JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Mark Brunell had a headache and a big beef with Cleveland rookie Gerard Warren on Monday.

	Brunell

Normally mild mannered and reluctant to cause a stir, Brunell said Warren crossed the boundaries of sportsmanship with the helmet-to-helmet hit that knocked him out of Sunday's 23-14 loss to the Browns.

"I think it was a cheap shot," Brunell said. "After seeing it, there's no question."

Browns defensive lineman Orpheus Roye intercepted Brunell's pass on Jacksonville's first offensive play. As the scramble near the line of scrimmage ended, Warren took a 10-yard running start at Brunell, then rammed his helmet into the side of Brunell's.

Brunell landed flat on his face, laid there for several seconds, and was woozy as he walked off. He returned for a few series, but left before halftime, diagnosed with a concussion.

No flag was thrown on the play, because, as referee Bob McElwee told Jaguars coach Tom Coughlin, he didn't see anything illegal in the play.

"It could be that he didn't see the play," Coughlin said. "I don't know how you could respond like that unless you did not see the play."

The NFL will surely review the hit because Brunell was not near the action, and some Jaguars believed the play had been whistled over when Warren hit Brunell.

The Browns, of course, saw it differently.

"It was a hard hit," said defensive end Keith McKenzie, whose pass rush hurried Brunell into the throw. "The play wasn't over, so it was a legal hit. It's not like he went for his legs or anything."

Coughlin said Warren deserved a fine because "it was helmet to helmet, and the fact that it was a severe blow delivered on a defenseless player."

Warren was not available in the Browns locker room Monday. But after the game Sunday, he said he was simply trying to clear room for a possible return by Roye.

"I was just trying to get a block -- hoping it would help us get a touchdown," Warren said. "It was a clean hit. Everybody's fair game when the ball is turned over."

Coach Butch Davis defended his player Monday.

"Gerard had no intention of singling him out or hunting him," Davis said. "It was a turnover and we became the offensive team. We do not coach our players to play dirty. We do not cheap shot."

Brunell acknowledged that a quarterback, like everyone else, can be hit legally on an interception return, but he said that didn't excuse the nature of the hit.

"You don't do that to a quarterback or any position," he said. "When the play's over, the play's over. I understand it was an interception, and everyone's live. They're trying to advance the ball. But the play is over."

Coughlin said Brunell's status for next Sunday's game at Seattle would be evaluated later this week.