Johnny Manziel says he's not the same player who lost his cool in preseason and flipped off the Redskins' bench when they were taunting him. "I'm under a lot more control.''
Watch video
BEREA, Ohio -- Johnny Manziel swears he's grown up a lot since Aug. 18, when he flipped off the Redskins' bench for taunting him.
He better have, because the Bengals will do everything they can to get him off his game Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium.
"I think I welcome it,'' Manziel said of the in-game harassment he receives. "I think I accept that and I've been a guy that's had a lot of hate spewed towards me, and obviously, we saw that at A&M, but it's part of it and you just move on from that and do what I need to do.''
He knows that the Bengals will not only try to pound him into submission, but also celebrate their exploits afterward -- anything to rattle the hotshot former Heisman Trophy winner.
"I'm sure,'' he said. "You saw in the preseason there was some stuff going on, but at the same time, I'm in a different place now. It's not like it was in preseason. I have to have a lot better control of everything. I'm under a lot more control than I was then, and I know I have a lot better control of my emotions. I know I need to go out and be the leader of this team, and regardless if I'm a rookie or not, go out and try to have fun and not get caught up in any other bull crap.''
Browns safety Donte Whitner acknowledged that defenders will all want to get their licks in on Johnny Football.
"Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, especially Johnny being the celebrity that he is, there's a lot of people that are jealous of that, especially outside of this building,'' he said. "Yeah, there's defenders out there that's going to want to get a shot on him. There might be some late hits. There might be a little talking trash. But if you know Johnny, he might say something back.
"He's not really worried about that, but we don't want any cheap shots on him or him to take any big hits, because you see with the quarterback in Washington or Mike Vick for so many years, if you take too many of those hits, you won't be able to play. Make plays, but be smart about it."
Browns coach Mike Pettine said Thursday he'll talk to Manziel about keeping his cool, and knows the hazing will come. Manziel has the $12,000 fine from flipping the bird to remind him.
"He's no stranger to it,'' said Pettine. "That's the price that he has to pay for who he is and the reputation that he brings with him to the NFL. He already got a taste of it in the preseason. Everybody's gunning for him.
"Everybody wants a sack. I guarantee that anyone who sacks him will stand over him and give the 'money sign.' The best thing is not to get caught up in it. He has to go out and execute. When a play is over, it's over and you have to move on to the next one.''
Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan downplayed the notion that Johnny Football is a special case because of his fame.
"I think not just Johnny, I think every quarterback has a target on him,'' said Shanahan. "People want to hit quarterbacks when they get the opportunity to, and a guy like Johnny who's very mobile and stuff, he gives them a little bit more opportunities than other quarterbacks do. I think one thing I've enjoyed about Johnny throughout the preseason and stuff is Johnny does a pretty good job of protecting himself.
"He's got a pretty good knack for when to slide. He can run full speed, get down at the last second. He's very capable of doing it and you've just got to constantly remind him, 'Don't get too competitive and decide that you don't have to do it. Don't take those hits. Get down. Protect yourself because we need you for the whole game.'"
Besides, Manziel knows his teammates will have his back. As the week has gone along, he's felt more and more like the man.
"I'm very excited, I know that, and looking forward to this opportunity that we have on Sunday to go out and try and get this win,'' he said. "For us, throughout this week, I think these guys have started believing in me. Obviously, I'm going to be the guy this week, and they've rallied around me and helped me tremendously.
"Them continuing to help build my confidence as the week goes on going into now these walk-through sessions and getting closer to Sunday, I think we're in a good place.''
He's determined however, not to get too overzealous. The Browns are in the playoff hunt and need their rookie to be dialed in.
"There's a lot of excitement, but at the same time, it's business and we need to go out and run our offense and have some success,'' he said. "You can't get too caught up in the buzz and everything else that's going on. When it comes down to it, it's football. You need to go out and play, and execute and do your job.''
Tight end Jordan Cameron, who's eager to see what the rookie can do, is confident he'll be able to handle defenders trying to rattle him.
"I think he's taken all the shots (he can),'' said Cameron. "He'll be fine. He's done this a million times and he's dealt with the scrutiny for the last whatever. It hasn't bothered him and he's so confident in his abilities and what he does. It's going to be crowd noise (to him) and he'll tune it right out.
Pettine noted that the practices this week have been extra juiced.
"(He was) energetic, and I think it was contagious,'' said Pettine. "You could tell that he's rejuvenated and just much more assertive in the huddle and just how he's carrying himself around the other guys. Hopefully, that energy can carry over to Sunday."
