Freed Couch sets sail
Saturday, June 12, 2004 By STEVE DOERSCHUK
Repository sports writer

After two days of doing the red-tape limbo, Tim
Couch has set his sights on his next NFL colors,
perhaps Green Bay’s.

The Browns announced Friday afternoon that Couch
had finally been released, and that his status as
a vested veteran exempted him from the waiver
wire.

Loose ends regarding Couch’s grievance over the
Browns’ banning him from Berea had been the final
snag.

“Now that he is on the market,” Packers Head
Coach Mike Sherman told the Green Bay
Post-Gazette, “there are less hoops to jump
through.

“In that way, it’s easier. But obviously there
may be more competition for his services.”

The Packers have been pursuing Couch since
Cleveland signed Jeff Garcia in March. Sherman
sees Couch as more able to win than his current
backups if anything happens to Brett Favre. Couch
also would be considered as Favre’s eventual
replacement.

“If it happens, it happens,” Doug Pederson,
Favre’s current backup, told the Post-Gazette. “I
can’t worry about it. If it does, I’ll move on,
but there’s 32 teams out there.

“In the bottom of my heart, I feel like I’m going
to be here. There’s a chance we could bring a guy
like Tim in. If he can help the Packers win
football games, great. More power to him.”

The 49ers have considered whether they should
pursue Couch in the wake of an injury to Garcia’s
replacement, Tim Rattay.

It remains to be seen whether the Ravens’ recent
signing of Kordell Stewart precludes a pursuit of
Couch. Some NFL insiders doubt second-year pro
Kyle Boller is ready to lead the Ravens deep into
the playoffs.

Head Coach Butch Davis once said he thought Couch
could lead the Browns to a Super Bowl.

“When you say things at those particular times
you believe with the right supporting cast, with
the right set of circumstances, with all the
different scenarios that go into the success of
any player ...”

Davis let the fuzzy answer trail off. If he
really thought so then, he hasn’t been nearly as
convinced for a long while.






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