BEREA, Ohio -- Two tales from Johnny Manziel's work with the Cleveland Browns in 2015:

It's the beginning of offseason on-field work, and Manziel heads to the line. He stops behind center, and identifies the "Mike" and the "Will" linebackers.

"I wanted to call timeout and give him a hug," Joe Thomas said Thursday.

It's now Sunday against Tennessee, and the Browns are up six with 3:01 left, facing third-and-6. Thomas sets up a teaching moment, and turns to Manziel and asks what Tennessee will do defensively.

Thomas had an inkling. Tennessee defensive coordinator Ray Horton had been the coordinator in Cleveland in 2013. Horton's tendency was to go all-out blitz on make-it-or-break-it downs.

Manziel's response: They're coming after me.

Thomas smiled.

"That answer wasn't a guess," Thomas said. "It came from preparation, and his study."

Johnny Manziel has shown marked improvement between his rookie season and his second year. AP Photo/David Richard

Manziel will not start Sunday against the Oakland Raiders. The Browns will go back to Josh McCown. But in discussing Manziel, teammates and coaches have mentioned his improvement. Usually it came in esoteric terms like command of the huddle, getting the play called, getting motions right -- that kind of thing.

On Thursday, Thomas and offensive coordinator John DeFilippo both discussed specific on-field reads and decisions Manziel has made that gave life to the esoteric. Manziel's offseason started with a 10-week stay in a treatment center; his in-season work included a start and win over Tennessee.

"I couldn't be prouder of a young man and how far he has come," DeFilippo said. "Not only talking football but from a life standpoint, how far he has come. I wasn't here last year so I don't know the ins and outs of what went on. All I know is what I have heard and what I have seen from when I got to know him in the draft process.

"The kid is a different young man. He really is. Obviously, the way he's improved his life off the field has definitely translated to his life on the field."

Thomas said the line call in the offseason was eye-opening because it came early and showed study.

"That wasn't something that he would have done the year before," Thomas said. "It takes a deeper understanding and knowledge of the defense."

Thomas couldn't remember if Manziel made line and protection calls in his two starts as a rookie, then said the ones he made "were usually wrong" and he needed the linemen to help him -- though there wasn't always time to do so.

This season, the Browns said Manziel put in the time necessary to learn the position. Identifying rushers and calling out protections showed it.

"It's like baseline knowledge," Thomas said. "When am I going to get my head knocked off or when am I gonna be protected? The next step is seeing it, and redirecting the protection. Pointing out the Mike. Those type of things where you're actually changing the way the line blocks.

"That usually takes a good level of confidence and understanding of what you're seeing. Because if you're wrong it's twice as bad as doing nothing."

The confidence, he said, came from preparation.

DeFilippo also detailed Manziel's first touchdown against Tennessee, which required recognition and a correct read on the part of both Manziel and Travis Benjamin.

The Browns had talked all week about Tennessee's defensive tendency to play "quarters" early in the game (four defensive backs taking one-quarter of the field). If they saw that coverage, they felt a play-action fake to the running back would draw up a safety. If that happened, Manziel and Benjamin had to read the safety, adjust the route to a deep pass.

It went just as it was drawn up. Manziel play-faked, safety Michael Griffin crashed to stop the run, Benjamin took his route deep, Manziel saw it and threw to the empty "quarter" for a touchdown.

Taken together, the three stories illustrate what the Browns mean when they say they're seeing a better Johnny Manziel.

Nobody is ready to anoint him as something different than what he is: A second-year guy who has come a ways but still has a ways to go.

But they are ready to credit Manziel for the work, effort and time he's put in to make himself into a better NFL quarterback.