Chicago Bears WR Brandon Marshall to take Alshon Jeffery under his wing

Chicago Bears veteran wide receiver Brandon Marshall is already planning on helping he and the Bears get better in the offseason. Marshall told members of the media that he plans on working out with Bears rookie wide receiver Alshon Jeffery this offseason, to help Jeffery better prepare himself for a 16-game NFL schedule.

"Alshon will bounce back," Bears receiver Brandon Marshall said. "Just like I told him in the cafeteria a few minutes ago, in the offseason he's gonna be in Florida with me. He's gonna be working out with me because a lot of that is really getting your legs under you. It's tough as a rookie going from bowl games to training for the draft and training for minicamps, going to minicamps early."

Jeffery underwent arthroscopic knee surgery Wednesday morning, and will miss the next 2-4 weeks with the injury. To date in his rookie campaign, Jeffery has 16 receptions for 199 yards and two touchdowns. Jeffery has been targeted 27 times.

Marshall had similar statistics during his rookie season with the Denver Broncos. As a rookie in 2006, Marshall played in 15 games, catching just 20 passes on 37 targets for 309 yards two touchdowns. Marshall exploded in his sophomore year, catching 102 passes for 1,325 yards and seven touchdowns.

If Jeffery can progress anything like Marshall did between his first two seasons, then the Bears and Bears fans will be in for a treat in 2013.