Don’t cry for Couch, Cleveland


Tim Couch saw his share of disappointment as the
Browns' quarterback, but he will never qualify
for the lead role in a Shakespearean tragedy.

The quarterback has been worshipped throughout
Kentucky since the eighth grade. He drives a cool
car. He lives in a big house. He's dating a
Playboy Playmate. He was the No. 1 overall pick
in the 1999 draft and a starting quarterback in
the NFL.

Ernie Davis, a Browns running back drafted in
1962 who had leukemia and died without playing a
game in the NFL, is a truly tragic figure. Ray
Chapman, the Indians player who died after being
hit in the head with a pitch, and Steve Olin and
Tim Crews, the pitchers killed in the spring
training boating accident in 1993, regretfully
fall into that category.

Finding the proper designation for Couch is
difficult.

Is he potential wasted? Talent waiting to blossom
under the right coach? An overhyped product of a
gimmick system at the University of Kentucky?

I place him in the middle category, but I'm not
sure we have enough information to reach a
conclusion. He was prematurely thrust into the
starting lineup in the second game of his career
and played primarily on dismal teams with
painfully bad offensive lines.

He broke his thumb on the last play of practice
when he hit the helmet of an overeager defender
with his follow-through. He broke his leg in the
regular-season finale of Cleveland's only playoff
season. He took hit after hit after hit and
continued to get up.

He never complained — until he suffered a
concussion, heard cheers as he lay on the ground
at Cleveland Browns Stadium, and choked back
tears when asked to talk about the treatment from
the fans.

Few tears will be shed in Northeast Ohio as No. 2
looks for a new employer. And there shouldn't be.

But Couch is not the man to blame for the Browns'
26-54 record since returning in 1999. He's not
the man to blame for the wasted talent of
Courtney Brown and Gerard Warren. He's not the
man who chose to start the unqualified Kelly
Holcomb at quarterback. He's not the man who
refused to field a legitimate offensive line.

He's not even the man responsible for choosing
him No. 1, ahead of Donovan McNabb.

That's where the fans' hatred for Couch was born.
And if you listen to talk radio, hatred is the
right word. As the first pick of the reborn
franchise, Couch inherited the burden of leading
a franchise and a city.

That was fine until the Browns' losing continued
into Year 3 and Couch's quarterback rating stayed
in the 70s. People wanted more from their team,
and Couch was the easy target.

Butch Davis saw enough in his first year as
coach, Couch's third, to pick up a four-year
option that gave Couch an $8.75 million bonus.

But less than two years later, Davis had given
Couch's job to Holcomb. And less than a year
after that, Jeff Garcia is the new starter and
Couch is looking to follow in the footsteps of
all those quarterbacks who have gone from bust to
Super Bowl with their second team.

Couch may never amount to anything. His arm is
average, his decision-making questionable and his
release slow.

But he's athletic, tough and throws a big-time
deep ball. He won eight games in 14 starts in
2002, and that should be more than enough to earn
a chance to win a starting job with another team.

Couch's Cleveland story isn't tragic, but it's
clearly one of unfulfilled promise and hope gone
rotten.

Petrak may be reached at sports@....






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