 Couch in 2018 | |||||||||||||||
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| Position | Quarterback | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1977-07-31)July 31, 1977 (age 48) Hyden, Kentucky, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 220 lb (100 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Leslie County (Hyden) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Kentucky (1996–1998) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1999: 1st round,1st overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
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Timothy Scott Couch (born July 31, 1977) is an American former professionalfootballquarterback who played in theNational Football League (NFL) for five seasons with theCleveland Browns. He playedcollege football for theKentucky Wildcats, winningQuarterback of the Year in 1998 after setting theSoutheastern Conference record for single-season passing yards. Selectedfirst overall by the Browns in the1999 NFL draft, Couch was the franchise's first draft pick following their reactivation as anexpansion team.
Couch threw for over 11,000 passing yards and helped the Browns qualify for the postseason in 2002, but his career would be cut short by injuries. Following attempted comebacks with theGreen Bay Packers andJacksonville Jaguars, he retired after failing to make the final roster for either team. Although Couch was unable to duplicate his college success, he was the first quarterback to lead the Browns to the playoffs since their NFL return and the only to do so between 2002 and 2019. He was inducted to theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 2024.
Couch was born inHyden, Kentucky. As aprep quarterback at Leslie County High School in Hyden, he set a number of national high school records: most pass completions (872), passing yardage (12,104), touchdown passes (132), and passing percentage for a season (75.1).[1] After his senior season in 1995, he was the recipient of Kentucky's "Mr. Football" award.ESPN ranked Couch as the sixth-best high school athlete ever.[1] Couch also starred on the Leslie County High School basketball varsity team. He scored 36 points per game as a junior, which was the highest average in the state.[2][3] Couch finished his high school career with 3,023 points.[3]
Couch attended theUniversity of Kentucky, where he played for theKentucky Wildcats football team from 1996 to 1998. During his 1996 freshman year under head coachBill Curry, he split time as the starting quarterback withBilly Jack Haskins. Curry was fired after a 1–6 start that season, and replacementHal Mumme announced early that Couch would be the starter in his new pass-orientedair raid offense.[4] In 1997, Couch set several school records as the previously anemic Kentucky offense topped national offensive rankings and finished 5–6 on the season, including a win over #20Alabama.[5] During the1998 season, Couch led Kentucky to seven wins (including a win on the road at #21LSU)[6] and a spot in theOutback Bowl (in which Couch completed 30 of 48 passes for 336 yards and two touchdowns, though Kentucky lost toPenn State 26–14).[7] Following his junior season in 1998, Couch announced he would leave Kentucky to enter the NFL Draft early.
Couch's career totals at Kentucky included completing 795 of 1,184 passes (67.1% completion rate) for 8,435 yards (including 4,275 passing yards during the 1998 season alone) and 74 touchdowns (including a 97-yard touchdown pass toCraig Yeast against Florida on September 26, 1998). Couch still holds theNCAA record for completion percentage in one game (minimum of 40 completions) at 83.0% againstVanderbilt (44 of 53) in 1998 and for completions per game (36.4, 400 in 11 games) that same season. He also left Kentucky holding NCAA records for most completions in a season (400 in 1998), most completions in a two-year period (793 in 1997–1998), most completions per game in a two-year period (34.7, 1997–1998) and career completion percentage (67.1%). His 1998 record of 4,151 offensive yards in a season stood for nine years as aSoutheastern Conference (SEC) record untilFlorida quarterbackTim Tebow broke it with 4,181 yards in2007.[8] His 1998 total of 4,275 passing yards was an SEC record, until broken byJoe Burrow of LSU.[9]
| Kentucky Wildcats | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||
| Cmp | Att | Yds | Pct | TD | Int | Rtg | ATT | Yds | TD | |
| 1996 | 32 | 84 | 276 | 38.1 | 1 | 1 | 67.2 | 24 | -26 | 0 |
| 1997 | 363 | 547 | 3,884 | 66.4 | 37 | 19 | 141.4 | 66 | -125 | 3 |
| 1998 | 400 | 553 | 4,275 | 72.3 | 36 | 15 | 153.3 | 64 | -124 | 1 |
| Career[10] | 795 | 1,184 | 8,435 | 67.1 | 74 | 35 | 141.7 | 154 | -275 | 4 |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Vertical jump | Wonderlic | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft4+1⁄8 in (1.93 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | 31 in (0.79 m) | 9+7⁄8 in (0.25 m) | 5.08 s | 1.73 s | 2.85 s | 4.34 s | 31.0 in (0.79 m) | 22 | |||
| All values fromNFL Combine[11] | ||||||||||||
Couch's college success culminated in his selection as the number one overall selection in the NFL draft by theCleveland Browns, who were returning to the NFL as anexpansion team in 1999 following the original team's1996 relocation to Baltimore.[12] Couch took over forTy Detmer as the team's starting quarterback in the second game of his rookie season. He spent five seasons as a starting quarterback for Cleveland, eventually facing competition from journeyman backupKelly Holcomb during his final two seasons.
Couch's tenure in Cleveland ranged from leading the team to a playoff appearance, to boos and inconsistent play, which was partially a result of being constantly plagued by injuries. He managed only one 300-yard passing game in his professional career. He missed the final nine games of the 2000 season with a broken thumb. The high point of Couch's career came in 2002, when he threw for 2,842 yards and 18 touchdowns in leading the upstart Browns to a 9–7 record and a playoff appearance.[13] However, he suffered a broken leg in the final game of the regular season and was forced to watch as Holcomb threw for over 400 yards in a loss to thePittsburgh Steelers in theWild Card round of the playoffs. This was the beginning of a quarterback controversy in Cleveland that would not be resolved until a year later when head coachButch Davis tapped Holcomb as his starter. Couch's 2003 season often included playing behind an offensive line hampered by injury.[14] Couch is considered byFox Sports to be one of the NFL's biggest draft busts in its history after being taken #1, immediately ahead of fellow quarterbackDonovan McNabb, only to falter through most of his career. However, Couch's career has been defended by former Browns offensive coordinatorBruce Arians.[15]
Couch had several notable moments for the Browns, including two "Hail Mary" passes. In 1999 against theNew Orleans Saints, his last-second touchdown pass toKevin Johnson gave the Browns their first win.[16] Three seasons later, inJacksonville he tossed a game-winning pass on the last play of the game toQuincy Morgan.[16] Couch holds the distinction of being the only quarterback in NFL history to throw twowalk-off touchdown passes of 50 yards or more with 0:00 left on the clock.[17]
Although the 2001 Browns had raised eyebrows with their defense, having recorded 43 sacks and a league-best 33 interceptions, the offense was once again moribund. The run game was pitiful and the offensive line was porous. At the start of the 2002 preseason, star linebackerJamir Miller went down with a career-ending Achilles tendon injury. However, the team, led by Couch, won 9 games, including five in the final two minutes and seven by 10 points or less, and made a wildcard playoff spot.[18] Those thrillers included a 31–28 overtime win overTennessee in which Couch threw for 326 yards and 3 touchdowns, a last minute touchdown and two-point conversion passes from Couch toDennis Northcutt against the Jets, the "Hail Mary" against the Jaguars, and a final-minute drive againstBaltimore where Couch threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight endMark Campbell after being pinned inside his own 5-yard line with 0 timeouts and 1:30 left in regulation.
After the Browns released Couch in 2004, he signed as afree agent with theGreen Bay Packers. Couch went on to have a disappointing training camp.[19] Couch struggled with arotator cuff injury, that would eventually require surgery, and was sidelined for the entire year.
Couch was released by the Packers during their final cutdown to 53 players prior to the season. Couch filed a grievance with theNFL Players Union against the Packers because they failed to attempt an injury settlement prior to his release.
After undergoing shoulder surgery in February 2005, Couch auditioned for theChicago Bears midway through the 2005 season and theCincinnati Bengals in December 2005. The Bears observed that his arm was not back to NFL shape during their workout and did not sign him. The Bengals did not pursue Couch, althoughJon Kitna was not re-signed after his contract expired in early 2006.
Couch participated in tryouts with theTennessee Titans in January 2006. He also had workouts with theMiami Dolphins,Pittsburgh Steelers, and theHouston Texans. All three teams stated that despite good workouts, they were not interested in pursuing him. Couch ended up missing the entire 2006 season due to another shoulder surgery.[20]
ESPN reported on July 20, 2007, that Couch had contacted all 32 NFL teams to see if any teams were interested in him for the 2007–2008 season. On July 29, 2007, Couch agreed to a two-year contract with theJacksonville Jaguars.
Couch was brought in to compete for the third-string quarterback position withQuinn Gray andLester Ricard. He played in one preseason game against theMiami Dolphins and was 2-of-4 for 11 yards. On August 18, Couch failed to make the third string and was released. The next week, the Jaguars released former starterByron Leftwich and Lester Ricard, leaving them without a third-string quarterback.
As of the end of the 2022 NFL season, Couch's career passing ranking among other Cleveland Browns quarterbacks with at least 700 pass attempts.[21]
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | TD | ||
| 1999 | CLE | 15 | 14 | 223 | 399 | 55.9 | 2,447 | 15 | 13 | 73.2 | 40 | 267 | 1 |
| 2000 | CLE | 7 | 7 | 137 | 215 | 63.7 | 1,483 | 7 | 9 | 77.3 | 12 | 45 | 0 |
| 2001 | CLE | 16 | 16 | 272 | 454 | 59.9 | 3,040 | 17 | 21 | 73.1 | 38 | 128 | 0 |
| 2002 | CLE | 14 | 14 | 273 | 443 | 61.6 | 2,842 | 18 | 18 | 76.8 | 23 | 77 | 0 |
| 2003 | CLE | 10 | 8 | 120 | 203 | 59.1 | 1,319 | 7 | 6 | 77.6 | 11 | 39 | 1 |
| Career | 62 | 59 | 1,025 | 1,714 | 59.8 | 11,131 | 64 | 67 | 75.1 | 124 | 556 | 2 | |
In 2002, Couch played himself in an episode ofThe Jersey called "Cheers, Jeers and Tears"[22] where cheerleading captain Hillary Lighter uses a magical jersey as she jumps into Couch's body to get advice/lessons from professional cheerleaders on new cheers, shocking his coach and fellow players.
Couch worked forFox Sports South for five years as an analyst on the weekly showSEC Gridiron Live.[23] He also served as the color analyst for the SEC Regional Network football package, typically found on Fox Sports Net affiliates in most SEC territories. Affiliates includedSun Sports, Fox Sports South,Fox Sports Southwest Plus,Fox Sports Houston,Fox Sports Midwest Plus,Fox Sports North Plus, andFox Sports San Diego.
On April 11, 2018, the Browns announced that Couch would be calling their 2018 preseason games alongsideJay Crawford.[24]
Couch was previously married to Playboy PlaymateHeather Kozar.[25]
Couch's son Chase graduated from high school in the spring of 2024. In January 2023, Chase received a verbal scholarship offer to play football at Kentucky.[26]
Currently Couch and an older brother Greg are part owners of Meridian Wealth Management, a nationwide company based in Lexington.[23][27]
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