CLEVELAND -- Tim Couch was the future of Cleveland football, but that all started to unravel when fans cheered when he got hurt.

On Your Side sports director Chris Miller traveled to Couch's Florida home for an exclusive interview with the Couch family. Miller reported that after three years out of the game, Couch really wants to get back on the field.

For reasons many might understand, imagine doing something you cared about since the age of 12, then one day it's taken away from you.

Tim Couch is giving his comeback one more shot in the hopes of returning to the game he truly loves.

"In my heart, I think I can still play. I have to believe that I'm going to play. That's the reason why I get rehab every day," said Couch.

Images: Tim Couch And Family

Guarded optimism surrounds Couch these days while reflecting on a five-year NFL career that produced a fair share of high and low moments.

Just three weeks removed from a second surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff, the question Couch ponders every day is, why attempt a comeback?

The road back to NFL glory is a daily struggle. Three days a week of grueling rehab in Miami should be motivation enough for a comeback, but Couch sees more.

He doesn't want to be the answer to the trivia question: Who's the biggest No. 1 bust in NFL history?

"I'm still the guy who was the first pick in the draft. I can still play at a high level when I'm healthy," Couch said.

Couch is driven by his own confidence as much as the fear of failure in the eyes of his son Chase.

"I think it will be fun for him to see me play. I don't want him to ask me when he's 16 or 17 if I played. It will be fun for us to be on the field together and for him to experience the game out there with me," said Couch.

Athletes want to leave the game on their own terms. As the old adage goes, money can't buy Couch happiness, Miller reported.

It would be easy to rest on the beach with his family, but Couch said he has unfinished business in the NFL.

"The next thing I remember, you know, the fans were cheering when I was laying on the field hurt, and I think that's (expletive), to be honest with you," Couch said in a memorable Sunday night interview in October of 2002.

Was that point the beginning of the end for Couch in Cleveland? In part three of Miller's exclusive interview, Couch talks about the night when he fired back at the fans, Tuesday on NewsChannel5 at 6.