Second-year quarterback Johnny Manziel has been on the straight and narrow this preseason off the field, and he’s shown development on it. Veteran starter Josh McCown started hearing footsteps during a scrimmage in which Manziel threw two touchdown passes, and then Johnny Football showed well in Week 1 of the preseason slate.

On Thursday, Manziel closed the gap even more. Or at least he should have. Manziel was 10-of-18 with one touchdown in his second game of the 2015 preseason, and he added three rushes for 19 yards to the total. McCown, on the other hand, was 7-of-10 with two interceptions in a poor showing. He was also sacked three times for a loss of 18 yards. Still, Browns coach Mike Pettine is sticking with McCown.

Johnny Manziel Isn't Being Given An Opportunity To Start

In his post-game comments Pettine was terse when asked about the quarterback situation. "We'll evaluate both guys," Pettine said. "I'm not going to sit here and talk about trying to start up a quarterback controversy."

Manziel is still in the mode of issuing platitudes to reporters’ questions. He refused to demand more consideration for the starting role.

Johnny Football Still QB Of Cleveland's Future

"Would I like to be in there with the ones? Sure," Manziel said. "It's not my call, and if that decision does come, I'll be ready to hop in there. But for now, I'm making the most of the opportunities I'm getting."

It’s worth mentioning that McCown was a train wreck in Tampa Bay last season. He was 1-10 in 11 starts, with 11 touchdowns vs. 14 interceptions. He threw for less than 200 yards in seven of those 11 starts.

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