Dorsey is looking forward to chance at Browns QB

CLEVELAND In terms of seeing, experience is Ken Dorsey's friend.

In terms of doing, rust looms as an imposing foe.

With Derek Anderson's following Brady Quinn to the injured reserve list, Dorsey becomes the Browns' starting quarterback, probably for the final four games, definitely for Sunday's game at Tennessee.

And those Nashville cats are 11-1 largely because they abuse quarterbacks.

"It's gonna be a tremendous challenge for us ... one I'm looking forward to," Dorsey said.

Pardon him for wondering if his challenges were all behind him. He spent three years with the 49ers, where he had a chance to prove he had a big enough arm to win in the NFL the way he did as a national champion in college.

He went 1-6 as the starter in his second pro season, 2004. The 49ers responded by reaching for quarterback Alex Smith at No. 1 overall in the 2005 draft.

The Browns shipped out unhappy Trent Dilfer in 2006 in exchange for Dorsey, who appeared in one game as a first-year Brown, throwing one pass.

It's debatable when he reached bottom.

It might have been the 2006 season finale. Anderson had been hurt in the previous game, and Charlie Frye was iffy with a wrist injury. A wounded Frye started ahead of a healthy Dorsey.

It might have been Sept. 1, 2007, when Dorsey was cut. He was brought back 10 days later after Frye was traded. His primary perceived value was to mentor 2007 first-round pick Quinn.

Now, he'll be asked to spark an offense that has been flat most of the year. His only three passes of 2008 came in the final moments of Sunday's loss to the Colts.

"It's definitely never easy to come into a situation like that," Dorsey said, "but that's our job."

He'll get a full week of practice snaps under watch by coordinator Rob Chudzinski, who was an offensive coach at Miami when Dorsey was 38-2 as a starter there.

Dorsey didn't mention the connection, but he did say, "We've got, I think, one of the best offensive coordinators in the league.

"We've got a great group of guys out here, a group of guys who have worked extremely hard. It's exciting."

Dorsey is eager to play, but not to rock the boat.

As for Anderson's getting jeered when he got hurt Sunday, prompting Dorsey's entrance, Dorsey said, "I'm not going there."

Where the Browns are going with Dorsey as their No. 1 quarterback, other than home for the new year, remains to be seen.

"He's a very smart quarterback, and he's a competitor," Head Coach Romeo Crennel said. "Now, he probably doesn't have some of the physical skills that some other quarterbacks in the NFL have. I think that's probably been the biggest drawback."

College days, pro daze

A comparison of Ken Dorsey's statistics as a Miami Hurricane and as an NFL quarterback:

Team Att.-Cmp. Yds. TDs Record*

Miami Hurricanes, 1999-2001 66-1,153 9,565 86 38-2

San Francisco 49ers, 2003-05 171-371 1,712 8 2-8

Cleveland Browns, 2006-08 0-4 0 0 0-0