Tim Couch

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Full Name: Timothy Scott Couch Primary Position: QB Height/Weight: 6' 4"/226 College: University of Kentucky Birthdate: July 31, 1977 High School: Leslie County (Hyden, KY) Birthplace: Hyden, Kentucky Pro Experience: 5 years

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[edit] Biography

Timothy Scott Couch (born July 31, 1977 in Hyden, Kentucky) is an American football quarterback who currently plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

He was a standout Heisman Trophy finalist in 1998 playing for the University of Kentucky, and was the number one selection in the 1999 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns.

[edit] High school career

As a prep quarterback at Leslie County High School, Couch set a number of national high school records — most pass completions (872), passing yardage (12,104), touchdown passes (133), and passing percentage for a season (75.1). Recruiting analyst Tom Lemming called Couch the best quarterback prospect since John Elway. ESPN ranked Couch as the #6 of the best high school athletes ever.^[1]

Couch also starred on the Leslie County HS basketball varsity. He scored 36 ppg as a junior, tops in the state.

[edit] College career

The highly recruited Couch decided to play at the University of Kentucky. During his freshman year (1996) under head coach Bill Curry, Couch split time as the starting quarterback with Billy Jack Haskins. Curry's firing was announced after a 1-6 start that season. Incoming head coach Hal Mumme announced early that Couch would be the starter in his new pass-oriented "Air Raid" offense. 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 #20 Alabama. In 1998 Couch led Kentucky to seven wins (including a win on the road at #21 LSU) and a spot in the Outback Bowl (in which Couch completed 30 of 48 passes for 336 yards and 2 touchdowns, though Kentucky lost to Penn State 26-14.).

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 (.671 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 to Craig Yeast against Florida on September 26, 1998). Couch still holds the NCAA record for completion percentage in one game (minimum of 40 completions) at 83.0% vs. Vanderbilt (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 (763 in 1997-1998), most completions per game in a two-year period (34.7, 1997-1998) and career completion percentage (67.1%). His 1998 records of 4,151 offensive yards in a season, 377.4 offensive yards per game and 4,275 passing yards, stood as Southeastern Conference records for years after his departure.

[edit] Awards and honors

• Second-team All-SEC (1997)
• First-team All-SEC (1998)
• First-team All-American (1998)
• SEC Player of the Year (1998)
• Heisman Trophy finalist (1998)

[edit] NFL career

Couch's college success culminated in his selection as the number one overall selection in the NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns. Couch took over for Ty Detmer as the team's starting quarterback in the second game of his rookie season. The Browns front office had high expectations for Couch. Spokesperson John Schober was quoted in 2003 as saying the former Kentucky All-American would win at least six playoff games. But Couch was joining a team that had been hastily assembled in the wake of the former Browns moving to Baltimore three years earlier. He spent five seasons as a starting quarterback for Cleveland, eventually facing competition from journeyman backup Kelly Holcomb during his final two seasons.

Couch's tenure in Cleveland was marked by inconsistent play, which was partially a result of being constantly plagued by injuries -- those due, in turn, to his exposure to pressure due to the expansion Browns' inexperienced line. He missed the final nine games of the 2000 season with a shoulder injury. The high point of Couch's career came in 2002, when he threw for almost 3,000 yards and 18 touchdowns in leading the upstart Browns to a 9-7 record and a playoff appearance^[2]. 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 the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild 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 Coach Butch Davis tapped Holcomb as his starter. By the end of the 2003 season, after exhausting both quarterbacks with the rotation,[1]it became clear that Davis, struggling with a 5-11 football team, would never give Couch the opportunity to start again. At this point, Davis lured former San Francisco pro bowl quarterback Jeff Garcia to Cleveland and handed him the starting role, but that experiment also failed, and Garcia went on to Detroit, Philadelphia, and Tampa Bay in the years that followed.

[edit] His release

In 2004 the Browns released Couch, who later signed as a free agent with the Green Bay Packers. Heading into Packer's training camp, Couch struggled with a rotator cuff injury that would eventually sideline him indefinitely from football. Couch went on to have a disappointing training camp and was booed off the field by the Lambeau crowd during his limited preseason appearances.[2] He was released by the Packers during their final cutdown to 53 players prior to the season. Couch filed a grievance with the NFL Players Union against the Packers because they failed to attempt an injury settlement prior to his release.

[edit] Attempted comeback

After undergoing shoulder surgery in February 2005, Couch auditioned for the Chicago Bears midway through the 2005 season and the Cincinnati Bengals in December 2005. The Bears noticed his arm was not back to NFL shape during their workout and did not sign him. The Bengals did not pursue Couch, although Jon Kitna was not resigned after his contract expired in early 2006. Couch participated in tryouts with the Tennessee Titans as late as January 2006. He has also been to workouts with the Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers and the Houston Texans. All three teams have stated that despite good workouts, they are not interested in pursuing him. Tim Couch missed the entire 2006 season due to another shoulder surgery late June of 2006[3]. ESPN reported on Friday, July 20, 2007, that Tim Couch has contacted all 32 NFL teams to see if any teams are interested in him for the 2007-2008 season.

[edit] Comeback

On July 29, 2007 Couch agreed to a two-year contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

[edit] Personal life

Couch is married to the 1999 Playboy Playmate of the Year, Heather Kozar. He and his wife have a son together, Chase Scott Couch, who was born on August 5, 2005.

Most people believe that 2001 was Tim Couch's best year, as he threw for 3040 yards and tossed 17 TDs.

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