Couch (finally) shows his potential

PITTSBURGH -- Take away one ill-advised pass and Tim Couch had the kind of game Sunday night that was expected of him ever since the Browns made him the first draft choice in 1999.
In fact, Couch, his coach and some of his teammates considered it the best game the Kentucky product has ever had in the NFL.
Cleveland's slice and dice of the Steelers at Heinz Field was the kind of performance that just might land him back in the good graces of coach Butch Davis and into the starting lineup, although, playing the good soldier, Couch deftly avoided any talk of a quarterback controversy as easily as he did the Steelers' rushers.
Running game returns
Couch's performance was helped by -- finally -- a running game that produced 124 yards, mostly by William Green, and a superb performance by the Browns' offensive line, which gave up only one sack and just a few pressures on Couch.
In short, it was a performance that should leave many Browns fans wondering, especially in the aftermath of the previous week's disaster against the Bengals -- where has this been?
"This game was decided early in the week," said Davis, "when they made the decision they were going to win the game.
"The older guys had the guts and the fortitude to stand up and say, 'If we practice and we get prepared we're going to play really well. I give those guys a lot of credit."
Davis was asked if Couch's 20-of-25, 208-yard, two-touchdown performance was the best in his term as coach.
"Yeah, I'd say that is a pretty accurate statement," said Davis.
"The offense was able to score early and take the crowd out of the game ... our playmakers made plays."
None more so than Couch, who guided the Browns to 324 total yards and a somewhat misleading 7-for-13 performance on third downs.
Tough in clutch
During the critical part of the game, when the outcome was still in doubt, the Browns were 6-for-10 on third downs.
"The offensive line played phenomenal," said Davis, "and we displayed patience with the running game. We made first downs and we were a little more savvy about finishing the game. We kept our composure."
Couch's 80 percent completion percentage was a career high and marked the 10th time in 53 career starts that he has completed at least 70 percent of his pass attempts.
"Given the circumstances of my season and the team's season, yes, this was my most complete game," said Couch. "I was having a good time out there; I think that's what I needed to do, just get back out on the field and have fun playing football again."
Gets off to quick start
Couch started strong, completing his first five passes for 79 yards in the opening drive of the game, as Cleveland took a 7-0 lead.
His second touchdown pass was a display of both his arm strength and a foot speed that wasn't always evident in the past.
Couch rolled to the right to avoid the rush and zipped the ball to Kevin Johnson in the back of the end zone.
The final offensive touchdown of the night came just six seconds before halftime, when Couch drove the Browns 78 yards in just nine plays and drove home a spike in the Steelers' coffin with a 9-yard scramble to the end zone.
"This was a great win for our team and our fans," said Couch.
He could also say the same thing about himself. Whether Couch is a member of the Browns next season, or one of 31 other franchises, Sunday's performance confirmed, at least in his mind, that he can compete in this league.
XRob Todor is sports editor of The Vindicator. Write to him at todor@vindy.com.