Charlie Frye failed his test against the Steelers, but coach Romeo Crennel is more interested in how the Browns' rookie quarterback responds this week in his final exam against the Ravens.

Asked if he still considers Frye a starting prospect after Saturday's 41-0 loss to Pittsburgh, Crennel said: "He had a tough game on Saturday, but he'll bounce back from it. My thoughts about Charlie really haven't changed. I knew there was going to be a tough game at some point along the line. This team posed a lot of issues for him, and how he recovers from that will be a big indicator of what his abilities are."

Asked if Frye, who suffered a mild concussion and still has sore ribs, will start Sunday, Crennel said, "Right now, yeah."

Is Crennel concerned that his young QB's psyche is shaken?

"It could rattle his confidence," Crennel said. "That's why I say if he's able to come back and how he performs in his next outing will say a lot about his confidence and what his abilities are."

Frye, who was sacked eight times, lost four fumbles and was overwhelmed by the blitzing Steelers, said not to worry.

"I have great confidence in myself," he said. "And I just try to take something from that game. . . . I've never felt this bad after a game, and I never want to feel that way again."

"I'll just go out and play my best," he said. "I'm going to go out and play good this week, and hopefully they can look at what I've done thus far this season."

Asked if he thinks Crennel and his teammates still have faith in him, Frye said, "I hope so. I know I do, and I'm sure they do. We'll bounce back."

Running back Reuben Droughns, asked if Frye still has what it takes, said, "Yes. No doubt. I'm not going to doubt Charlie. We've got confidence in him. We've just all got to get better."

Added Frye, "They say the best quarterbacks have amnesia - they forget last week and move on to next week."

Frye did have some amnesia, but that was at the end of the game, after he suffered the mild concussion. Asked if there were parts he forgot, he said, "I just watched the film so it refreshed my memory. I was a little dizzy out there, but I kept playing. I just wanted to keep fighting and finish the game."

Crennel said he never really considered replacing Frye with Trent Dilfer.

"I gave Charlie the same respect I gave Trent when Trent was in that situation," Crennel said. "I didn't pull Trent from the game, so I wasn't going to pull Charlie. I really didn't realize when he was dazed. He seemed to be operating OK."

Frye went back to Willard, Ohio, on Sunday and spent Christmas with his parents but admitted the loss put a damper on his holidays. At some point during the day, however, he received a call from Dilfer.

"I told him to enjoy his Christmas and to let him know I knew what was going through his head," Dilfer said. "He was rehashing every play and beating himself up, and I just reminded him he's doing a good job and that he's handled everything well and that he competed hard.

"The biggest thing I kept telling him throughout the game and [Sunday] was that I was really proud of how he competed and that he kept fighting, and he was banged up and not feeling good, but he kept going out there and playing to win the game."

Like Crennel, Dilfer said Frye is "going to go through games like that, and how he responds is going to define him more than anything else."

Frye said he's never seen a defense like the Steelers and that he'll spend a big part of the off-season trying to figure it out.

"It's based on trying to confuse you," he said. "They were bringing guys from everywhere, and they did a pretty good job of covering up our hot routes. So, I really didn't have any place to go with the ball."

Frye is eager not only for the Baltimore game, but for practice.

"We're going to have a lot of hard work ahead of us to get to where we want to be, and we're going to start with this week."

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