BEREA: Browns coach Romeo Crennel didn't rule out the possibility that rookie quarterback Brady Quinn would start Sunday's home game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Ken Dorsey, Quinn's mentor until he was released Sept. 1, was at Browns headquarters Monday evening and that lends credence to the theory that he is being brought back to help get Quinn ready.

Ready for whom is the question.

Crennel refused to discuss personnel changes because he hadn't spoken to the team, but implied there might be a change.

''As you go through and look at the film, you have an idea about, 'I might do this' or 'I might do that,' so there's a plan,'' Crennel said. ''I'm just not letting you guys know yet.''

Asked if keeping silent was a matter of competitive advantage, Crennel said, ''I'm going to talk to my players first before I say anything to anybody else. I feel like I owe that to them.''

Pressed on whether Quinn would at least be part of the discussion, he said, ''Every player on my team is part of the discussion. They have to be.''

No roster moves were announced, but Dorsey could be signed today. To clear roster space, the Browns have several options. They could release punter Paul Ernster since Dave Zastudil thinks his sore back, actually his ''lower rib area, almost (the) oblique,'' will allow him to kick Sunday against the Bengals after sitting out the opener. That would allow the Browns to keep four quarterbacks while Quinn gets prepared.

That seems more likely than Charlie Frye or Derek Anderson being released or defensive back Gary Baxter, recovering from torn patellar tendons, being placed on injured reserve.

Dorsey knows offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski's offense because Dorsey was the starting quarterback at the University of Miami when Chudzinski was an assistant. Quinn called it ''a sad day for me'' when Dorsey was released and said he hoped he could be brought back.

Frye and Anderson struggled in Sunday's 34-7 home loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who forced five turnovers, three by the quarterbacks. Frye was pulled with 6:34 left in the second quarter and his team down 17-0 after completing 4-of-10 passes for 34 yards with an interception and five sacks. Frye's quarterback rating was 10.0, Anderson's 65.2.

The few players who spoke in the locker room Monday said they'll support whoever is behind center. But when co-captain Steve Heiden was asked if Quinn was ready, the tight end said, ''You'll have to ask Brady that, but from what I've seen, I think he is.''

The Browns are resisting the idea of going to the 22nd overall pick from Notre Dame because they face five of league's top nine defenses from a year ago before the Oct. 21 bye. The schedule has Pittsburgh (9), Cincinnati (30), Baltimore (1), Oakland (3), New England (6) and Miami (4).

General Manager Phil Savage told Sports Illustrated's Peter King for his online column that Quinn has had just 92 snaps with the first team after his 11-day holdout cost him 16 training-camp practices.

''Our whole thought was Charlie and Derek keeping us functional through the tough part of our schedule,'' he told King.

And now?

''If you ask 70,000 people in our stadium today, the process got accelerated,'' King quoted Savage as saying. ''I think you run into trouble if you change your plans after one game. Back in 1999, we lost to Pittsburgh 43-0 in the first game of the season with Ty Detmer playing and we threw Tim Couch in there. You saw how that turned out. Once Brady goes in, that's it; there's no turning back. To do it after the first week . . . ''

Savage declined to comment when contacted Monday.

With the fans angry and Crennel's support outside Berea slipping, the Browns may not be able to wait until after the bye.

Asked if he was sticking with his belief that Quinn isn't ready and he doesn't want to rush him, he said, ''Well, basically yes.''

Surprisingly, Crennel didn't rule out that he could go back to Frye, who is 6-13 as a starter.

''Any player can have a bad game,'' Crennel said. ''During the week, he might get better, then you can go with him the next week.''

Asked what kind of message he sent by yanking Frye so early, Crennel said, ''Sometimes, if a player's struggling and you don't pull him, the team might say the coach is not doing enough to try to win. Charlie didn't play his best game, I don't think he holds it against me for taking him out when I did. I was trying to do what I thought was best for the team.''