BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – Preseason games don’t count in the standings, but don’t try to convince Bears rookie running back Garrett Wolfe that they’re not important.

“They’re very valuable, especially to a young man like myself,” Wolfe said. “I’m third on the depth chart right now and I’m just trying to become a better football player. If there’s ever an opportunity for me to help this team, that’s something I want to be prepared to do.”

Bears rookie running back Garrett Wolfe listens intently to offensive coordinator Ron Turner.

Monday night’s preseason game in Indianapolis is another chance for Wolfe to continue his development. After missing 12 practices while sidelined for a week with a hamstring injury, he rushed for 15 yards on seven carries in last Saturday’s preseason opener in Houston.

“He’s made a lot of progress,” said offensive coordinator Ron Turner. “I’ve been impressed with how quickly he’s picked things up.

“The biggest thing he needs to work on is just getting reps. Last week the speed of the game was totally new to him, and it showed. But I thought late in the game he felt a little more comfortable and I see a little bit of a difference in him this week in that regard.”

As a senior last season at Northern Illinois, Wolfe led the nation in rushing with 1,928 yards and 18 touchdowns and was named the MAC Offensive Player of the Year. He also surpassed the San Diego Chargers’ Michael Turner as the school’s all-time leading rusher with 5,136 yards and his 6.5 yards per carry average set an NCAA Division I-A record.

While Wolfe has impressed coaches with his explosiveness and pass-catching ability, there’s more to playing running back in the NFL than just carrying the football.

“The most uncomfortable part is the different protections and the different concepts,” said Wolfe, a third-round draft pick. “But I’m learning and I just want to make the most of every opportunity. I most definitely feel like I’ve learned the concepts and become a better football player thus far.”

Asked what he’s doing well and not-so-well, Wolfe said: “I don’t really sit around and judge myself. I just watch the film and try to make corrections and learn from things.

“You can always get better,” he said. “You can always correct something. I don’t feel like I’m doing anything all that great. I may be doing things well, but I always feel like there are things that could be done better.”

While Wolfe is still making up for the time he missed with the hamstring injury, he’s improving on a daily basis.

“He got hurt early, so that kind of set him back,” said running backs coach Tim Spencer. “What he really needed was reps to get in there and see things happen. It’s easy to see it up on the board, but to actually get in there and see it happen is good.

“You can see him getting better and getting more confident in what he’s doing. There are still a few things he’s not real sure about because it’s a lot of information: reading things on the run, picking up blitzes, finding the ‘Mike’ linebacker. There are a lot of things going on, things he didn’t have to do before. But with repetition and seeing it, he’s getting a lot better.”

Wolfe credits veteran running backs Cedric Benson and Adrian Peterson and fullback Jason McKie with helping to ease his transition into the NFL.

“The guys in that [running backs] room with me have been like big brothers to me,” Wolfe said. “They’ve embraced me. They want to help me learn more. They’re not those guys that [say], ‘shut up, rookie,’ or ‘you’re supposed to know this, rookie.’ All they do is encourage me to learn more and they help me whenever they can.

“It’s an unbelievable relief to be able to work with first-class guys like that. All they want to do is win. Everyone on this team is like that. All everyone cares about is winning. They’re willing to help you learn if you can help this team win.”

It will be difficult for Wolfe to supplant Peterson as the Bears’ No. 2 running back given the veteran’s experience and ability, but that doesn’t mean that the rookie won’t be asked to contribute.

“A.P.’s a great football player and he’s a really smart player,” Turner said. “So I think that will be tough, but we definitely will have a role for [Wolfe] to get him the ball.”