CINCINNATI — Greg Little isn’t likely to be the focal point of the offensive game plan Thursday night when the Cincinnati Bengals play the Cleveland Browns, but the former Cleveland wide receiver put himself front and center Tuesday afternoon with some surprising comments about his dismissal from the Browns, and his relationship with head coach Mike Pettine.

“Everything about this game is personal for me, and I’m going to treat it that way,” said Little, who was released by the Browns on May 16 after catching 155 passes for 1,821 yards and eight touchdowns during his three seasons with the team.

“I was coming into a new coaching staff that I was growing toward, and they were looking at me to come in and play well,” Little added. “I had a great relationship with them, and the front office decided to go in another direction. Hopefully I’ll make them pay.”

Little said he was “100 percent” sure general manager Ray Farmer was the reason he was let go, but he directed his most pointed comments toward Pettine.

“I didn’t get along with Pettine,” Little said. “Pettine doesn’t talk to any of his players. You will walk past him in the hallway, and he doesn’t even speak to you. So to have that type of relationship for a coach is kind of odd. I can’t go out and say that I’m going to lay it on the line for a guy that won’t even speak to me if we are the only two people in the hallway. He never spoke to anybody.”

Cincinnati head coach Marvin Lewis is likely to be more upset with Lewis’ words than Pettine. The last thing the Bengals need to do is give any added motivation to a divisional opponent coming to town with first place on the line.

It’s doubtful Lewis will sit Little for the game, but if the receiver is hoping for some sort of “told-you-so” performance on the national stage Thursday, he may end up disappointed.

Last week against Jacksonville, Little played 41 offensive snaps and wasn’t targeted once. Little played three more snaps than A.J. Green, who was dipping his injured toe back into the competitive waters for the first time in nearly a month.

Green’s 38 snaps represented 56 percent of the total. This week he should be closer to his usual 95 percent. And Little certainly doesn’t figure to steal any snaps from Mohamed Sanu, who has been the team MVP the first half of the season.

The Bengals aren’t back to 100 percent yet on offense, with starting tailback Giovani Bernard unlikely to play, but this may be the first time this season they enter a game healthier than their opponent.