With the first pick of the 1999 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns selected Tim Couch, a quarterback from the University of Kentucky. It was the right choice. The Browns administration wasn’t wrong. It was just unlucky.
No one can blame the franchise for its inability to predict what was next for the Heisman Trophy finalist. Couch struggled through five seasons with the new expansion team throwing fewer TD passes than interceptions and earning a merger QB rating of 75.1 during his time in Cleveland. He led the Browns to the playoffs in 2002, throwing for 2,842 yards and 18 touchdowns, but broke his leg in the final game of the season. He then battled through a season-long quarterback controversy in 2003 in which he lost his starting position for the Browns to Kelly Holcomb. After being released by the Browns, Couch signed with the Green Bay Packers and the Jacksonville Jaguars and had workouts with other teams but has not seen the playing field during the regular season. Couch was recently cut by the Jaguars and has admitted using human growth hormones to recover from surgery in the past. He also faces allegations of using anabolic steroids.
While Couch has seen his career tailspin, the Browns’ luck may have turned this year with the help of former Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn. Now the administration faces the tough question of starting the Ohio native from the get-go. Whether the Browns end up with another Tim Couch may rest on this decision.
Couch had a lot of quarterback company in the first round of the draft, with Donovan McNabb (No. 2, Philadelphia), Akili Smith (No. 3, Cincinnati), Daunte Culpepper (No. 11, Minnesota) and Cade McNown (No. 12, Chicago) being selected early. Smith and McNown joined Couch as busts while Culpepper and McNabb have shown they have staying power.
How can this difference be explained? Couch and McNown were quickly thrust onto the field. Couch became a starter in the second game of his rookie season, while McNown played 15 games for the Bears moving in and out of the starter’s role. Meanwhile, McNabb didn’t start a game until November 14 and went on to lead the Eagles in six of their final seven games. Culpepper saw minimal playing time with the Vikings his first year, but later proved himself, while Smith failed to ever establish himself with the Bengals, starting only 17 games in his four years with the team.
Recently, it seems teams have begun to learn from what happened with the quarterbacks from the 1999 Draft. In 2003, Cincinnati drafted Carson Palmer. The first overall pick received zero playing time all season. Instead he learned from veteran Jon Kitna. Palmer was named the starter for 2004 and has become an NFL star, allowing Bengals fans to forget the pain caused by Smith’s flop. Last year, Arizona drafted Matt Leinart, and didn’t play him until week four when starter Kurt Warner began to struggle. The rookie put together an average season statistically, and only time will tell if Arizona’s decision to wait a few weeks before playing him will pay off.
Browns fans are now eager to see Quinn erase the memory of Couch. Quinn didn’t help himself by boycotting part of training camp due to contract negotiations, but has come out hot in Cleveland’s preseason games. Playing the final nine minutes against the Detroit Lions, Quinn threw for 155 yards and two touchdowns in a 23-20 loss. His performance was downplayed because many of the players on the field for the Lions might not even make the team. Quinn got a chance against the Denver Broncos’ first-string in the Browns following preseason game and impressed again with an 81 yard, one touchdown performance.
If Quinn continues his solid play tonight against the Chicago Bears, starting Quinn in the first week of the season will be tempting. The past shows, however, that the Browns would be wise to wait on Quinn. Although the franchise needs Quinn too desperately to keep him on the sidelines for long, they should wait to start him for the time being. Give Charlie Frye the starter’s position until he loses it, and let Quinn know that all the talent in the world can’t save him from becoming another Couch, Smith or McNown if he doesn’t pay his dues.
