CINCINNATI -- Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said Monday that until just before kickoff Sunday, he was nervous about facing Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel because he was completely unsure of what to expect.
"I get nervous on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays to make sure I am showing those guys the right things," Guenther said. "On game day, you are prepared. But this time I wasn't really sure."
Guenther had every reason to believe Manziel, in his first career start, would either run circles around his defense, or get shut down by it.
The latter happened.
Held to just 107 yards of total offense, the Browns under Manziel's guidance couldn't get going in the 30-0 loss. The Bengals' defense, an energized and aggressive unit, played as if it wanted to embarrass the rookie. Three different times after sacks or deflected passes, Bengals defenders flashed Manziel's money sign as a way of mocking the player's well-known celebration.
"That's his trademark," said defensive end Wallace Gilberry, the first to flash the sign after a first-quarter stop on Manziel behind the line of scrimmage. "I just wanted to do it before he did."
With little NFL film on Manziel -- he appeared in the preseason and had only played 17 snaps before Sunday's start -- Guenther had few places to turn when trying to establish his game plan. His best prep work, though, took him to Manziel's college days. Specifically, the coach watched Manziel's losses to LSU and Missouri near the end of his final season at Texas A&M. His college career ended with two losses in three games.
"Those were his worst two games in college," Guenther said. "You could see obviously what their plan was -- to keep him in the pocket or to move him to a side where he wasn't throwing."
To Guenther, that meant preventing Manziel from going to his left. He wanted his defenders to force him to roll right, a practice Manziel showcased often Sunday.
"I showed the players that [film] throughout the week, particularly Saturday night," Guenther said.