BEREA — Brady Quinn. Derek Anderson. Brett Ratliff.

No matter who’s throwing the ball for the Browns next year, Charlie Frye said they’ll all benefit immensely from playing under new president Mike Holmgren.

“It’s not just Brady, it’s any quarterback who’s out there, whoever’s on Cleveland’s roster,” Frye said Wednesday night on a conference call. “A guy like that in the building, the knowledge, the track record, what he’s done in his history in the NFL.

“Whoever’s on the roster has got to be excited.”

Frye, who’ll start at quarterback for the Raiders on Sunday in his Cleveland homecoming, spent two years playing for Holmgren in Seattle. Holmgren was the coach when the Seahawks traded for Frye after Week 1 of the 2007 season. Holmgren has tutored Joe Montana, Steve Young, Brett Favre and Matt Hasselbeck in his NFL career.

“I learned more under Mike Holmgren in two years than I have my whole football career, college, high school, everything,” Frye said. “He’s a quarterback guru. A great football mind.”

Frye grew up in Willard, played for the University of Akron and was a third-round draft choice of former Browns general manager Phil Savage in 2005. He started five games as a rookie and 13 games in 2006, when he completed 64 percent of his passes with 10 touchdowns, 17 interceptions and a 72.0 rating.

He won an uninspired training camp competition with Anderson in 2007 and started the opener against the Steelers at home. He was yanked after 10 passes — four completions, an interception — and five sacks and was traded the next day in an unprecedented move.

“At the time, I was (stunned),” said Frye, who went 6-13 as a starter for the Browns. “Cleveland was all I knew. I really had to grow up real fast when I went out to Seattle because my family wasn’t around, my friends weren’t around.

“You really see the business side of the league. That was one game. If you don’t get it done right away, they’re going to look for somebody else to get it done.”

Frye downplayed the revenge factor, noting there are only 15 players left on the Browns roster from when he was traded.

“It’s completely different,” he said. “They’re still trying to find who they are. I think they got a big piece of that puzzle when they hired Mike.

“It’s exciting to come home to Cleveland, where my journey started, a chance for my family to come up to the game, my friends. My sister’s getting married Saturday. So big things going on.”

Frye, who won’t be able to attend the wedding, started only once in two years with the Seahawks, but didn’t have enough superlatives to describe Holmgren.

“He’s meant everything to my career getting rejuvenated, for me still being in the league,” Frye said. “He just doesn’t tell you what you’re supposed to do. He tells you why you’re supposed to do it and how you’re gonna do it. It clicks for guys and it makes the game easier to understand.”

Frye got his first start of the year last week in Denver, but was knocked out of the game when former Browns teammate Andra Davis hit him and his head bounced off the ground. Frye had a concussion, but was cleared medically Wednesday, practiced fully and said he felt 100 percent.

Frye spent much of the season behind JaMarcus Russell, the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft, and Bruce Gradkowski, another former Brown. But Russell was sent to the bench and Gradkowski tore a knee ligament.

Frye went 9-for-17 against the Broncos for 68 yards, an interception and a 38.4 rating. Russell relieved after Frye got hurt and won the game with a late touchdown pass. Raiders coach Tom Cable didn’t hesitate to return Frye to the starting job.

“He looked good,” Cable said. “He started out a little anxious and excited, but once he settled down and kind of got command of the game, we were leading and he was moving the team, taking care of the ball and doing all of the things that you need your quarterback to do.

“The most important thing in this league is the guy’s got to be able to get you in the right play if you’re not in the right play, he’s got to be able to make the play where it’s supposed to be thrown and keep his head on when things get crazy around him. His desire is to someday be a coach and that’s how he prepares.”

Frye credits that to Holmgren. He learned a new way of preparing and playing when he arrived in Seattle.

“I had a chance to just sit back and watch really how they operated, how they ran things, which was completely different than the way it was in Cleveland,” Frye said. “I was just starting to understand how this whole deal works, as far as quarterbacking.”

Those lessons help fuel Frye’s belief he can be a starter again in the NFL.

“I still believe I can play in this league,” he said. “Whether somebody lets me is beyond my control. All I can do is go out and play.”

With Holmgren in control in Cleveland and likely to institute his West Coast offense, Frye was asked if a return to Cleveland is possible.

“Anybody who played for him would love to be back with him. That’s how great a person he is,” Frye said. “That stuff is out of your hands. We still have two games left, and I really like it out here.”

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

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