Johnny Manziel: Browns vs. Bills, Nov. 30, 2014

Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel does the "money" sign to Browns fans in the end zone after he scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Buffalo Bills. (John Kuntz / The Plain Dealer)

BEREA, Ohio -- Yes, he went there.

Hard as it is to believe, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis called Johnny Manziel "a midget'' Monday in a radio interview on WLW-AM in Cincinnati.

When asked by host Lance McAlister about the difference in preparing for Manziel, Lewis said, "you'll get a little bit more movement if Manziel's the quarterback, the thing that they did against Buffalo.

"But other than that, no, it doesn't impact you at all. You've got to go defend the offense, you don't defend the player, particularly a midget.''



Co-host Dave Lapham, the former Bengals' offensive lineman, responded, "whoa!"

Lewis is a regular Monday night guest on the show, called the Bengals Line.

The remarks caused a firestorm among Browns fans, and Lewis later issued an apology.



"I apologize to Johnny and the Browns and all the fans in Cleveland," Lewis said. "It was just a poor remark. I really didn't mean anything by it."

Lewis' remarks came in response to Browns coach Mike Pettine deciding whether or not to bench Brian Hoyer and start Manziel -- who's 5-11 3/4 -- Sunday against the first-place Bengals, who are 8-4-1.

During Lewis' Monday press conference, he was asked about his approach to the possible quarterback switch. Hoyer is 2-0 against the Bengals, including a 24-3 victory in Cincinnati on Nov. 6.

"We've got to pretend that Hoyer is the guy,'' Lewis said.



Does the Browns' offense change dramatically with Manziel?



"I don't know,'' said Lewis. "I haven't looked at it."



What's next? Will Mike Pettine call Andy Dalton a ginger?

As if the game wasn't already big enough, it just got bigger.

Or in the case of Lewis, a lot smaller.