CLEVELAND -- The coin flipped in Charlie Frye's favor, and
the rest of the night went his way, too. Frye played better than Derek Anderson in their competition to
become Cleveland's starting quarterback and the Browns got a late
kickoff return for a TD in a 16-12 win over the Kansas City Chiefs
on Saturday. Rookie Brady Quinn stood with a clipboard and studied his
Cleveland playbook during his first NFL preseason game, watching as
Frye and Anderson duked it out for a job the former Notre Dame star
hopes to someday own. Frye finished 12-of-15 for 122 yards. He made several strong
throws downfield, but those positive plays were overshadowed by two
bad ones. Frye had a botched swing pass in the backfield returned
56 yards for a touchdown by Kansas City's Benny Sapp in the first
half. And moments later, Frye's mismanagement of the clock in the
closing seconds cost Cleveland points. Still, Frye was pleased with his performance. "I think I was putting the ball where I wanted it," Frye said.
"We moved the ball pretty well, but we need to get touchdowns.
That's what the coaches want from me." Before kickoff, Frye won a coin toss held in coach Romeo
Crennel's office to decide his starter. "I called tails," said Anderson, who went 7-of-16 for 76
yards. "I stuck with it, but it didn't work for me." Crennel, who hasn't given any indication when he'll name his
starter, felt both players looked good once they settled in. "Charlie was able to get into a rhythm a little bit sooner than
Derek," he said. "Both were hurt by some dropped passes. We'll
look at the tape and make an evaluation." Phil Dawson kicked three field goals for the Browns, who trailed
12-9 after Kansas City's Justin Medlock kicked a 42-yarder with
1:48 left. But Barclay returned Medlock's ensuing kickoff 88 yards for a
TD, and the Browns recovered a fumble inside their 20 to seal it in
the final seconds. Quinn, a first-round draft pick, missed 12 days of training camp
in a contract holdout before signing a five-year, $20 million
contract on Wednesday. Quinn's absence probably cost him any chance
of starting the Sept. 9 season opener against Pittsburgh, but
unless Frye or Anderson steps up, it may not be long before the
former Notre Dame star is calling signals. For now, Quinn's listed behind Frye, Anderson and even Ken
Dorsey on the Browns' depth chart, which could undergo several
revisions in the months ahead. Browns fans already have their favorite as chants of "Bra-dy,
Bra-dy," broke out in the fourth quarter after the Chiefs sacked
Dorsey in the end zone for a safety. Quinn never got in, but should
play next week against Detroit. Kansas City, too, is looking for a starting quarterback and
neither Brodie Croyle nor Damon Huard looked as if they want the
job. Croyle, a third-round pick last season, got the start from coach
Herm Edwards and went 5-of-8 for 49 yards with one interception.
Huard, who led the Chiefs to a playoff berth last season after
Trent Green sustained a serious concussion, was just 2-of-4 for 19
yards and also threw a pick. Kansas City's coaches love Croyle's high-powered arm. It's his
decision making that drives them crazy. On the Chiefs' second possession, Croyle made one of those
head-scratching plays. After stepping away from linebacker Kamerion Wimbley's rush on a
blown-up play, Croyle threw a pass directly to Browns cornerback
Leigh Bodden for an interception instead of throwing the ball away. "I made a stupid mistake trying to make a play," Croyle said.
"I was trying to be Superman. I have to not make stupid plays." On his first play, Frye forced a pass over the middle intended
for tight end Kellen Winslow that was nearly picked off by Chiefs
linebacker Donnie Edwards. After a Kansas City turnover, Frye drove
the Browns to a 27-yard field goal by Dawson. Frye completed five straight passes before his short pass for
Jerome Harrison turned into seven points for the Chiefs. Frye overthrew his running back, but the toss was behind the
line of scrimmage and ruled a lateral. When the officials didn't
whistle the play dead, Sapp alertly scooped it up in front of
Kansas City's bench and outraced Frye to give the Chiefs a 7-6
lead. "I saw nothing but grass ahead of me," Sapp said. "Getting
turnovers and getting points on defense has been something the
coaches have talked about all camp." The Chiefs were without running back Larry Johnson, who remains
at odds with the club over a contract extension and hasn't reported
to camp. It was the first event held at Cleveland Browns Stadium since a
massive flood caused extensive damage during a concert by country
star Kenny Chesney on July 14.
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