Timothy Scott Couch (born July 31, 1977 in Hyden, Kentucky) was the first overall pick in the 1999 NFL draft by the expansion Cleveland Browns out of the University of Kentucky. Couch took over from Ty Detmer as the team's starting quarterback in the second game of his rookie season. He went on to have several underwhelming seasons as a part-time starter for Cleveland, fighting Kelly Holcomb for the starting quarterback position for two years. Many football analysts point to Couch's problems early in his career with the Browns as a textbook case of how not to handle a young quarterback, switching head coaches on him, pulling him into and out of the starting lineup, and failing in every way to provide consistent instruction and environment. By the end of the 2003 season, it was painfully clear to the Browns, Couch, and NFL observers that Couch was never going to get better as a player while in Cleveland.
In 2004, after refusing to take a reduction in pay and an offseason full of uncertainty for Couch, the Browns released him. Signed as a free agent with the Green Bay Packers soon afterward, Couch went on to have a disappointing training camp with his new team and was released by the Packers during their final cutdown to 53 players prior to the season. Couch, claiming his arm was injured, filed a complaint with the NFL Players Union against the Packers.
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