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Alshon Jeffery says Bears boast NFL's 'two best receivers'
Rana L. Cash @ranacashSN
If Calvin Johnson is Megatron, does that mean Alshon Jeffery is Optimus Prime?
He doesn't think so.
Alshon Jeffery (AP Photo)
After his breakout season for the Bears in 2013, it feels like Jeffery should have an autonomous nickname and on the spot, he makes one up — “The Show.”
“I feel like every time I try to catch the ball and make a play, I try to put on a show, so that’s what I would call myself,” he told Sporting News.
He’ll get no arguments. Jeffery was that special last season. He was hampered most of his rookie year in 2012 with a broken hand, but in 2013, a slimmer and fitter Jeffery went from good to great, from a decent talent to a Pro Bowl selection.
Teammate Brandon Marshall signed a three-year, $30 million contract extension live on ABC’s “The View” earlier this month. He’s still the headliner in Chicago, a veteran who has taken it upon himself to show Jeffery the ropes. But Jeffery, heading into his third season, is no longer in Marshall’s shadow. With a sophomore campaign that included 89 catches, seven touchdowns and 1,421 receiving yards — sixth-highest in the league — Jeffery proved every bit to be Marshall’s equal.
There was no better tandem in the NFL. They combined for 189 catches, 2,716 yards and 19 touchdowns. Marshall set a franchise record with back-to-back 100-catch seasons and was targeted a league-high, 158 times. The Bears went to Jeffery 140 times. But they each caught 63 percent of the balls that came their way. Pro Football Focus graded Marshall out as the No. 1 receiver in the NFL; Jeffery was eighth.
“I’m not the type of person that brags a lot about anything, but I feel that last year, what we did, we were at the top of the list as the two best receivers,” Jeffery said. “But that was last year. This year we have to set our goal and try our best to do the same thing we did last year, if not better.”
That will now be Jeffery’s biggest challenge — putting up a repeat performance, and even improving on it. He dropped five of 94 catchable passes in 2013, compared to one of 83 by Larry Fitzgerald. Jeffery also lost three fumbles, which tied for the most among the top 25 rated pass catchers. The success pushed the small disappointments into the background, though.
He showed the kind of jump he could make between Year 1 and Year 2. Putting himself on a healthier diet was part of it. So was pressure-free football, allowing him to grow without the spotlight. The other part was mental.
“In my second year, I understood it a lot more and the game, it slowed down for me,” he says.
Now, he has to do it again — only this time, he’ll catch no one off guard.
“I don’t think it’s a challenge or anything,” Jeffery said. “I feel with the hard work I put in, the results you’ll see will show for itself.”
And the money will follow. The Bears will have to negotiate a new contract after his four-year rookie contract ends. With Marshall, 30, getting a three-year extension with $23 million guaranteed, Jeffery, 24, should get paid when his time comes, too. Not that his contract is front of mind.
“We motivate each other,” Jeffery said. “We compete against each other and we’ve got the same goals. We both want to win the Super Bowl and we want greatness. We want to catch every ball.”
Rana L. Cash @ranacashSN
If Calvin Johnson is Megatron, does that mean Alshon Jeffery is Optimus Prime?
He doesn't think so.
Alshon Jeffery (AP Photo)
After his breakout season for the Bears in 2013, it feels like Jeffery should have an autonomous nickname and on the spot, he makes one up — “The Show.”
“I feel like every time I try to catch the ball and make a play, I try to put on a show, so that’s what I would call myself,” he told Sporting News.
He’ll get no arguments. Jeffery was that special last season. He was hampered most of his rookie year in 2012 with a broken hand, but in 2013, a slimmer and fitter Jeffery went from good to great, from a decent talent to a Pro Bowl selection.
Teammate Brandon Marshall signed a three-year, $30 million contract extension live on ABC’s “The View” earlier this month. He’s still the headliner in Chicago, a veteran who has taken it upon himself to show Jeffery the ropes. But Jeffery, heading into his third season, is no longer in Marshall’s shadow. With a sophomore campaign that included 89 catches, seven touchdowns and 1,421 receiving yards — sixth-highest in the league — Jeffery proved every bit to be Marshall’s equal.
There was no better tandem in the NFL. They combined for 189 catches, 2,716 yards and 19 touchdowns. Marshall set a franchise record with back-to-back 100-catch seasons and was targeted a league-high, 158 times. The Bears went to Jeffery 140 times. But they each caught 63 percent of the balls that came their way. Pro Football Focus graded Marshall out as the No. 1 receiver in the NFL; Jeffery was eighth.
“I’m not the type of person that brags a lot about anything, but I feel that last year, what we did, we were at the top of the list as the two best receivers,” Jeffery said. “But that was last year. This year we have to set our goal and try our best to do the same thing we did last year, if not better.”
That will now be Jeffery’s biggest challenge — putting up a repeat performance, and even improving on it. He dropped five of 94 catchable passes in 2013, compared to one of 83 by Larry Fitzgerald. Jeffery also lost three fumbles, which tied for the most among the top 25 rated pass catchers. The success pushed the small disappointments into the background, though.
He showed the kind of jump he could make between Year 1 and Year 2. Putting himself on a healthier diet was part of it. So was pressure-free football, allowing him to grow without the spotlight. The other part was mental.
“In my second year, I understood it a lot more and the game, it slowed down for me,” he says.
Now, he has to do it again — only this time, he’ll catch no one off guard.
“I don’t think it’s a challenge or anything,” Jeffery said. “I feel with the hard work I put in, the results you’ll see will show for itself.”
And the money will follow. The Bears will have to negotiate a new contract after his four-year rookie contract ends. With Marshall, 30, getting a three-year extension with $23 million guaranteed, Jeffery, 24, should get paid when his time comes, too. Not that his contract is front of mind.
“We motivate each other,” Jeffery said. “We compete against each other and we’ve got the same goals. We both want to win the Super Bowl and we want greatness. We want to catch every ball.”
