CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Browns coach Mike Pettine acknowledged Sunday that Johnny Manziel has made "lot of improvement'' from the start of camp, but that he hasn't overtaken Brian Hoyer in the quarterback race yet and that there's no obvious frontrunner between the two.

"To me, if there was a clear-cut favorite at this point, it would probably mean that one of them wasn't playing very well,'' Pettine said on a conference call. "And it's a good problem, having two guys that we think are both capable of being NFL starters.''

Pettine denied a report Sunday morning by ESPN's Bob Holtzman that Manziel has moved ahead of Hoyer. Holtzman was in Detroit for the Browns' 13-12 loss to the Lions, and has been covering the Browns regularly since Manziel was drafted.

"It's untrue,'' said Pettine.

Pettine also stressed that he hasn't yet made a decision who will start the next game, the Monday Night Football contest in Washington Aug. 18.

He said the two quarterbacks will continue to divide the first-team reps in camp this week, but backed off slightly on his deadline for naming his starter by the third preseason game.

"I would like it decided before then,'' he said. "I'm not going to say that's 1,000 percent etched in stone, but I would like it (decided) before that."

After watching the film, Pettine acknowledged that his rookie quarterback has tightened the race by catching up on the playbook and leading the offense.

"We put Brian out there with the ones and that was for a reason, because he was ahead in experience and the lead he had with the playbook, and he's done nothing to have that taken away from him,'' said Pettine. "But Johnny has made some improvement -- a lot of improvement. The things where he was behind in the spring, he's gotten a pretty firm grasp on, and as we said before, it was him versus the playbook and he's handling it well.

"I mean, it was his first live game situation of an active play clock and having to get the call and repeat it and get everybody lined up and the motions executed, which we do a lot of, and he's really gone from one extreme to the other and I think he's handled it well. But Brian on the other hand has been solid.''

Pettine said both quarterbacks made strides in Detroit despite not being able to get the ball in the end zone. Manziel, working with the second-team offense, produced one field goal in his four possessions, and completed 7-of-11 attempts for 63 yards and a 79 rating. He also led the team with 27 yards on six carries, including a 16-yard scramble and a conversion on fourth-and-1.

Hoyer produced two field goals in his three chances, completing 6-of-14 attempts for 92 yards and a 65.2 rating. He overthrew a couple of passes, but also had two dropped inside the 10.

"I thought they were both solid,'' Pettine said. "I think they both got almost the same number of reps. Brian got 24, Johnny got 25. They had different supporting casts but it was good tape for both of them. They both operated the offense efficiently, and had a couple plays they'd want to take back. For Brian, this is his first live game coming off the knee injury, and I thought he did some good things, and (it was) and Johnny's first NFL game. I think there was reason for both of them to be nervous and I think they both settled in quickly and operated efficiently.''

Pettine said he wouldn't necessarily give Manziel the edge because the team lacks premier wideouts without Josh Gordon.

"I don't see it that way,'' Pettine said. "He does have a certain skill set that we hope to take advantage of if he is out there, but that's not the way we look at it. It's what I said before. We're going to look at everything involved and whoever gives us the best chance to win will be out there.''

Pettine has not changed his mind about preferring rookie quarterbacks to sit behind veterans.

"I still believe that,'' he said. "But I also believe that you can be successful with a rookie.''

He cited Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Russell Wilson, Colin Kaepernick and Carson Palmer as quarterbacks who waited their turn, "and then you have situations where a rookie comes in and plays right away and is great, so you've seen everything, but I've always felt in an ideal situation that the rookie gets a chance to sit behind someone and learn.''

Pettine was impressed with Manziel's scrambling, and didn't try to dampen his enthusiasm for it.

"The one long scramble that he had, it was the third down, he knew were the sticks were, he knew there was enough real estate that he could get the first down, and he certainly showed his ability to slide,'' said Pettine. "When it really opened up, I don't think he felt the need to sit and wait on a receiver when he knew he could get the first down and get down."

He also had no problem with the keeper on fourth-and-1, despite fullback Ray Agnew flashing open.

"I can't speak on what he saw,'' Pettine said. "I just know we needed a yard and he gained a yard."

Pettine said he's confident his starter will have plenty of time to prepare for the season opener at Pittsburgh if he sticks with his timeline, and that he'll choose whoever gives him the best chance to win.

"If we do have a starter (by Aug. 23), he'll play significant reps in the third game and then get all that practice time leading up to the Pittsburgh game we feel we'll have a quarterback that's ready."

After the game, Manziel said all of the right things about winning the starting job, which should play well in the locker room, especially among the veterans.

"For me, it's all about getting better,'' he said. "If I'm the guy that puts this team in the best position to win, then we'll see what happens. But if it's not, then I'm here. At the end of the day, what I want is what's best for the Cleveland Browns.

"Whichever quarterback that is, whichever way I can help this team, that's what I'm all about. I'm not about having to come in, having to do this. I just need to continue to get better as a player, continue to learn, soak everything in from the film and this experience I had tonight and things will play themselves out the way they're supposed to.''

He also received a compliment from Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas, who's seen plenty of rookies come and go quickly.

"He seemed to handle it really well, and you didn't see any silly rookie mistakes that you'd expect out of a first-year quarterback,'' Thomas said.

Manziel wasn't ready to say that his debut gave him the confidence to face the Steelers less than a month from now if called upon, but seemed up to the speed and magnitude of the pro game.

"Luckily for me, there's three more games for me to get out there and learn and continue to go through different situations vs. different defenses,'' said Manziel. "I'm still just growing up as a quarterback. I guess you guys can say (the Steelers game) is close, but at the same time there are a lot of things that will unfold from now until then that will paint a better picture for us.''