CLEVELAND, Ohio -- About the Browns chain of command:

1. It was Coach Mike Pettine's decision to start Johnny Manziel this week. When Owner Jimmy Haslam fired CEO Joe Banner and General Manager Mike Lombardi, he restructured the front office to where General Manager Ray Farmer and Pettine are on the same level -- right below him. But the men have distinct responsibilities.

2. Farmer is completely in control of the roster. Yes, he will and does talk to Pettine virtually every day about possible roster moves. But in the end, it's Farmer's call on who is drafted and the makeup of the roster. While the coaching staff can suggest that an unhappy veteran such as Ben Tate be waived, Farmer has the final decision. From what I hear, in the vast majority of situations, Farmer and Pettine operate easily within the same paragraph.

3. Pettine's job is to pick the lineup and decide who plays in the game. He talks with Farmer each week about possible changes. Farmer gives his ideas. But Pettine makes the final call, which is how Haslam set up the job. When you could see that it was painful for Pettine to switch from Brian Hoyer to Manziel -- that was not because of pressure Pettine was receiving from the front office. Rather, because Pettine really likes Hoyer and appreciates what the veteran quarterback did early in the season to help make the Browns a contender.

4. From the start of training camp, it was clear that Farmer and Pettine preferred to have Hoyer start. They agreed that in most cases, it just made sense for a rookie quarterback not to be thrown immediately into action. That was especially true for Manziel, whose offense at Texas A&M was so different than what most NFL teams use. Both men probably knew at some point, Manziel would play this season. But deciding when that time would come was up to Pettine -- which is this week against Cincinnati.

ABOUT THE PLAYBOOK

1. The Browns knew the NFL would be a major period of adjustment for Manziel. Here is what Austin American-Statesman reporter Suzanne Halliburton wrote about Texas A&M's new offense for the 2012 season: "Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury conceded this week that there is a playbook — maybe just one — but he's not telling where it is. Head coach Kevin Sumlin, who brought his tweaked version of the Air Raid offense to town just in time for A&M's debut season in the SEC, eschews such an official playbook."

2. The story also reported that A&M was influenced by Mike Leach, who often used only 10 basic plays for games when he coached at Texas Tech. Furthermore, Manziel was in the shotgun about 99 percent of the time in his two years in College Station.

3. That's why the Browns used what they call the "slow brew" rather than "instant coffee" approach with Manziel. Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan has a playbook and it's incredibly different from anything that Manziel has seen before. You can compare it to going from basic English to Russian. Not only is the language different, even the letters of the alphabet aren't the same.

4. Hoyer also had a period of adjustment. His playbook at New England (where he backed up Tom Brady for three years) was different from the playbook used by Norv Turner with the Browns last season. And Shanahan's playbook is yet another variation. It could be like going from English to Spanish to French. Yes, they all use the same letters of the alphabet, but the languages are very different.

5. Meanwhile, Manziel has been learning the new alphabet. And lately, Shanahan has been rewriting some of his playbook to fit the more mobile style of Manziel.

6. Once the season begins, the starting quarterback receives at least 99 percent of the practice reps with the starters. So this was the first practice week that Manziel received heavy duty work with the first team. He had been on the field a lot running the scout team in practice -- and that means he was supposed to mimic the offense that the Browns would face that week.

7. Repetitions with the starters in practice are important. Many players learn the plays by "muscle memory," meaning they have to actually run through the plays. They often rely on athletic instincts. They don't want to "think too much," because it slows them down. Josh Gordon missing 10 weeks (suspension) is part of what has been his problem. He is not comfortable with the offense and still struggling with where to run on certain plays.

8. The Browns have given Manziel and Gordon a lot of reps together in practice hoping to accelerate the comfort level between the two players who can make such an impact. We'll see how that pays off against Cincinnati.

ABOUT WHY THEY DRAFTED MANZIEL

1. General Manager Ray Farmer was a scout with Atlanta from 2002-05. Those were the early years of Michael Vick's career with the Falcons. Vick's record as a starter in that span was 30-18. Farmer realized that a mobile quarterback could be very effective in the NFL if he stayed away from injuries.

2. When scouting Manziel, the Browns saw some of Vick and other scrambling quarterbacks. The scouts talked about how things "start wrong" and yet "end up right" as Manziel created opportunities for receivers to get open with his scrambling.

3. The Browns studied his throwing motion. They had all the stats about how Manziel completed 76 percent of his passes from the pocket, and that he was 68 percent overall in his two years at Texas A&M. It wasn't fair to simply label him a running quarterback. He has above average arm strength and when his feet are set, he can be a very accurate passer.

4. He would be unique and difficult for defensive coordinators. Farmer played linebacker in the NFL. Coach Mike Pettine always worked on the defensive side of the ball until rising to his current position with the Browns. It was easy for them to picture Manziel making an impact on the game.

5. They also were aware of the negatives. Manziel had no real playbook in college. He took too many risks when running the ball and at times seemed to be almost asking to get hurt as he ran into larger players. He'd need to develop more self-discipline off the field. They also knew it could turn into a media frenzy. But none of those things were considered enough to prevent the Browns from picking him at No. 22.

6. In addition to his physical gifts at quarterback, the Browns were aware that Manziel sells shirts and creates interest. He would bring sizzle to the Browns. But the main reason for picking him was that they believed he could help the team win -- assuming he could adapt his style to the pro game. Also, no quarterback in the draft seemed immediately NFL ready. They thought Manziel was worth a shot low in the first round.

ABOUT THE BROWNS:

1. Rookie starting quarterbacks have a 9-29 record this season. The breakdown is this: Jacksonville's Blake Bortles (2-8), Minnesota's Teddy Bridgewater (5-4), Oakland's Derek Carr (2-11) and Tennessee's Zak Mettenberger (0-6). Only Carr started the opener. The other three quarterbacks were forced into action faster than expected because of injuries to veterans who played in front of them. So Manziel will be the fifth rookie quarterback to start this season.

2. Rookie quarterbacks tend to have losing records. That's because they often are picked by teams needing a quarterback, and those teams needed quarterbacks because they were losing. Or else, a veteran loses his job because the team is losing (and not very talented), and not much changes when a rookie takes over at quarterback.

3. Manziel is in a different situation because the Browns are 7-6. Yes, they have lost 3-of-4 and Hoyer played poorly in those four games. But Manziel is on the best team of any of the rookie quarterbacks.

4. The Browns want Manziel to feel free to roam, but to stay away from risky plays by trying to avoid being hit hard. They know his emotions will run high, his adrenaline will be pumping. Make good plays, not great ones.