Take Your Pick: a Couch or a Plum

In a season in which the Cleveland Browns are en route to setting a bunch of team and maybe even league records for futility, they have finally gotten a mark of which they can be proud. Quarterback Tim Couch completed 18 of 23 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown in last week’s 24-7 loss to the Jaguars, set a rookie club record for quarterback rating with a 110.3 mark. The old standard had stood for 42 years. It was set by Milt Plum, who turned in a 106.3 on Dec. 15, 1957, in a 34-28 victory over the New York Giants at Yankee Stadium.

Neil O’Donnell is 4-1 as the starter in the Titans’ 5-1 start and while there may be some sentiment outside the team to keep him playing even when Steve McNair recovers from his back injury, that will not happen. The biggest reason is McNair’s mobility. With offenses around the league spreading the field a great deal of the time at the expense of pass protection, quarterbacks who can move will fare better than most over the long run.

Baltimore hasn’t been getting much out of its tight ends. Four tight ends have accounted for 16 receptions for 105 yards and no touchdowns. Part of the problem has been the wide receivers’ inability to stretch defenses and allow the tight ends to work underneath the coverage.