Friday, Aug. 21 (PM) – Browns head coach Mike Pettine is a smart guy. He’s proving that with the way he’s handling his team’s quarterback situation.

Although everybody on the face of the earth knows that Josh McCown is going to open the regular season as the starter, Pettine continues to refuse to name him as such. All he will say is that McCown is “firmly” No. 1.

But it’s becoming clear why Pettine is doing what he’s doing. It’s to keep backup Johnny Manziel engaged and interested in this made-up quarterback competition. As long as there’s theoretically a chance he could win the job, Manziel is going to work hard and stay focused.

That’s good for everybody involved. It keeps McCown on his toes. He knows he is, at best, merely a bridge to the Browns’ franchise quarterback, so, with Manziel technically still in the picture and making up some ground, he must continue to keep pushing to stay ahead of him.

It’s good for Manziel because he’s using it as impetus to get better. And he has gotten better – a lot better – as training camp and the preseason has gone on. He knows the team is keeping the door open wide for him to take over as the starter someday
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And it’s good for the Browns in that in strengthening the competition, they’ve strengthened the quarterback position. The Browns aren’t going anywhere until they get their franchise passer. To find out if that guy is Manziel, or somebody else not on the roster yet, is what this season is all about.

Nobody knows that better than Pettine, whose job, at some point, perhaps even soon, will be dependent on him solving this team’s problems at quarterback. So, then, he’s also benefiting from what he’s doing.