LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Brandon Manumaleuna went to a Super Bowl the last time he worked with Lovie Smith and Mike Martz. So the chance to reunite with the two coaches made signing with the Bears as a free agent an easy decision.

“It seemed like a great match,” said Manumaleuna, who inked a five-year deal Friday. “I’ve been with the combo of Lovie and Mike together in a Super Bowl, so it seemed like a great match to be back with that combo again.” 

Tight end Brandon Manumaleuna spent his first five NFL seasons playing in Mike Martz's offense with the St. Louis Rams.

One of the NFL’s top blocking tight ends, Manumaleuna thrived in Martz’s offense with the Rams from 2001-05. In summarizing the tight end’s role in the system, the 6-2, 295-pounder said: “Seal the edge, protect the quarterback and be there when the quarterback throws the ball.”

Asked if the tight end is ignored in the passing game in Martz’s offense, Manumaleuna drew laughter from reporters when he replied “sometimes.” 

But he went on to explain that the reason he didn’t catch many passes in St. Louis probably had more to do with the fact that he was playing alongside running back Marshall Faulk and wide receivers Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt.

“When I was in St. Louis, you have to understand the people that were outside of me,” Manumaleuna said. “So when people say I was being ignored, it wasn’t really being ignored. It was more throwing to two Pro Bowl receivers and a Pro Bowl running back coming out of the backfield. It wasn’t a lack of using the tight ends but more so using your Hall of Fame players.”

Manumaleuna, who caught 66 passes for 648 yards and 6 touchdowns in five seasons with the Rams, described Martz as a detailed-oriented coach.

“He’s real meticulous when it comes to details of how you run plays, especially in the passing game,” Manumaleuna said. “That’s one of his specialties. I know he’s real meticulous about when he’s helping hone the skills of the quarterback. He’s real in-tune to details. I think he’ll add a lot of discipline, not that there wasn’t any [before], but he’ll bring much more discipline to the offensive group.”

While Martz’s offense has been characterized as complex by some individuals, Manumaleuna doesn’t think the Bears will have a difficult time digesting it.

“I don’t think it will be that hard,” he said. “I came in as a rookie and I learned it. There are a few things that you have to work on over the course of the season, but I think the guys will pick it up pretty easy. The main part for me when I had to learn it was just [pass] protections. But as far as running routes and running the plays it came pretty simple.”

Manumaleuna, who spent the last four seasons with the San Diego Chargers, is more than willing to help his new teammates learn the intricacies of Martz’s system.

“I’m just here to help everybody come along as a group,” Manumaleuna said. “The more cohesive we are as a group, the more effective we’ll be. So if anyone has a question, I’m here to help—especially with the tight end group—just bringing everybody up to speed. I’ll help wherever I can.”