Lions' Manu doesn't want anyone sugarcoating his first start: 'I fell well short of my standards'
Allen Park — Following his first NFL start, those closest to Detroit Lions offensive tackle Giovanni Manu have tried to be encouraging.
In the meeting room, coach Hank Fraley highlighted several things he liked from the performance, while Taylor Decker, the man Manu temporarily replaced in the lineup, reiterated what he told his young teammate ahead of Sunday’s game with Cincinnati: Every offensive lineman has bad reps.
Manu appreciates the support, truly, but he’s tired of the sunshine and rainbows. He might lack experience, but he has no interest in being handled with kid gloves.
“It almost feels like everybody’s trying to feel sorry for me, and it’s just like, man, f___ that, right?” Manu said.
Manu is as polite as he is honest. He might not have been born in Canada, but he picked up the stereotypical niceness frequently associated with our northern neighbors, immediately apologizing for the raw expression of his frustration. Still, he made little effort hiding how he felt after reviewing the film from what was effectively his debut, a handful of games into his second season.