3 reasons Knox won't be the #3 WR: AKA Knox is a stud

Post #1 » by **emperorjones** » Sat Sep 5, 2009 3:22 pm

There aren't 3 reasons. Johnny Knox WILL BE the #3 WR

Three PRESUMED reasons why he won't be?

1. He's a Rookie from a small division 2 school where they didn't have "PLA-E-BUUKS" but just drew their plays up in the sand in the huddle and on the palms of their hands. It will take him forever to learn the position:

Wrong-

Knox was praised for picking up the system quickly during OTA compared to the other rookies and has been aided by only having to learn one WR position thus far.

2. Johnny Knox is really small and the Bears won't put him on the field at the same time as Devin Hester.

Wrong-

Davis:.......Height: 5-9 Weight: 187
Hester.....Height: 5-11 Weight: 190
Knox:.......Height: 6-0 Weight: 186
Bennett...Height: 6-0 Weight: 203
Iglesias.....Height: 6-1 Weight: 205
Aromash...Height: 6-2 Weight: 200

Cutler likes height and at 6' Knox is just fine - especially when you add in the amazing burst he has. While he is significantly lighter than Bennett, Iglesias & Aromashodu, that goes more toward durability IMO so long as he's strong enough to get off the line.

Davis is tiny and was solid as a slot receiver before being bumped up to a starter (where he played opposite Hester). Knox hasn't studied and thus can't play the slot, but in 3 receiver sets either Bennett or Hester can move to the slot. Hester and Knox together on the outside would be something special.

3. The coaching staff is more comfortable with Veteran players.

Lovie Smith is looking for guys who make plays and right now Knox is a playmaker. True Knox has played against 2nd stringers, but Devin Aromashodu's only "play" in the preseason came against what amounted to a 2nd string Giants defense. Has Aromashodu, Davis or Iglesias outplayed Knox?

Yours Truly

Emperor "the logical Homer" Jones

Chewie · Post #2 » by **Chewie** » Sat Sep 5, 2009 7:26 pm

You've convinced me. :thumbsup:

BullHeaded · Post #3 » by **BullHeaded** » Tue Sep 8, 2009 3:26 pm

There's no pecking order with this group of receivers... Knox will get his due snaps because there are no Lloyds or Bookers to hide him behind. These guys will all get there snaps and chances to prove they should either be on the field or on the bench and by the bye week it will get sorted out. The fact that Devin Aromashadu made the squad and that we've been very passive about the possibility of adding guys like Matt Jones, Marvin Harrison, Torry Holt, etc. reflects exactly that. Earl Bennett hardly comes with a "give him the benefit of the doubt" clause.

Cliff Levingston · Post #4 » by **Cliff Levingston** » Tue Sep 8, 2009 4:12 pm

Cliff Levingston actually expects Aromashodu to get a lot of looks (relative to the other non-starters at WR) since Cutler seems to have really connected with him in the preseason.

Howling Mad · Post #5 » by **Howling Mad** » Sat Sep 12, 2009 3:38 pm

I'm going to keep an eye on this thread as the games pass. I have no faith in coaching staff to do the right thing. Play Knox.

I think Cliff's right. They'll give Aromashodu the snaps, just beacuse of the desperate need they have for height and the Cutler connection.

Looking at those heights, they look wrong. No way Knox is an even 6 foot, he loos like he's 5'10'' from my eye test.

Post #6 » by **Icness** » Sat Sep 12, 2009 5:52 pm

The only thing I would dispute is the size thing. Knox is within a hair of 6' and he's 185ish, but he's small-framed and not physical. The worry about him and Hester being on the field together is valid in terms of run blocking and handling physical defenses.

I find it fascinating that nobody in Chicago is talking about how Devin Aromashodu blew away Iglesias all preseason...

SportsWorld · Post #7 » by **SportsWorld** » Sat Sep 12, 2009 6:33 pm

Icness wrote:The only thing I would dispute is the size thing. Knox is within a hair of 6' and he's 185ish, but he's small-framed and not physical. The worry about him and Hester being on the field together is valid in terms of run blocking and handling physical defenses.

I find it fascinating that nobody in Chicago is talking about how Devin Aromashodu blew away Iglesias all preseason...

Aromashodu had one nice catch in that preseason game against the Giants but other than that, I really can't remember anything else he did.

Howling Mad · Post #8 » by **Howling Mad** » Sat Sep 12, 2009 6:49 pm

Devin played well, but SW is right he only had one nice catch. Although, all the reports from camp said he was magnificent. We didn't stop hearing about how Cutler had great chemistry with him.

Icness, you talking about Julio. Yea we know, we call him Julio. Think CBS started that.. :rofl:

..I think Chicago just got used to rookie WR's not making an impact, especially ones in the later rounds. The bar is set pretty low for any offensive pick. :rolleyes:

Post #9 » by **emperorjones** » Sat Sep 12, 2009 7:35 pm

I think mostly because no one even knows who Ahmadinejad is due to lack of media coverage. The media was all over Rideau as the feel good story of camp until Cutler says ummmm nope...

and secondly, I don't think many of us thought Iglesias would come in and do much this year. Personally I was much more interested in following Knox through OTAs & camp. I hope Ahmadinejad turns out to be the big possession guy Cutler needs though.

Chewie · Post #10 » by **Chewie** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 4:41 am

Icness wrote:The only thing I would dispute is the size thing. Knox is within a hair of 6' and he's 185ish, but he's small-framed and not physical. The worry about him and Hester being on the field together is valid in terms of run blocking and handling physical defenses.

I find it fascinating that nobody in Chicago is talking about how Devin Aromashodu blew away Iglesias all preseason...

Mike Hass had preseasons in 2006 and 2007 that kicked the crap out of Aromashodu's and he couldn't even make the team. I don't see Aroma sniffing the field too much this season myself - he had to squeak by to make the team over Rideau for the last receiver spot and not being an Angelo draft pick is probably going to count against him in the pecking order, IMO.

CjayC · Post #11 » by **CjayC** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 4:57 pm

I like Aromashodu's measurables.

He's 6'2, runs a 4.38 40, with a 38 inch vertical.

His knocks coming out were, he was a body catcher, when he used his hands he couldn't catch the ball cleanly, lazy route runner, and was soft going over the middle of the field. Basically pretty correctable knocks.

He was a 4 star recruit in High School. I think going to Auburn kinda messed him up. He should have went to a school that would have developed him more as a WR, and a school that preferred airing it out. I think Cadillac and Ronnie Brown both were going to Auburn at the time, so they were more of a running school

Howling Mad · Post #12 » by **Howling Mad** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 1:26 am

Hey Baby!

ChronicKerr · Post #13 » by **ChronicKerr** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 2:15 am

Knox with 2 nice catches in the first half. It's a shame we didn't score ANY points off of his monster. Wish he would have housed it.

CjayC · Post #14 » by **CjayC** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 4:14 am

Knox!

It's a shame we don't have a veteran WR to teach Knox. He's a guy, that could REALLY benefit from somebody who knows the position, showing him the ropes.

Al Harris owned him on that last interception.

As for right now. It looks like he'll have to learn from trial and error

Post #15 » by **emperorjones** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 2:55 pm

'They played about as well a game has been played around here in a long time,'' wide receivers coach Darryl Drake said. ''They didn't have any MAs [missed assignments], you understand that. [Johnny Knox] got in the flow and he played well. He got an opportunity. He took it and ran with it. They didn't break off a single route like some people have said. It was a good effort.''

What the Bears did see was some miscommunication when Cutler left the pocket, and they're hoping to have some scramble rules more clearly defined against the Pittsburgh Steelers this week.

It's progress for a group many have said would benefit from a free-agent addition, but there isn't a lot available, and Devin Aromashodu hasn't gotten his chance yet after missing Week 1 with a strained quadriceps. He and Knox will battle for time as the No. 3 behind Devin Hester and Earl Bennett.

Thatś a battle Knox will definitely dominate IMO. I think the best news that will come out of this season (other than 11 wins) will be the fact that we will not need to draft a WR or spend big money in FA on one. That allows us to focus on the DBs and O/D lines in the draft.

I would love to see sets with Hester & Knox as the two wideouts

Post #16 » by **TNBT** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 3:13 pm

I don't know enough about American football to go making calls on who will do what, but I am quite excited to see what Knox can do. The things I have read seem to call him quite raw, but with big-time physical gifts which makes him a big play threat. That sounds a lot to me like Devin Hester coming out of college. I'm not going to say that he will have the same impact that Hester did as a rookie, but he seems to have similar speed, agility and the ability to return kicks and punts. If he can return well enough to give Hester a break from special teams, it should help him focus more as a WR.

blumeany · Post #17 » by **blumeany** » Sat Sep 19, 2009 6:02 pm

Knox is a deep threat, definitely. His weekness as of right now is running inside routes. On that last INT, he didn't step up and get the ball, he tried some stupid lean move on Harris and Harris let him fall down. He's got time to learn though. For now, just use him as a deep threat along with Hester.

Balance-a-Bull · Post #18 » by **Balance-a-Bull** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 1:36 am

Knox is progressing very well with the approach of developing into a number one receiver. His hands are much better than I expected and he is able to absorb a hit despite his slight build.

If he can put on a few pounds and maintain his speed.... he can become a very productive for the Bears.

He has heart also.... he looks very good.

You can not teach speed..... but if you can teach a person with speed....look out!

He is well on his way.

SportsWorld · Post #19 » by **SportsWorld** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 1:59 am

Johnny Knox is awesome. Looks like he is another late round gem for Jerry Angelo. One of the reasons why I didn't mind giving up early picks for Cutler. Angelo normally screws up those picks but finds the gems in the later round.

Post #20 » by **emperorjones** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 12:44 pm

Brad Biggs of the Suntimes wrote:

In a perfect world, the Bears figured they might get some use out of Johnny Knox, the fifth-round pick from Abilene Christian, as a slot receiver. The club took the smart approach from him and kept it simple in training camp, asking him to just learn one position. The hope was he wouldn't be overloaded like Earl Bennett was last season when he was asked to learn all three positions at one time. Bennett wound up barely seeing the field because the coaches couldn't trust him. That's clearly not the case with Knox, who had a team-high six receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown. After two games, he leads the team with 152 receiving yards. To put that in perspective, last season's starting wide receivers Devin Hester and Rashied Davis each needed five games to amass that many yards.

The Bears had strong conviction about Knox. The area scout Chris Ballard knows Abilene Christian, the Division II program that also produced free safety Danieal Manning, well. Ballard coached in the conference previously at Texas A&M-Kingsville. He knows the coaches in the league and he sees the players frequently. When Knox went from an unknown to running a sub-4.3 40-yard dash at the combine, it only strengthened the Bears' belief in him. Some clubs viewed him as a project because he had spent two years at Tyler Junior College, but the Bears believed with his speed he could contribute quickly.

3. Knox's development looks like it might keep Devin Aromashodu on the bench for a while. Aromashodu won the No. 3 receiving job in preseason and became a favorite target of Jay Cutler quickly. But a pulled quad muscle sidelined him for the opener. Knox had a 68-yard reception at Green Bay, and the coaching staff wasn't about to send him to the sideline. Now, Aromashodu might have to bide his time because the offense hasn't shown much in the way of four-receiver sets, and Rashied Davis' special teams ability will keep him active on game days. When position coach Darryl Drake joked about Wally Pipp and Lou Gehrig, well, he wasn't really joking. Of course, Aromashodu can't exactly play the role of Pipp seeing as his next regular-season game in a Bears' uniform will be his first.

Knox should get as much time as possible at this point. He's a legitimate threat that opposing defenses will soon be game planning for. The guy was wide open on just about every play I could see. If this holds up, we can scratch WR off the list of needs for the near future which is absolutely huge for JA.