I still can't believe this guy was the number one pick in the draft. He has an average arm and he played in a gimmick offense in Kentucky. He had flop written all over him. Link GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Tim Couch's stay in Green Bay was short and unproductive. The top overall draft choice in the 1999 draft by Cleveland, Couch was released by the Browns in June. He joined the Packers and was projected as Brett Favre's backup. Quarterback Tim Couch, chosen first in the 1999 NFL draft, was let go by the Packers. By Corey Wilson, The Press-Gazette via AP But the quarterback never progressed, and the Packers cut him Sunday as teams got down to the 53-man roster limit for the regular season. "He just wasn't productive enough," Packers coach-general manager Mike Sherman said. "We took a shot in hoping he could be the guy. I don't think it's the first time in the league that you were wrong on somebody. It certainly won't be my last time and it wasn't my first time. "It's unfortunate. I'm disappointed it didn't work out. I really thought with the tapes I studied last year, I really thought it would work out. It didn't." Couch, who got a $625,000 roster bonus from Green Bay when he signed, completed just 11 of 34 passes for 96 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in three preseason games.
Why can't I find a profession where I can be paid millions of dollars to be unproductive and eventually unneeded?
I wonder if Dallas will take a flyer on him. Do they really want Drew Henson starting week 3 when Testes gets forced into retirement?
Not quite the bust that Akili Smith was. There were a lot of what turned out to be bad picks in that draft. Couch, Smith and if you count his productivity to the team that drafted him, even Ricky Williams was not worth the pick. The Eagles did okay with Donovan McNabb, though, as did the Colts with Edgerrin James.
Does it really matter though? Dallas will be offensively challenged all season no matter who is at QB. Their best offense will have to be that defense, and not beating themselves if they plan on building off of last season's success. And that is quite a tall order to ask.
Akili did flame out a lot earlier. Its just that Couch was the supposed to be the future of a brand new franchise, and he was taken number one, which creates a special stigma when you fail. Wasn't the qb from UCLA in that draft also? He also flamed out pretty badly. That draft was supposed to be the future QB stars of the league draft.
Tim Couch Donovan McNabb Akili Smith Cade McNown Daunte Culpepper and don't forget - Shaun King. That was supposed to be the QB's in the league for the next ten years. Only two are still starting.
To be fair, the Browns have done a piss poor job of building a team in the last few years. They happened to squeak into the playoffs with a mediocre 9-7 mark two years ago, but they were one and done. I'm not saying Couch is blameless, but a lot of their problems are organizational. Defensively, Warren and Brown are huge busts so far, they still haven't addressed their secondary, and outside LB Andra Davis they lack good linebackers. On offense until the last two years they had no semblance of a ground game, a weak O-Line and a WR core in which the number one guy was a possession receiver in Kevin Johnson, now a Raven. Once they finally get some game changing talent in WR's Quincy Morgan, Andre Davis, RB's William Green and Lee Suggs, Couch had fallen out of favor and it was hopeless for him. I think that Couch, a lot like Brees in SD, can succeed in the right system, but it is disconcerting to say the least of his preseason with GB. But that aside, I think that it wouldn't shock me if Couch found a niche at some point in the NFL, but he is certainly a bust to this point, and will never be a franchise QB. But I think the way Cleveland went about building their football team around him has contributed heavily into him being a bust because he had very little to work with and by the time he got some more pieces, the coaching staff took his job and confidence away.
Biggest QB busts..... 1. Andre Ware 2. Heath Shuler 3. Ryan Leaf 4. Tim Couch 5. Akili Smith I'm sure there is many more but that's all that I could come up with on the top of my head. I think Ware and Shuler were bigger bust because they had so much hype coming out of college.
Don't forget about Klingler. But in fairness to most of the guys on that list, they were drafted by the black holes of the NFL.
No way. Ryan Leaf has to be on top of that list just based on style points alone. Not only was he a bust, but he was a gigantic jerk that nobody likes. He's the Vanilla Ice of the NFL.
I got his CD for $5 when I was a frosh in college (2000-01) and went into one of my friend's room when he wasn't there. Put that on, looped it, full volume and left. I almost got him killed.