Now Impressed, Marshall Once Thought Jeffery Needed 'A Lot Of Time'
By Adam Hoge-
BOURBONNAIS (CBS) The teacher-student relationship was set up the moment the Bears drafted Alshon Jeffery in April.
After trading for veteran wide receiver Brandon Marshall in March and adding the young, big-bodied rookie receiver in April, the mentoring process was a given.
But nearly a week into training camp, you might be surprised who is teaching who.
"Honestly, we just finished watching film and I'm actually learning from Alshon," Marshall said Tuesday, specifically referring to Jeffery's work against press coverage. "Things that he was able to do the last few days, I wasn't able to do when I first came into the NFL. I'm picking up on things now. I'm sure he can learn lot from me, but at the same time, I've already learned a few things. Just ten minutes ago, I wrote some things down from his game."
Jeffery has impressed the elder Marshall so far in camp, but that's not how it was earlier this summer when the rookie struggled through OTAs and mini-camp.
"In OTAs, I thought he was going to need some time -- a lot of time," Marshall said about Jeffery. "I don't know if he was nervous. Some guys, they just know how to work where it's just a little bit in the offseason, a little bit more in mini-camp and then camp comes and it's full speed and it's like wow. And that's what I'm seeing out of him. He's impressing, right now, a lot of people."
Jeffery said his improvement has come from listening to the coaching staff and concentrating on the little things he is doing wrong. Meanwhile, he's in the middle of adjusting to training camp, which is much more grueling than OTAs and mini-camp where pads aren't even worn.
"It's a lot more competitive," he said. "The speed of the game is a lot faster."
And what is he learning from Marshall?
"Just be more physical. Just make plays and try to catch everything," Jeffery said. "Just be great. That's what he does -- be great."
For more Bears training camp coverage from Bourbonnais, follow Adam on Twitter at @AdamHogeCBS.
