BEREA — Brady Quinn’s supreme confidence, which can border on cockiness, has been put to the ultimate test.

He’s 0-4 as a starter this year with a 51.0 passer rating. He has seven weeks to prove his worth to the franchise, and must do so in an offense ranked last in the NFL.

Then there’s his low hit on Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs on Monday night following an interception. He drew a 15-yard penalty, a $10,000 fine from the NFL and the ire of the Ravens.

Quinn has rarely shown vulnerability despite a rocky beginning to his NFL career, but was visibly shaken after the game by the hit to Suggs’ right knee that could sideline him for several weeks with a sprained ligament. Quinn said Wednesday he was still dealing with the trauma.

“I’m not going to lie to you. Definitely, seeing someone who I’ve known off the field something happen like that to him, yeah, it affects you,” Quinn said. “Because you were the (reason for) hurting someone.

“I’m never out there trying to do that. It’s tough to shake off, probably more than anything else in that game.”

That’s saying something for an offense that never got past the Baltimore 45-yard line and never finished a drive in Ravens territory.

Coach Eric Mangini is sticking with Quinn as the starter. He didn’t think the hit was intentional and said he’s confident Quinn can overcome the aftermath of Monday night.

“The fact that he is such a good person, his confidence in who he is, that helps anybody when they go through times that may be frustrating,” Mangini said.

Cornerback Chris Carr was returning Quinn’s second interception of the third quarter of the 16-0 loss when Quinn dived into Suggs’ knee. Quinn said he was trying to make the tackle on Carr and didn’t see Suggs. Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis called it a cheap shot, and Suggs’ agent said it was “premeditated” and “criminal.”

“Yeah, I can see why they’d be upset, but again, he wasn’t even in my vision,” Quinn said. “I was trying to get to the ball. He cut across my face as I was already trying to jump down for the tackle.”

Quinn tried to apologize to Suggs on the field right after the play and said he hasn’t “had a chance” to talk to him since.

“Again, I’m apologizing to him and the rest of the team,” he said. “I wasn’t trying to go for him. I’m praying for him. Hopefully he’ll be all right.”

Quinn confirmed he received a letter from the NFL announcing his fine, but wouldn’t reveal the amount. ESPN reported it was $10,000.

Quinn was a first-round pick in 2007 after starting for four years at Notre Dame. He’s spent most of his NFL career on the sideline and is 1-6 as a starter.

Fighting Irish coach Charlie Weis, who’s also on the hot seat, praised Quinn before the draft and talks with him regularly. They’ve had plenty to discuss. Quinn won the starting job before the season, then was yanked after three starts, only to return to the lineup Monday night.

“We make sure that he is going to stay out of the tank and stay ready to go and all that other stuff because it’s been a trying year with emotional highs and lows,” Weis said Tuesday. “You win, you’re in, you’re out, you’re back in. I am concerned about him.”

Quinn’s latest performance – 13-for-31 for 99 yards, two interceptions and a 23.5 rating — came in front of a national-television audience which heard the ESPN announcers offer endless critiques of him.

“I have a lot of questions about Brady Quinn right now,” Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young said.

Quinn’s lack of downfield throws was a theme with analyst and former Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski. Mangini and Quinn said the Ravens defense and protection breakdowns by the Browns made that difficult.

“I was trying to get the ball out of my hand quick,” Quinn said.

The short throws were abundant but not accurate. Both interceptions went off the hands of receivers but weren’t thrown to the right spot, and a number of passes to the sideline sailed out of bounds.

“It’s never going to be as good as I’d like it to be,” he said.

The Browns have scored five offensive touchdowns in the last 15 games and are averaging a league-worst 8.7 points a game this season. They rank last with 116.2 passing yards a game, and 14 teams average more yards rushing. They averaged 2.1 yards a pass play against the Ravens.

“This might be the worst offense I’ve ever seen,” ESPN analyst and former Browns quarterback Trent Dilfer said. “There’s no structure in place.”

The ineptitude of the offense as a unit makes it difficult to evaluate Quinn. So do the trades of tight end Kellen Winslow and receiver Braylon Edwards.

“They’ve had situations where they’ve turned personnel over,” Lions coach Jim Schwartz said on a conference call. “This year, he has a different set of weapons.

“Any evaluation you do of him is going to be incomplete at this point. With anybody, you want to be patient. But anytime you’re a quarterback, you’re being evaluated on how the offense does. It’s not always all on you.”

Contact Scott Petrak at 329-7253 or spetrak@chroniclet.com.

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