Cleveland Browns coach Mike Pettine has stated that Johnny Manziel has made strides in his bid to become the team's first-choice quarterback.
Manziel shared plays alongside current first-string signal caller Brian Hoyer during the Browns' 13-12 preseason loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday, throwing for 63 yards and rushing for 27.
In a conference call with the press on Monday, Pettine admitted that he had not yet decided which of the two men would start against the Washington Redskins in their next fixture.
He said: "We put Brian out there from the start against Detroit because he was ahead. His edge in experience and the lead he had with the playbook. And he's done nothing to have that taken away from him.
"But Johnny has made a lot of improvement. Things where he was behind in the spring, I think he's got a pretty firm grasp on now. He's handling it well.
"If there was a clear-cut favorite at this point, it would probably mean that one of them wasn't playing very well. It's a good problem to have, having two guys that we think are both capable of being NFL starters."
The Browns travel to face the Redskins next Monday night.
Joe McPhee
