Browns' QB Frye takes battering from Steelers

He was blitzed non-stop, sacked eight times and suffered a concussion.
BEREA (AP) -- Charlie Frye was lucky he kept his two front teeth for Christmas.
The Browns' rookie quarterback didn't ask for the holiday beating he took from the Pittsburgh Steelers, who blitzed him non-stop, sacked him eight times and gave Frye a concussion during their 41-0 win over Cleveland on Saturday.
Following the game, a wobbly Frye was kept from speaking to reporters by Browns team doctors, who were concerned that in his vulnerable position he might not know what he was saying.
And that's assuming Frye knew where he was.
Frye guessed on Monday that it was a hard shot in the fourth quarter that left him dazed and confused. However, he stayed on the field and finished his fourth NFL start -- even if he can't remember it all.
"I was a little dizzy out there, but I kept playing. I wanted to keep fighting," said Frye, who was asked how much of the game he could recall. "I just watched the film, so it refreshed my memory."
It jarred Romeo Crennel's, and the Browns first-year coach didn't hide his disappointment or embarrassment at his team's overall ineptitude.
No explanation
For one of the first times since he took over in Cleveland, Crennel was unable to offer any explanation for what happened. But unlike former Browns coach Butch Davis, he didn't make any excuses for the loss, either.
"We got out-coached and outplayed," he said. "We have one week to try to rectify as much as we can. We'll try to get that done and be more representative of the community and fans. I know the fans are disappointed. I'm disappointed for them and I'm disappointed in myself."
Crennel's biggest concern may be how overmatched the Browns were against their long-time rival and an AFC North foe.
"Our guys were trying throughout," Crennel said, "and that's part of the disappointing thing, then when you try that hard and still get beat bad."
Frye, 1-3 as a starter, is expected to start Sunday's season finale against the Baltimore Ravens (6-9), who played well in an upset win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night.
Still has confidence in Frye
Crennel said he has not lost any confidence in Frye and that it would be unfair to place too much emphasis on one performance. However, Crennel, a former defensive coordinator, knows that Pittsburgh's assault on Frye could leave lasting marks.
Frye is determined not let it.
"They say the best quarterbacks have amnesia," he said. "They forget last week and move on. Hopefully, I'll go out and perform well. I have great confidence in myself and I'm just going to take something from the game that I don't ever want to get beat like that again. We never want to feel this bad again."'
Trent Dilfer, who lost his starting job to Frye, said bruises and bumps are just part of what a young quarterback has to experience to grow. One of the reasons the Browns signed the 34-year-old Dilfer was to teach Frye about what it takes to succeed in the NFL.
"He should have known that was coming," Dilfer said. "I've been real clear with him the whole year that he's not going to find any sympathy with me when it comes to that. He's going to feel this way the rest of his career getting banged up. He's going to go through games like that. How he responds to that is going to define him more than anything else."
Dilfer was asked if at any point he wanted to come in against the Steelers to bail out Frye and the Browns.
"Early on I did, but then it got to the point where it was his game to finish," he joked.
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