Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals DC says Johnny Manziel can be like Drew Brees with more time

Published Jun. 29, 2015 12:05 p.m. ET

foxsports

The way the Bengals treated Johnny Manziel in his NFL debut last season, one wouldn't expect career advice to come from Cincinnati.

Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, whose defense locked down Manziel to the tune of three sacks, two interceptions and 80 passing yards in a 30-0 shutout in Cleveland, says Manziel should pattern his play after Saints quarterback Drew Brees.

"Honestly, I think the kid needs more time," Guenther said of Manziel via ESPN.com. "I know (Brees) is a little bit thicker than Johnny but about the same height. ... I don't see any reason why he can't do it up there. [Manziel] was such a high-profile guy out of college and everyone expected what he did at Texas A&M, but it's a man's game, it's a lot different, and it takes time. You have to take your lumps a little bit."

The 6-foot, 210-pound Manziel took many lumps in his two NFL starts. He completed just 13 of 26 passes for 112 yards and was forced out of his second start in the first quarter with a hamstring injury.

Brees, who also stands at 6 feet tall and is 209 pounds, was a solid QB during the first five years of his career in San Diego, but he really flourished upon arriving in New Orleans in 2006. He's averaged 4,854 passing yards per year in nine seasons with the Saints.

Manziel is currently the second-string quarterback in Cleveland behind free-agent signee Josh McCown. After spending 10 weeks in rehab this offseason, he vowed to get his act together and also proclaimed an end to his famed "money" sign, which was mocked derisively by the Bengals last season.

Guenther says his defense was amped to avenge an embarrassing Thursday night loss to the Browns earlier in the season, leaving Manziel in a very precarious situation for his first career start. High expectations on the former Heisman winner didn't help, but Guenther still thinks Manziel has the tools to succeed.

"I think he has good feet, is obviously a threat to run it, and I think in the right system he can be a good player," Guenther said. "There was so much expected in his first game, and maybe some of that was self-warranted, but it was so much from the fan base that you have to let him make mistakes."

h/t: ESPN.com