Johnny Manziel knows he won't grow five inches in the days leading up to his first NFL start -- a nod to Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis and his recent comments -- so he'll place his worry elsewhere.
"I don't think (the Bengals) are saying that before they play Drew Brees," Manziel told reporters in Cleveland on Wednesday. "He's 6-foot, they wouldn't just completely throw him out of the game plan because he's 6-foot, but for me I didn't take it any type of way. It didn't make me feel any way. Coach Lewis called a couple people inside the organization, wanted to apologize, but for me, it didn't really get to me, I was up here trying to get prepared for practices ... It didn't really get to me."
He added: "It's absolutely funny, my height, I'm not gonna sprout five inches over the course of the week. It is what it is, my height is my height and I have to overcome it with the other pieces of my game."
This has to be music to Mike Pettine's ears. Aside from the excitement surrounding the debut of his first-round pick, there is probably a bit of concern that Manziel can parse through the outside noise, and a few more Cavaliers games, to ensure he's ready for a huge divisional game.
If we're to believe the former Texas A&M star, this is a dream come true.
"You sit here and you have a lot of time to think about it obviously over the course of the year, not getting a chance to play when are you going to get that first chance to get your first start," Manziel said. "Coach Pettine let me know on Monday, Monday night I guess and it was just an awesome feeling for me and it really made me hungry and motivated to go out and get prepared for this week."
This week will be interesting from top to bottom. There are plenty of opinions that exist on Manziel, but they could all be thrown to the wayside if he handles the veterans and moves the ball Sunday.
Since being named the starter, he's been handling the spotlight just fine.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast reacts to the fallout of Cam Newton's car accident and debates how the Browns will look with Johnny Manziel at QB. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.
