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Greg Jennings pokes some fun at Brandon Marshall

Packers WR Greg Jennings was having a little fun with the media at Bears WR Brandon Marshall’s expense on Thursday.

A day earlier, Marshall challenged Green Bay’s defensive backs to cover him one-on-one, and he took exception to the characterization that any Packers DB shut him down during his two-catch performance in Week 2 because whoever was guarding him had plenty of help in other areas of the field.

Recognizing how absurd it would be to devise a game plan that would involve covering Marshall man-to-man when Marshall has 101 receptions for 1,342 yards and the next-closest Bears in each category have 36 catches and 256 yards, Jennings “challenged” the Bears defense to do the same against Green Bay’s receivers.

“Man, I wish the Bears would play us one-on-one and man-to-man,” said Jennings, howling with laughter as he said it. “Yeah, man, the Bears always play Cover 2. I think they’re scared not to play Cover 2.”

Once the laughter around his locker had subsided, Jennings acknowledged that Marshall was obviously trying to fire up his team and possibly get into the heads of the Green Bay secondary.

“What receiver doesn’t want to get played man-to-man coverage the entire game?” Jennings said. “Your pride (as a defensive back) wants to say ‘I can guard you man-to-man,’ but why do it? Why do it when you don’t have to? That’s why we’re a team. We help one another.”

Bears trade up, add another WR

NFC North rival Chicago pulled off a trade with St. Louis to move up five spots, from 50 to 45, and the Bears selected South Carolina WR Alshon Jeffery.

The Bears already added WR Brandon Marshall in the offseason, and now just picked up Jeffery. They’re clearly intent on upgrading QB Jay Cutler’s weapons in the passing game, and they certainly appear to have done so. The Bears gave up a fifth-round pick to make the trade, but they obviously targeted Jeffery and wanted to make sure they got him.

That makes Devin Hester probably the No. 4 WR in Chicago’s offense, behind Marshall, Jeffery and Johnny Knox.