Browns' Mike Pettine won't guarantee McCown starts Week 1, leaves door open for Manziel

The door is open for Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel to emerge from training camp as the team's starter.

Browns head coach Mike Pettine won't guarantee veteran Josh McCown will start in Week 1, although the veteran has an edge over Manziel heading into camp.

"I don't think anything's changed," Pettine said Monday, according to Pat McManamon of ESPN. "The repetitions will be handled that way with Josh as the one. I wouldn't say I'm guaranteeing today that Josh McCown is going to be the starter against the Jets. A lot can happen in preseason."

Despite the non-guarantee, Pettine acknowledged McCown's huge advantage in experience - not a surprising edge, as the journeyman's played 12 NFL seasons to Manziel's one.

"From an experience standpoint, he (McCown) is that much further ahead," Pettine said, before praising Manziel's development.

"I would say he (Manziel) did a heck of a lot more good things in the spring than he did bad things."

It looks like it will take a stellar effort for Manziel to wrestle the starting job away from McCown in training camp, but the questions will likely continue until Pettine officially names a starter ahead of Sunday, Sept. 13.