I did not appreciate the game of Johnny Knox during his brief time with the Chicago Bears.
Sure, he was a speedster who could take the top of a defense, as evidenced by his 4.34 forty at the Combine. He was also an outstanding kick returner, making the Pro Bowl as a rookie in 2009. I was a fan during his short three-year career, but I did not realize until a conversation with one of my oldest friends that Knox, had it not been for that devastating injury, was on pace to break Chicago’s all-time record for receiving yards.
Question of the day: What are the biggest “what ifs” in Bears’ history?
If Gale Sayers was never injured... If the double-doink went in... If Johnny Lujak never retired... If Charles Martin wasn’t a (censored)... There are plenty of ‘what ifs’ in Bears’ history, but if Johnny Knox remained healthy, then Rome Odunze and DJ Moore would be chasing Knox’s records.
Johnny Morris is the Bears’ all-time receiving yardage leader with 5,059, and his 356 receptions, while most for a Chicago receiver, trail running backs Matt Forte (487) and Walter Payton (492).
In his three years, Knox had 133 catches for 2,214 yards in 45 games, which averages out to 3.0 receptions per game and 49.2 yards per game. His best season was in 2010, when he led the team in receiving yards (960) and tied for the team lead in receptions (510) and receiving touchdowns (5).
Knox suffered one of the worst football injuries imaginable on December 18, 2011, in what was their 14th game that season. However, he still led the team in receiving yards (727) and tied for second with 37 catches.
Morris, who played in a much different era (1958-1967), averaged 2.9 catches and 41.8 receiving yards per game.
So, Knox had Morris’ numbers well within his sights.
If Knox were healthy and had just hit his career per-game averages, that would have meant 48 receptions for 787 yards a year, so he would have passed Morris’ yards mark during his seventh year after turning 29 years old. And he would have passed Morris’ team mark for catches by a wide receiver the next seaosn.
But Knox was an ascending player capable of putting up better than those average stats, and I think his best was yet to come.
It still would have been fairly pedestrian records compared to the other 31 teams around the league, but at least it wouldn’t have been a 50-year mark that players were chasing.
What are some other Bears’ “what ifs” that come to mind?
Here are a few of Knox’s highlights as a reminder of how explosive he was.
