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Chicago Bears WR Marquess Wilson flashes before injury

INDIANAPOLIS - Even after Alshon Jeffery returns from the strained calf that kept him out of the second preseason game Saturday night, the Bears will have less offensive firepower than they anticipated.

And it may have gotten worse Saturday night with the hamstring injury to Marquess Wilson, although coach John Fox said: "We don't think it's overly serious."

First-round pick Kevin White will miss at least the first six games after surgery to stabilize the stress fractures in his left shin. The hope is that third-year wide receiver Wilson will pick up the slack.

Pro Bowl guard Kyle Long was the Bears' first-round pick in the same draft class that brought Wilson in Round Seven, and he's looking forward to his classmate.

"Most of the time I see him it's in the cafeteria or the training room or the lockerroom because I'm not really with the skinny guys very often," Long said. "But he's done a great job, by all accounts, getting into this offense, immersing himself, just the little things that make a receiver great.

"He's had some really good tutelage with B-Marsh (Brandon Marshall) and Alshon, so we're really excited to see him put his best foot forward this year."

Wilson caught a pair of 9-yard passes early and showed the ability to break tackles on the second one. After he was hurt, he came back briefly but left again and did not return.

Running it up:

Fourth-round rookie running back Jeremy Langford had the most impressive run of the evening, a 46-yard burst that included several nifty cut-back moves and set up the Bears' first touchdown.

Langford's 2-yard TD run later in the third quarter was almost as impressive. He started left, found a wall of tacklers, reversed his field and outran the pursuit around the right flank.

"Just good effort," coach John Fox said. "He's a fast guy, a guy we obviously thought enough of to draft. He's got good vision, and he's getting used to the pro game. I like where he is right now."

Langford finished with 80 yards on 9 carries (8.9-yard average), in the third quarter, to pace the Bears' 165-yard ground attack which came on 36 carries, for a 4.6-yard average.

Age no concern:

Fifth-round rookie Adrian Amos started Saturday night after he was moved to the first team in practice following his performance in the preseason opener.

Having to face Colts quarterback Andrew Luck was a tall order, but coach John Fox wasn't worried about Amos.

"I don't really look at whether a guy is an 11-year vet, a rookie, or a third-year guy," Fox said. "He's got to perform what he's trained to do, and we feel really good about him as a young, good football player."

Amos, who had 3 tackles in the first half, has the benefit of playing alongside the Bears' other starting safety, 11th-year veteran Antrel Rolle, who says the rookie is coming along

"He's been good," Rolle said. "He looks comfortable back there. We're only going to get better; that's the plan.

"It's really just helping him communicate. That's the most crucial part of safety is communication. He has an outstanding skills set, he hustles, he runs to the ball, he understands the defense, and we're going to help each other."

Trust in Fox:

Ever since training camp began, one of coach John Fox's catch phrases has been: "Trust the long-term process."

What, exactly, does that mean?

"It's real simple," Fox said. "You just get better every day. You don't just put it on cruise control. You pedal downhill, so to speak. It's a process of a lot of hard work.

"We want to be a smart, tough, better-conditioned football team. You have to drill that in practice to see how that relates when you play games."

Something special:

The emergence of special teams ace Sherrick McManis as a contender for the No. 1 nickel back job isn't shocking to coach John Fox.

"You do this long enough, you don't get surprised," Fox said. "He's very competitive, he's willing to learn and he's a young player who's taking a step."

Sitting it out:

Wide receiver Alshon Jeffery (calf), cornerback Tracy Porter (hamstring), offensive tackle Jason Weaver (stinger), running back Daniel Thomas (knee) and tight end Chris Pantale (ill) did not suit up.

Images: Bears at the Colts in preseason victory

Quarterback Jay Cutler loses his helmet as he dives into the end zone during the first half of a preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday. The play was negated by a penalty. Associated Press
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