Cleveland Browns top 10 quarterbacks in franchise history
By Randy Gurzi
Cleveland Browns top QB all-time No. 8: Tim Couch, 1999-2003
TimCouch. 8. player. QB. 1999-2003. 53. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis
Tim Couch was the first quarterback for the Browns when they were re-introduced to the NFL in 1999. The expansion franchise was given the No. 1 pick in the draft that season and Cleveland decided to bring in Couch, who was a stand-out for the Kentucky Wildcats in the NCAA.
Couch threw for 8,159 yards with 73 touchdowns in his final two seasons at Kentucky and in a draft that featured Donovan McNabb, Daunte Culpepper, Jevon Kearse, Torry Holt, and Ricky Williams, he’s widely considered a bust.
However, it’s not fair to simply slap that label on Couch and pretend he was a complete failure. The real truth is that he was thrown into an impossible situation. The Browns roster had a lot of holes and instead of building up their offensive line to be able to help their quarterback, they took the signal-caller first — and he was punished brutally because of this.
Couch was sacked 56 times as a rookie and 166 times in 62 career games. No one could have withstood the beating he took and it led to him suffering various injuries throughout his career.
Still, he had some solid moments for Cleveland, finishing with 11,131 yards passing with 64 touchdowns. He was also the one who threw the famous Hail Mary to Kevin Johnson in 1999 to give them their first win since returning to the NFL. It took years for them to find another quarterback who could start for them as long as Couch did — and he also goes down as one of the team’s biggest “what ifs.”