Obviously lots of discussion has circulated about Tim Couch. Is he the QB to lead us to the promised land? Did we overcommit to a player who’s really not that talented?

I’m not sure. Brian Sipe lacked many obvious physical tools and looked iffy on the field for several years before shining as the league MVP in 1980. But he was unheralded, so anything positive he did was a pleasant surprise, especially compared to his predecessor, first-round dud Mike Phipps, who suffered under the type of high expectations Couch is feeling.

Couch is a tough competitor, and he needs this adversity to mature and fully appreciate whatever glory may come his way. I don’t hold anything against him for his recent tearful tirade, which I attribute in large part to the effects of the concussion he had just sustained.

Yesterday, his performance was just adequate. No problems on the dink-and-dunk, but he missed on several downfield passes. Two poor throws came in the first series of the game, and the most egregious was in the second quarter. With Jamel White in the clear down the right sideline, Couch sailed the ball way out of bounds. So I’m concerned about his ability to stretch defenses (which would help the running game) and make full use of our fast fleet of wideouts.

One bright note is that Couch manages the game well. Very few wasted time-outs or delay-of-game penalites. And his cadence is deceptive enough to draw defenses offsides nearly every game. It happened twice yesterday. Let’s hope that keeps defenses on their heels just a touch, because the offensive line needs every edge it can muster.