Quinn to have finger fixed

December 3, 2008 at 12:00a.m.

The Browns’ quarterback will have surgery on his fractured right index finger.

COMBINED DISPATCHES

CLEVELAND — Brady Quinn has decided to get his fractured finger fixed.

After weighing his options over the past week, Cleveland’s quarterback has elected to have surgery on his right index finger, which he initially broke Nov. 17 at Buffalo and then made worse by playing in the Browns’ game a week later against Houston.

The team said that Quinn’s operation will be performed today in Birmingham, Ala., by hand specialist Dr. Thomas Hunt. The procedure, which will likely involve a pin being inserted in Quinn’s finger to stabilize the bone and damaged tendon, will require up to 10 weeks of recovery time.

In his second career start, Quinn broke the tip of his finger when he banged it against a Bills defender in the first half of Cleveland’s 29-27 win. Although he was given the option of having the operation or rest, Quinn played in a Nov. 23 game against the Texans and sustained further damage to the finger on his throwing hand. He was benched in the third quarter by coach Romeo Crennel after throwing two interceptions.

Quinn later said he had trouble spinning the ball the way he wanted to because of the injury.

However, he didn’t regret playing and said he would make the same choice again.

Quinn started three games this season for the underachieving Browns, who also lost quarterback Derek Anderson to a season-ending knee injury.

Anderson tore his left medial collateral ligament in the closing minutes of Sunday’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

With Quinn and Anderson done, Ken Dorsey will start Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.

It will be Dorsey’s first start since he was with San Francisco in 2005.

The team placed Anderson on the reserve-injured list Tuesday and signed veteran free agent QB Bruce Gradkowski, who made 11 starts for Tampa Bay in 2006.

The University of Toledo product and Pittsburgh native spent two seasons in Tampa Bay and started 11 games as a rookie in 2006.

He went to training camp this year with the St. Louis Rams before being waived on Aug. 31.

Gradkowski took the roster spot of Derek Anderson, who was placed on injured reserve after tearing the medial collateral ligament in his left knee in Sunday’s loss to Indianapolis.

Anderson, 13-14 as a starter over three seasons for the Browns and 3-6 this year, will not need surgery.

Ken Dorsey will start Sunday as the Browns (4-8) visit the Tennessee Titans (11-1), and receiver/returner Joshua Cribbs, the former Kent State quarterback, will likely serve as his backup.

Gradkowski, probably No. 3 this week, should be ready for the Browns’ third Monday Night Football appearance of the season Dec. 15 at Philadelphia.

In 17 career games over two years in Tampa Bay, Gradkowski completed 190-of-352 passes for 1,791 yards and nine touchdowns with 10 interceptions.