Bengals Bites (12/12) - Manziel Should Have Little Impact

Mike Pettine: Manziel will have to ignore taunting | ProFootballTalk
During the preseason, Johnny Manziel drew a $12,000 fine from the league for responding to taunting by Washington players by flipping them the bird. Coach Mike Pettine doesn't want to see more of the same from the rookie now that he's the starting quarterback in Cleveland.

Everything Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said in his conference call on Wednesday | cleveland.com
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis is still dealing with the fallout from referring to rookie Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel a "midget." Lewis addressed that and more in a conference call with Cleveland media today. Here is a transcript of the call courtesy of Cleveland Browns media relations.

CINCINNATI: Bengals' young cornerbacks showing growth | NFL Football | The State
Terence Newman was on the sideline with an injured ankle. Adam "Pacman" Jones joined him with a bruised chest. Two of the Bengals' top three cornerbacks were out of the game, leaving it up to those young, first-round picks to show what they've got.

Defense Is Key To Cleveland Browns’ Win Over Cincinnati Bengals | RantSports
The one thing the Browns can ill afford is getting in a situation where Manziel has to win them the game. The very best of scenarios that can unfold is for the defense to shut down the Bengals and take the pressure off the talented rookie quarterback. With so many over inflated expectations of "Johnny Football," it’s almost impossible for him to live up to any of the hype. Browns fans should be rooting for a low scoring defensive battle that they win because Manziel protected the ball and did what he needed to do to get them into the end zone enough to outpace the Bengals.

Cincinnati Bengals - TeamReport | GlobalPost
Cincinnati Bengals - INSIDE SLANT Never mind Cleveland's quarterback Johnny Manziel, the Cincinnati Bengals announced Thursday they will start Jeremy Hill at the running back on Sunday against the Browns.

Cincinnati Bengals drop two-back system, to start Jeremy Hill - ESPN
Johnny Manziel won't be the only rookie replacing a healthy starter in Cleveland on Sunday. Cincinnati Bengals second-round pick Jeremy Hill also will be starting when the Browns and Bengals meet, fellow rusher Giovani Bernard said Thursday. More from ESPN.com Making Jeremy Hill their primary running back improves the Bengals' chances of winning games and reaching the playoffs, Coley Harvey writes. Story "I've just got to go with that and see where it goes from there," said Bernard, a 2013 Bengals second-round pick.

Here's What The Johnny Manziel Effect Looks Like For Fox
The above NFL viewing map, from our friends over at 506sports.com, shows what fans were originally slated to watch for Fox's early game on Sunday. Both the Tampa Bay at Carolina and Washington at New York matchups are trash, so only fans in those markets were scheduled to watch them. Practically the entire rest of the non-Ohio country was going to watch Aaron Rodgers and co. try and whoop the Bills. Until the Browns announced that Johnny Manziel would replace Brian Hoyer, that is.

How Accurate Are ESPN's Fantasy Football Projections?
Given that fantasy football championships are near, it seemed like a fun question to answer - how accurate are ESPN's weekly projections? Thankfully, ESPN has pages for their historical projections and weekly scoring. Mix in a little code, and we're able to answer the question pretty easily.