Willard's Frye so-so in return to Cleveland

Charlie Frye's return to Cleveland was as up-and-down as his two-plus years as quarterback for the Browns.

He threw for a career-high 333 yards and often showed patience in the pocket while going through his progressions.

Frye, who had an concussion in a 20-19 win Dec. 20 over the Broncos, threw three interceptions and no touchdowns in a 23-9 loss Sunday in his first start at Cleveland in more than three years.

"We were moving the ball in the second half, but we weren't able to finish it," said Frye, who is a 1999 Willard graduate. "Cleveland did a great job in crunch time."

Nine of Frye's completions went to tight end Zach Miller, who finished with 110 yards.

"I feel like quarterbacks tend to trust me. I try and earn that trust," Miller said. "Charlie knows what's going to happen by the way the defense is lined up. He knows where he wants to put the ball and he found me a few times today."

Frye's first pass on the second play of the game was picked off by linebacker David Bowens, setting the Browns up with a short field at the Oakland 17. Two plays later, Cleveland had it's opening score on Jerome Harrison's 17-yard scamper for a 7-0 lead just 1:28 into the game.

Frye said he thought the Browns were in man-to-man defense and Bowens was blitzing, but instead he dropped off and came away with the first turnover of the day.

The man who took over for Frye, Derek Anderson, started for the first time since a Nov. 1 loss to Chicago. A Pro Bowler in 2007, Anderson threw a 19-yard touchdown to Mohamad Massaquoi late in the second quarter.

"I told him I'd see him in Arizona this summer for golf. I told him that he did a good job," Anderson said. "They gave him time to throw it a lot and he did a good job. I haven't really talked to him or seen him since he left so it was nice."

Aside from the turnovers, Frye had the better overall numbers, completing 26 of 45 passes for 333 yards. After that first pick, he looked better as the game went on before a second interception, this one by Brandon McDonald in the fourth to end a scoring threat.

"I thought (Browns defensive coordinator Rob Ryan) did a great job," Frye said. "They did a lot of walking around, and it's hard to know who is going to blitz. I think our offensive line did a good job seeing it an picking it up."

Frye nearly threw what would have been a third pick on two occasions in the fourth.

The first came under pressure while Frye was pressured, but an interference call on Cleveland's Hank Poteat gave the Raiders the ball at the Browns' 2-yard line. Three plays later, Eric Wright almost came away with an interception in the end zone before video review overturned the call. Frye's fourth-down pass was incomplete.

Wright finally got the third with 2:49 left in the game.

"The interception that Eric had -- we tried to hurry and run a quick play," Frye said. "He did a good job fooling me. I swore he was blitzing. He turned at the last second. (McDonald) got one in the red zone. It was underthrown by a foot. A foot makes a big difference in this league. A foot means an interception."

It was the second time in three years Frye returned to Cleveland -- his first was with Seattle in that 2007 season -- and the first time he took snaps in a game at Browns Stadium in a different uniform.

His first year on the West Coast, Frye didn't see any action, then played two games in 2008 (12 of 23 passing for 83 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions).

"I knew my family was up there," Frye said. "It was an important game for me to go out and play. It took us so long to get going, that is something we struggle with. Especially coming in from the West Coast and playing a 1 o'clock game. That is something we have to overcome and find a way to start faster."

Nine of the Raiders 10 longest plays of the day were passes from Frye, whose first completion of the afternoon, a screen to McFadden, went for 15 yards on the third drive for the Raiders. After engineering a drive into scoring territory, he completed a pass to Louis Murphy on third-and-4, but a holding penalty took away what would have been a first-and-goal. Instead, Chaz Schullins dropped a third-and 14 pass and Sebastian Janikowski's 44-yard field goal made it a 10-3 game with 2:48 left in the first quarter.

Penalties were as much an adversary for the Raiders as blitzes from the Browns. Oakland was flagged 13 times for 126 yards, and two players were ejected from the game.

Oakland was 3 of 13 on third down and 0-for-2 on fourth down, and none of its four trips to the red zone ended with a touchdown -- four fourth-quarter drives ended either on downs or on an interceptions.

"I don't want to make excuses. I've got to hit those plays. They are big plays in a game," Frye said. "In a perfect world, would you like to have the time with those guys -- yeah. That is not the hand that was dealt to me."

Sunday's start was only the third of Frye's career since he was traded in 2007 after a season-opening loss to Pittburgh; Frye was 4 of 10 for 34 yards and an interception that led to a trade to the Seahawks.

After Oakland quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, who like Frye played for the Browns, was injured two weeks ago in a loss to Washington, the team went with Frye instead of Jamarcus Russell, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft.

"The outcome wasn't what we wanted, but I always enjoy Sundays," Frye said. "I leave it all out on the field every time I play. That's all I know how to do."

Raiders coach Tom Cable said in the postgame news conference he wasn't sure who would start the final game of the season Sunday against Baltimore.