public eye.
Defense Coordinator Dean Pees praised Smith and Suggs despite getting left off the roster.
"I think Daryl Smith is a Pro Bowl player. Terrell Suggs is a Pro Bowl player," Pees said. "Daryl Smith helps C.J. Mosley become who C.J. Mosley has become. I think he's just always kind of been an overlooked guy that hasn't got a lot of accolades, and I'm sure glad that we have him."
