Drew Brees: Johnny Manziel faces difficult transition in the pro game

The Cleveland Browns are hoping former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel can be the guy to come in and lead the franchise in to the future. That is why they traded up to draft him, but the polarizing player had quite the spot light in the college ranks and that is only being carried with him into the NFL.

The Browns are already tying to limit Manziel’s exposure to national media to try and prevent him from becoming a Tim Tebow-like situation. They don’t want ESPN posted up at training camp looping videos on SportsCenter of Manziel running shirtless through the rain basically. New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees thinks he could struggle to make the transition to the NFL.

“It’s kind of hard for a player in that situation because you’re coming off of that success from college and all of the sudden you’re thrown into the NFL in the spotlight,” Brees said during a Tuesday appearance on NFL Network’s “NFL Total Access.”

Manziel isn’t guaranteed the starting spot, but he is going to get a shot at earning it. Browns head coach Mike Pettine has said he wants Brian Hoyer and Manziel to compete.

“We don’t want guys who are going to be warm and fuzzy,” Pettine said Monday, via the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “They’re fighting for a job. It’s somebody you’re going to be working with. It’s a unique situation where you’re competitive, you want that job. It’s not going to be this warm and fuzzy (thing). That to me is how you want your quarterback to be.”

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Brees didn’t say necessarily whether he thinks Manziel will start, but thinks there is a “strong chance” he does. Brees isn’t necessarily convinced that is a good idea and said it takes a mentally tough person.

“We’ve certainly seen guys get thrown into the fire and (they’re) not quite ready,” Brees said. “Listen, it takes a mentally tough person to kind of work through those struggles because you’re going to have struggles. Everybody does at some point.

“He seems like an ultra-confident person, one who is kind of ready for that type of spotlight, that type of attention,” Brees added. “It’s kind of been that way for the last two years with him. It’s not anything he’s not used to. I think the big thing is, hey, if you have your struggles like everybody does, how are you able to handle that?”