Mike Pettine, John DeFilippo Comment on Johnny Manziel's Height

Johnny Manziel isn't the first quarterback to come along who's had a height disadvantage.

The Cleveland Browns surely won't let Manziel use that as an excuse after their second-year quarterback said he has trouble seeing down the field unlike taller quarterbacks, per ESPN.com's Pat McManamon:

"There's other quarterbacks in this league that are his size and are having some success," said Browns offensive coordinator John DeFilippo on Thursday.

Manziel said one of the reasons he struggled in the second half on Nov. 5 against the Cincinnati Bengals is because of the height differences between himself and the Bengals defensive line. Cincinnati defensive ends Carlos Dunlap and Michael Johnson are 6'6" and 6'7", respectively.   

Manziel completed only four of 15 passes in the final 30 minutes in the Browns' 31-10 loss to the Bengals.

Browns head coach Mike Pettine echoed the same thoughts as his offensive coordinator, per McManamon:

"There are other quarterbacks of his stature that have been successful," Pettine said.

Both Pettine and DeFilippo are right. There are shorter quarterbacks who have not only succeeded, but have won Super Bowls. Russell Wilson is 5'11", and Drew Brees is 6'0". Manziel calls himself 5'11 ½".

Manziel's comments have a different tone compared to when he was coming out of Texas A&M, per ESPN.com's Jeff Legwold:

One major factor is the 22-year-old hasn't gotten consistent playing time. Pettine's shuffling of quarterbacks between Manziel and veteran Josh McCown is hampering Manziel's growth as an NFL quarterback. The problem, though, is Manziel has made a habit of trying to make plays outside the pocket that he's used to, per McManamon:

"That's the way I've played a lot of my life, so I'm sure when things do tend to break down, that's kind of what I fall back onto," he said. "At the same time, you can take that with the checkdowns, continue to move the ball and take a little bit here and give a little bit there. I think that's the name of the game and what I'm searching for and trying to do."

Perhaps with a bit more time, Manziel could become much more comfortable in the pocket, but height shouldn't be his lone excuse.