Browns: Other QBs Johnny Manziel's size successful in NFL

BEREA, Ohio -- The Cleveland Browns won't allow Johnny Manziel to use his height as an excuse for not playing well.

One day after Manziel said he can't see down the field because of his stature, both coach Mike Pettine and offensive coordinator John DeFilippo said his height shouldn't matter.

"There's other quarterbacks in this league that are his size and are having some success," DeFilippo said.

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

Manziel said he stands 5-foot-11, which is short in a league where most teams want their quarterback to be at least 6-foot-2. Manziel said his height matters because, for instance, the Cincinnati Bengals' defensive ends are 6-7 and 6-9.

But Pettine said that's part of Manziel's learning curve.

"I see part of it as a positive," Pettine said. "The realization is that he's going to have to understand where to move in the pocket to create some throwing lanes. When you study a Drew Brees, you can see that he's not a scrambler but he has great sense in the pocket as far as where to move in relation to who he's throwing to and where the potential throwing lane would be. Russell Wilson is similar in that aspect as well."

In the loss to Cincinnati, Manziel admitted that there were several easy short throws he missed or did not see. Pettine said reviewing video of the game will help.

"Any quarterback who's in that position has to learn it," Pettine said. "Sometimes the only way to learn it is the live reps and get a sense of the game, and when you get a chance to get to the film and say, 'Wow, that guy is wide-open and I didn't see him.'

"That blind faith or that trust has to be information gathered."

"You keep working," DeFilippo said. "You keep working with him, and you keep being positive because he's still a very young quarterback. You show him what he missed, and he sees it."