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Transactions:
B.J. Sams re-signed with the Baltimore Ravens on 3/23/06...Re-signed with the Ravens on 5/23/05...Originally signed with the Ravens on 4/30/04 as a rookie free agent.
Highlights:
Talented and explosive return specialist with great vision, speed and instincts...Played in 14 games (missing the final 2 games with a knee injury) in 2005...Earned The Sporting News All-Pro honors when he finished the season leading the AFC and 2nd in the NFL, averaging 12.2 yards per punt return in 2005...Enters 2006 ranked 3rd in franchise history with 3,246 combined yards...Earned 2nd-team All Pro honors from College and Pro Football Weekly, and was an All-Conference and All-Rookie choice by the Pro Football Writers as a rookie in 2004...Sams burst on the scene as a rookie when he set a new single-season franchise record with 1,826 combined return yards, including a franchise-record 1,251 KOR yards...Sams also posted the 2nd-most punt return yards in franchise history (575 yards), including 2 punt returns for TDs...Showing his versatility, Sams also saw action at RB and WR as a rookie, scoring 1 rushing TD...Sams also played at CB in '05.
Pro Career:
2005: Played in 14 games (missing the final 2 games with a knee injury) in 2005...Earned the Sporting News All-Pro honors when he finished the season leading the AFC and 2nd in the NFL, averaging 12.2 yards per punt return...2005 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Had 1 KOR for 20 yards and 2 PRs for 53 yards (26.5 avg.) in the 48-3 victory in game 14 vs. GB (12/19)...Averaged a career-high 46.7 yards per return (3 returns for 140 yards), including a career-long 87 yard KOR to open the contest, setting up a FG, in game 13 at Den. (12/11)...Returned 5 punts for 54 yards (10.8 avg.), returned 1 KO for 29 yards and saw action as a CB in the 16-13 OT win in game 10 vs. Pit. (11/20)...Returned 4 KOs, averaging 21.3 yards per return and had 2 punt returns for 46 yards (23.0 avg.), with a long of 39 in game 9 at Jax. (11/13)...Returned 3 punts for 74 yards (47.6 avg.) with a season- long 51-yard return, which set up a FG in game 5 vs. Cle. (10/16)...Also had 1 KOR for 7 yards against the Browns.
2004: Earned 2nd-team All Pro honors from College and Pro Football Weekly, and was an All Conference and All Rookie choice by the Pro Football Writers as a rookie...Saw action in all 16 games, starting 1 at WR (10/10 at Was.)...Sams set a new single-season franchise record with 1,826 combined return yards (formerly held by Jermaine Lewis, 1,558 yards in 2001)...Sams also tied for the league lead and franchise record with 2 PRs for TDs in a season...Returned 59 kicks for 1,251 yards (21.2 avg.) and 55 punts for 575 yards (10.5 avg.), with a long of 78 and 2 TDs...Sams already moved to 3rd place on the Ravens' all-time lists for PR and KOR yards...He also had 4 rushing attempts for 19 yards (4.8 avg.) in 2004...Sams returned 5 punts for a career-high 101 yards, including a 78-yard TD against the Redskins on Sunday Night Football (10/10)...2004 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Returned 4 KOs for 123 yards (30.8 yard average), including a career long of 64, and had 3 punt returns for 27 yards in game 14 at Ind. (12/19)...With his 150 return yards against the Colts, Sams set a new single-season franchise record with 1,826 combined return yards (formerly held by Jermaine Lewis, 1,558 yards in 2001)...Scored his 1st-career rushing TD, as he carried the ball 1 time for 5 yards in game 6 vs. Buf. (10/24)...Also returned 3 KOs for 61 yards (20.3 avg.) and 1 punt for 2 yards against the Bills...Gave the Ravens their 1st lead of the ball game (14-10) in the third quarter when he returned a punt a career-long 78 yards for a TD in game 5 at Was. (10/10)...Sams had 5 punt returns for 101 yards (20.2 avg.) and 3 KORs for 51 yards (17.0 avg.)...Combined with his KOR for TD in week 4, Sams and Jermaine Lewis are the only players in Ravens history to have 2 PRs for a TD in a single season?Started his 1st- career game at WR and had 2 PRs for 67 yards (33.5 avg.), including 1 he returned 58 yards for his 1st-career TD (the 1st PR for a TD in the NFL in 2004) in game 4 vs. KC (10/4)...Averaged 30.5 yards per KOR (tied for 5th-best single game mark) on 6 runs against the Chiefs.
College Career:
A 3-year starter at McNeese State, Sams averaged 11 yards per punt, with 3 TDS, and 24.6 yards per kickoff for the Cowboys...In 48 career games, Sams amassed 4,903 all-purpose yards with 19 TDs...Sams caught 38 passes for 299 yards as a senior (7.9 yd avg.)...Led Southland Conference and ranked 9th in the nation in all-purpose yards with 166.9 ypg...Named McNeese athlete of the year, and Southland Conference Player of the Year for his performance in the 2003 season...Earned national player of the week awards twice his junior season for games against Western Kentucky and Villanova...Set a school record with 316 all-purpose yards against Western Kentucky...Returned punts for TDs against Youngstown State (81) and Western Kentucky (59)...Led the team in all-purpose running (1,120), kickoff returns (25.2 yards/ret), and punt returns (11.5 yards/ret) as a sophomore...Had 474 receiving yards on 26 catches with 4 TDs, including 7 receptions for 135 yards and 2 TDs against West Virginia Tech...As a true freshman, caught 1 pass for 17 yards, and returned a kickoff for 27 yards...Sams was McNeese's team MVP in 2002 and 2003.
Personal:
Attended Mandeville (Mandeville, LA) HS, where he was named All-State and district MVP...B.J. joined teammates in June, 2004 for Operation Blessing and helped distribute perishable and non-perishable food and supplies to over 2,000 families in Park Heights...With fellow rookies, B.J. participated in a rookie cooking class at ESPNZone in Baltimore, where players were taught lessons on how to cook simple meals...With several teammates, B.J. helped rebuild homes with Sandtown Habitat for Humanity...In December 2004, Sams and teammate WR Clarence Moore served lunch to Pig Town residents at Paul's Place Outreach Center, a full service facility for the impoverished, equipped with a soup kitchen...He also spoke with children when he visited Kinder Care in Columbia, MD and Bay Brook Elementary in Baltimore during the 2005 offseason...In June 2005, Sams instructed kids at Gatorade Junior Training Camp at Kids Fest...Visited with young men at a football practice from Aunt Hattie's Place July 2005, as well as instructing kids at Art Monk's Football Camp...Joined the Darnell Dinkins Football Camp, a free 1-day football clinic and educational workshop for HS student-athletes...In Oct. 2005, he coached football fundamentals to more than 100 children at Mills-Parole Elementary School in Annapolis - spoke about the importance of nutrition and led football drills...In Nov. 2005, Sams participated in the Ravens Football 101 Festival, an annual event for women, which teaches football basics...In Dec. 2005, Sams was one of several Ravens personal shopping partners to 100 children as part of the inaugural Holiday Helpers event...Joined Ed Reed and Dick's Sporting Goods as personal shoppers for the holiday...Reed and Dick's Sporting Goods provided the 16 young men of Aunt Hattie's Place with $250 gift certificates...Full Name: Bradley Jamar Sams. |
