Bengals Coach Paul Guenther Claims Cleveland Browns QB Johnny Manziel Is Not Ready

Johnny Manziel is the belle of the ball over in Cleveland; he's the Browns' version of Lebron James. Not everybody agrees with the hype, though. One guy who would disagree with just about every Cleveland fan is Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther. According to Guenther, Manziel isn't ready.

"Honestly, I think the kid needs more time," he says.

That doesn't mean Guenther thinks Manziel won't ever be ready. In due time he can be up there with Drew Brees, he believes.

"Drew Brees did it," Guenther continued. "I know Drew 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."

Guenther didn't blame Manziel for his mistakes though. According to Guenther, Manziel wasn't ready, and to expect too much from his first ever start last season was unrealistic. Guenther said we have to allow Manziel to make mistakes.

"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."

Last season Browns coordinator Kyle Shahanan tried to get Manziel comfortable with different looks out of the shotgun. After some disastrous results Shahanan admitted he wasn't ready either.

Do you think Johnny Manziel needs some time to develop?