The Associated Press

GREEN BAY, Wis. - Tim Couch received a proper Lambeau Field welcome on his first day in Green Bay on Thursday.

The former Cleveland Browns quarterback, signed as a free agent Tuesday, was serenaded with the refrain of "Go, Pack, go!" by a group of 25 people on a tour of the stadium.

"There's a special feeling you get when you come to play at Lambeau Field," said Couch, remembering earlier visits with the Browns. "It's an exciting time. Just getting a chance to play here is going to be a great opportunity."

Couch, the No. 1 overall pick in the 1999 draft, agreed to a one-year contract of $1.25 million to back up Brett Favre. Couch was released by Cleveland last week.

Couch said as many as five teams, including Chicago, Detroit and San Francisco, showed interest after the Browns released him last week.

"But, none of them was any better than this situation," Couch said.

Couch will wear No. 2 on his jersey, as he did with the Browns and at Kentucky.

As thrilled as Couch was to get a warm welcome in Green Bay, the timing of his arrival wasn't the most ideal. Couch missed the Packers' last offseason minicamp, which ended June 10.

Consequently, Couch has plenty to study in the next six weeks before full-squad training camp starts Aug. 2. He will remain in Green Bay through Wednesday, working with quarterbacks coach Darrell Bevell.

"I want to try to get him as well-versed as I can in this next week, kind of give him a foundation to where he had enough classroom work that he can carry it over to the field," Bevell said. "Whether we'll be able to do that, I don't know. It just all depends on him."

Bevell spent 3 1/2 hours Thursday morning introducing Couch to the Packers' version of the West Coast offense.

"Just being in the NFL for a long time and having a lot of experience is going to help me pick that up," Couch said. "I ran a lot of these same plays (with Cleveland). It's just different terminology."

VIKINGS: Cornerback Eric Kelly was released after failing to report for the final week of offseason workouts and asking for his release. Kelly, who started 11 games as a rookie in 2001 and 12 games in 2002, was expected to be Minnesota's fourth cornerback.

RAMS: St. Louis signed veteran defensive tackle Bernard Holsey to a one-year contract.

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