CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Tim Couch, the Browns' previous No. 1 overall pick at quarterback, is impressed with Baker Mayfield, the club's current one, but is 100% in favor of him waiting his turn behind Tyrod Taylor.



Couch, who will call the Browns preseason games this season on News 5, watched practice Sunday alongside his announcing partner Jay Crawford. He was pleasantly surprised by what he saw from the reigning Heisman Trophy winner.



"I'm just really impressed at how quickly he's seeing things and getting rid of the football,'' Couch told cleveland.com during a break in practice. "Coming from the offense that he played in in college, the same one I played in -- the Air Raid offense -- it's just a big jump trying to learn an NFL playbook and understanding concepts and going through your reads, and I'm just impressed by his footwork and his decisiveness in throwing the ball.''



Couch's visit to Berea coincided with Mayfield's best day at camp. He treated observers to some long completions to Rashard Higgins and Damion Ratley, and fit the ball into tight windows. For the fourth straight day, he was interception-free and looked comfortable both in the shotgun and under center.



"His arm strength is really impressive,'' said Couch. "Baker was dropping back putting his foot in the ground and throwing the football. That tells me he knows exactly where he's going with the ball. It's coming out on time and he's accurate. He has a lot stronger arm than I thought he had seeing him on TV. I hadn't seen him in person until yesterday. He has a strong arm."



Couch, who in 2002 helped lead the Browns to their only playoff berth since 1999, found Mayfield impressive considering the challenges coming out of the Air Raid offense, which Couch excelled in at Kentucky.



"There's several things, just simple things, being under center, calling plays in the huddle, just learning the terminology, and getting the play out, those kinds of things,'' said Couch, 40. "It's just a little bit of a change and understanding blocking schemes and changing plays at the line of scrimmage are just other things you have to adjust to because there wasn't a whole lot of running going on in the Air Raid offense.

"So it's just doing those things at the line of scrimmage that you have to do at this level at the quarterback position are the biggest challenges for making the transition.''



Despite Mayfield exceeding even the expectations of coach Hue Jackson in camp, Couch agrees with sitting Mayfield behind Taylor to start the season. Couch was pressed into service in the second game of the 1999 season after Ty Detmer and the Browns were beaten 43-0 by the Steelers in the opener, and went on to win two of his 14 starts. But he was sacked 56 times that season and it was a horrible way to start a career.



"It's the right thing to do,'' Couch said. "I know it's frustrating for Baker not be starting right away but it will benefit him long term. Getting a chance to learn behind a veteran that's had some success in the league is a great thing. Especially coming off a winless season, the last thing they should do is just throw Baker out there and say, 'This is the No. 1 pick in the draft and he's gonna turn this whole thing around.'



"That's a lot of pressure to put on a young QB. I love the decision bring him along slowly and let him get comfortable with NFL game first.''

After speaking with the media in a group setting for 18 minutes on Monday, Couch met Mayfield for the time and the two vowed to catch up at some point during the day.

"I would just tell him to be patient,'' said Couch. "I know he's had so much success coming off a Heisman Trophy year and all the things he did at Oklahoma, a record-setting career. I'm sure he expects to walk right in here in the NFL and then have that type of success and I did, too. Every high draft pick thinks that. But this is a rebuilding football team.

"Are they better than they were a year ago? Absolutely. But still, you just have to be patient and don't expect too much too soon.''

Couch said he'll urge Mayfield to learn all he can from Taylor, who went 22-20 in Buffalo and led the Bills to the playoffs last year.

"Tyrod's had success in this league and he knows how to play and win football games,'' said Couch. "What I tried to do was prepare like I was going to be the starter because I knew one day I would be the starter, and I didn't want to have to get ready. I wanted to be ready.



"I think Baker will do that. I love his story of what he's had to do in his career. He's walked on twice. He's earned everything he's ever gotten. He's earned being the Heisman Trophy winner. He's earned being the No. 1 pick in the draft. No one gave him anything. No one really gave him a chance. So that mentality that he brings to this team is pretty special.''

Couch will caution Mayfield against thinking he's ready before his time, like Couch did in the second week of 1999.

"The coach came to me and said, you feel like you're ready to start,'' he said. "I was like, absolutely. We're going on the road against a Titans team. Remember that defense, how good they were. Jevon Kearse and Kevin Carter and all those guys. They were making Super Bowl runs back then. So that was a tough first start. I felt like I was ready. But I wasn't.''

He sees some similarities between his own rookie season and that of Mayfield's.

"This team didn't win a game last year,'' he said. "Baker coming in as the No. 1 pick, people think this is the guy that's going to turn around the franchise and finally solve the quarterback issue they've had here for a long time. That's a lot of pressure for a young guy to deal with.

"Tyrod took a team last year to the playoffs that hadn't been to the playoffs in a long time. He feels confident he can come in here and repeat that process. They have a lot of talent right now, but they need to keep stockpiling talent like they've done this offseason and put baker in spots where he can be successful."

He acknowledged that Mayfield mania can strike at any moment.

"If (Taylor's) not playing up to expectations and they're not winning football games, the pressure is going to be so intense to put Baker on the field,'' he said. "That's something they're going to have to deal with as the season goes on. Hopefully the ideal situation happens where Tyrod is playing well, they're winning games and Baker can sit and he can learn and they can introduce him to the game (graduall).''

He said regardless of draft status or college accolades, "It's a big jump. I don't care how high a level you played at in college. I played in the SEC, a very fast conference, a very physical conference, but it was still a huge jump for me getting used to the speed of the game and the size of the players and just learning how complex defenses can get.''

Mayfield's 6-0 height is a non-issue for the 6-4 Couch, who went 22-37 here with 64 touchdowns and 67 interceptions.

"It doesn't bother me at all,'' Couch said. "It's all about how a guy moves in the pocket, how he has a feel for finding the throwing lanes. It doesn't matter if you're my size or Baker's size, you can't see over the line. Those guys are huge. You always have to find throwing lanes and he's got a very good knack of doing that and he played at a super high level in college, so he's proven that he can find lanes where he can deliver the football from and he's got a great knack for doing it.''



Couch is looking forward to calling Mayfield's first live game action Aug. 9 against the Giants.



"I loved the pick when they drafted him at 1,'' said Couch. "His energy that he brings to the table is great and guys respond to Baker and attitude, his personality, and I think he's got leadership qualities and just everything you want at that position. Really, if you take the height away, he's the prototypical thing that you're looking for at this level and he looks the part to me for sure.''



