| | BEREA, Ohio -- Tim Couch surprised Cleveland Browns coach
Chris Palmer by playing through the pain Sunday after banging his
thumb on a lineman's helmet while making a pass.
The rookie quarterback had another surprise Monday, showing up
with a plastic cast on his hand and revealing he has had a screw in
the thumb since seventh grade.
But Couch, who won't be able to grip a football until midweek
because of the bruised thumb, said he still anticipated starting
this Sunday when the winless Browns (0-4) play host to the winless
Cincinnati Bengals (0-4).
"It should be fine in a couple of days," he said. "It feels
better already."
In the third quarter of Sunday's 19-7 loss to the New England
Patriots, Couch struck his thumb on right guard Scott Rehberg's
helmet while trying to complete a pass to Kevin Johnson. The ball
was overthrown, and only a hit by Johnson on free safety Chris
Carter prevented the ball from being intercepted.
Couch shook his hand in pain, trying to get the feeling back.
But instead of coming out, he threw a beautiful touch pass down the
sideline to Johnson on his next play.
However, Couch was just 4-for-14 after that and was unable to
rally the Browns.
Palmer said Couch signaled to the sideline that he was hurt, and
Browns backup QB Ty Detmer got ready to come in.
"I sent in a running play and he checked off and threw a
pass," Palmer said. "I had already told Ty to warm up. I was
going to get the run play in, then get Ty into the ballgame to
bring Tim over to get ice on it."
Couch admitted he didn't tell Palmer how much the thumb hurt,
and finished 12-for-27 for 195 yards and a TD.
"When I was on the sideline warming up trying to see how it
felt, it felt pretty bad," he said. "Once I got out there,
adrenaline took over and I didn't really think about it. The only
way I would come out is if I couldn't release the football."
The Browns' fourth straight loss was painful to some other
Browns, too.
"I'm about to go crazy," said Corey Fuller, the Browns'
starting free safety and emotional leader, "because I want to win
so bad."
For the second straight week, the Browns came close to getting
their first victory. But three costly penalties in the second half,
one nullifying a TD interception return, did the Browns in.
"We've had a couple of chances to win, now we just have to
finish the game off," linebacker Jamir Miller said. "When we get
teams down, we have to put them away."
Cincinnati, which will start rookie quarterback Akili Smith, has
been installed as 2½-point favorites, and Fuller knows the loser
will be in for a long year.
"You've got the doormats of the league staring at each other,"
Fuller said. "What are you going to do? You can either get stepped
on or step up on the porch. You want to have a long season? The
team that loses this game is in for a long, long season. There is
no sugar-coating that."
And there is no denying that the Browns are getting better.
Against New England, one of the AFC's top teams, Cleveland more
than held its own, and with a couple of breaks may have pulled off
the biggest upset this season.
"The ball is starting to bounce our way a little bit," Miller
said. "Hopefully, soon it will start to springboard." | |
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