BEREA, Ohio — The plaudits were flying from all sides, from teammates and club officials, from television commentators and writers.

Brady Quinn was having none of it.

In fact, after his much-anticipated debut as the Browns' starting quarterback in a 34-30 loss to the Denver Broncos, Quinn admitted he felt ready to explode. Even after the defense blew a 13-point third-quarter lead, Quinn told the players it was all his fault.

"I have to make a play at the end and give us a chance to win," Quinn said afterward. "That is what you want out of your quarterback and that is why I am upset with myself right now."

Browns coach Romeo Crennel did not believe Quinn was being too hard on himself.

"All the good quarterbacks, at the end of the game when they've got the ball in their hands, if they can drive down and score, that makes them great," Crennel said. "He understands that. That's why he said what he said."

ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski, a Youngstown State product who played quarterback for 17 seasons in the NFL, studied the Nov. 6 Broncos-Browns film in preparation for the Monday night game at the Buffalo Bills. Jaworski praised Quinn's performance and poise, but he agreed with the 24-year-old's assessment.

"The last drive of the game got a little big for him," Jaworski said in a telephone interview last week. "He made a bad throw on the checkdown and on the one he threw away he had receivers open. The fourth-down ball to Kellen Winslow was catchable, but the two before were on Brady. He got fast and tight in that situation."

Behind by four, the Browns got the ball back with 1:14 remaining at their own 33. Quinn threw to Winslow for 9 yards on first down, then he threw one away intended for Winslow. The checkdown pass to running back Jason Wright on third-and-1 was at Wright's feet. Winslow let the fourth-down ball go through his hands.

"Those are things he'll learn from," Jaworski said of Quinn. "He should be beating himself up; he's the quarterback. When you get an opportunity to win a football game late in the game, that's what separates quarterbacks. When you start making plays with the game on the line, that's when you're considered one of the great ones like Tom Brady or Peyton Manning or Joe Montana."

While there's certainly nothing wrong with Hall of Fame aspirations, the talk of "greatness" seems somewhat premature. Of course, those expectations come with being a first-round draft choice, not to mention being a first-round draft choice from Notre Dame.

But now is not the time to burst fans' bubbles on Quinn since there has been a proliferation of punctured plastic already this season. In fact, Quinn's ability to put up 30 points despite questionable play-calling and even more questionable use of offensive talent whetted everyone's appetite.

"I thought he played very well, especially with one day to prepare — Tuesday for a Thursday game — and given a very limited offense to run," Jaworski said. "He handled the plays he was given very well. Of his 34 passes, only four were for 10 yards or farther. A short, quick passing game plays to his strengths.

"He showed calmness, presence in the pocket and handled the pressures of his first start."

Jaworski said he was a fan of Quinn's before the Browns traded their first-round draft choice in 2008 and their second-rounder in 2007 to move up to get him at No. 22.

"I was one of those guys who was a Brady backer when he was coming out in the draft," Jaworski said. "I like his style, the way he was coached by Charlie Weis, I liked his mechanics. I thought he would be a rock-solid NFL professional."

Not everyone joined Jaworski on the Quinn bandwagon.

"Just because he was good at Notre Dame, just because he looks good in the commercials and he's a good-looking guy and he's from Ohio, doesn't mean he's going to be a good NFL quarterback," CBS analyst Boomer Esiason said before the season.

Learning experiences

Jaworski pointed out that Crennel had good reason to wait until the Browns were 3-5 to bench 2007 Pro Bowler Derek Anderson for Quinn. Jaworski said if Quinn had played better in an Aug. 23 preseason game at the Detroit Lions when Anderson was sidelined with a concussion, the decision might have come sooner. Quinn completed 14-of-24 for 106 yards in a 26-6 loss.

"Most people thought the Detroit game was his opportunity to close the gap and he didn't play well that game," Jaworski said.

But Quinn learned from that experience.

"I got a little too hyped up for that game," he said last week. "It's kind of tough because you know you're not going to play the whole game. I almost got too overexcited to try to do too much when I got in there."

Starting against the Broncos for his childhood favorite team and playing two hours from his home in suburban Columbus, Quinn proved he learned his Lions' lesson well. He completed 23-of-35 for 239 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, for a 104.3 rating.

"I thought Brady had a terrific first game," Bills coach Dick Jauron said. "Possessing the ball, he was accurate with his throws, he looked like he directed their offense without any problems and he did not look like he got rattled. Those are all big pluses for a quarterback."

Winslow, who caught 10 passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns, said Quinn was so composed "he calmed me down, because I was excited."

"Sometimes he tells me, 'Don't think too much; just go play,' and I like that about him," Winslow said.

If Crennel keeps Quinn at the helm for the final seven games, Quinn's composure will be tested more seriously. The Broncos' defense ranks 29th in the league. The Browns still must face the first-, fifth- and ninth-ranked defenses in the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans and Philadelphia Eagles, respectively.

Even the Bills, missing their best pass rusher in Aaron Schobel and with injury issues in the secondary, are expected to blitz Quinn more than the Broncos.

There are those who believe the move to Quinn came too late. Others believe Anderson was a scapegoat for a woeful team's problems.

"You have to be there every day. That always makes a difference evaluating when a change should be," Jaworski said. "You need to know the personalties, be in the locker room. Playing the quarterback position is not just dropping back and completing passes. It's the media, the fans, how you handle those pressures. You've got to be around to know if a guy like Brady is ready for that."

For 58 minutes and 46 seconds against the Broncos, it looked like Quinn was. As for whether he has embarked on a path to greatness, what he learned from the final 1:14 might be more telling.