Thread: Matt Bowen's Report on the Bears Wide Receivers............................

Knox tweeted earlier:

Originally Posted by @Jknox13

If y'all think ima give up that easy y'all crazy!!!!!!RT @jodibeth21: RT @peggykusinski: Source close 2 #Bears WR @Jknox13 tell me emphatically HE WON'T request trade if he doesn't earn starting job back

Originally Posted by motownbear

did you miss the article where Green Bay Packers DBs were making fun of our wrs saying they are the easiest to play against all you have to do is jam them at the line?

That's the main reason why RWill is starting ahead of Knox so it's not like we did nothing about that. Maybe he can beat the press and maybe he can't but he's 3" taller and 25lbs heavier than Knox so chances are good that he can. Knox has also beefed up and added muscle as he's well aware of the problems he had with more physical DB's like Green Bay's and Bennett never has had a problem with it.

Maybe that applied to last years team but that doesn't mean that it does now or will in the future. Guy's this WR group may not be the equal of the Packers, and Bowen says that, but when in the blue hell was the last time any of you saw a writer for a national publication or website ever write anything positive about the Chicago Bears WR's?????

Hester is looking better than he ever looked at WR before and it's coming from his coaches, his QB, and an outside observer. They can't all be wrong. Hurd gives us another bigger tougher WR than anybody we've had previously and there's still Sanzenbacher, who although not mentioned here, is another guy who's catching everything within reach and may be that sneaky kind of Wes Welker guy we've lacked and he may only make the final 53 if we keep 6 WR's. Let's hope they do because I don't want to see him exposed to other teams by being put on the PS.

This is the best the WR core has looked since we had Jeff Graham and Curtis Conway starting and some of you are still not happy. Oh well, we're Bears fans and we bitch because we are Bears fans and that's what we do, LOL. I think we're a hell of a lot better and deeper at WR than we were a year ago.


August 10, 2011
Bears deep at receiver position


By: Larry Mayer | Last Updated: 8/10/2011 7:23 PM

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – There’s been a lot of talk among fans and media about how Johnny Knox is listed behind Roy Williams on the first unofficial depth chart the Bears released on Wednesday. But before any conclusions can be drawn, it's important to keep three things in mind: 1) Roles at the receiver position have yet to be defined; 2) the top four receivers—Knox, Williams, Devin Hester and Earl Bennett—all figure to get plenty of opportunities in Mike Martz’s offense; and 3) the Bears boast excellent depth at the position.


Speedy receiver Devin Hester prepares to make a catch during a recent practice.“We’ll just kind of let this thing play out,” Martz said. “The good news is we’re excited about the number of receivers we have of quality that are all potential starters really. So that makes you better.

"They’ll kind of find in the preseason their role. [There is] real good competition going on out there right now.”
Last season Knox tied for the team lead with 51 catches and five touchdown receptions and his 960 receiving yards were the most by a Bears player since 2002 when Marty Booker had 1,189. But Martz thinks that the 2009 fifth-round pick still has room to improve.

“Johnny is very, very talented,” Martz said. “He’s very young and he’s still learning how to play. Guys like Johnny have just got to learn to be consistent and the consistency in his play, that’s with all young players really at any position, but particularly at that ‘X’ position, which is kind of the position of the wide receivers. "He certainly has the ability, he just is still learning to play and adjust and do the things that we ask him to do.”

The addition of Williams and Sam Hurd gives the Bears five quality NFL receivers. Also battling for a roster spot is Dane Sanzenbacher, an undrafted rookie from Ohio State who has impressed coaches with his quickness and ability to make plays.

“He’s done very well,” Martz said. “We’ve made him play three or four different positions. He’s really done a good job in the slot with our nickel receiver and of course he plays ‘X’ too. He’s done very well. He’s been very steady.

"He’s got real tired legs right now and so we’re going to back off some of his reps a little bit tonight because he’s taken so many reps. But very pleased with his progress. With the things that we continue to add, he’s been very, very good about his mistakes, very few mistakes. We’re pleased with him. He’s got a chance.”

With the depth at receiver and the emergence of tight end Kellen Davis, Martz feels the Bears will be able to make marked improvement from last season when they ranked 30th in total yards and 28th in passing yards.

“Like we told our guys, we feel like we should be able to continue to improve from where we left off and make a quantum leap in some other areas,” Martz said. “With the number of receivers we have now and the quality they are, I would think we’d be much better there. “Kellen has stepped to the forefront and really established himself as not just a blocker but a pretty dynamic receiver. He’s done a great job there, so there are some things coming out of this that you get a little excited.”

Originally Posted by 4th and 26

Blah blah blah, we still have no legit wr that opposing teams fear. If we ever want to put Jay Cutler in the elite class or qbs he needs a legit wr. None of these guys listed are legit and none of them are feared on the field. Hester is not a wr yet we keep craming stories about how good he is looking in camp. Get a legit wr and leave hester at special teams where he belongs. The bears still have the worst core of wrs in the NFC North if not the NFC period. When it comes down to crunch time which wr is going to step up and take over a game? Who is going to be the goto wr that will draw double teams?

This kind of thinking is so last year. But for the sake of discussion let's say ur right. Guess this means all we can do is go old school and run the hell outta the ball. Give those GB db's the pounding they deserve then we'll see if they think it's 'easy' to play against the Bears. ( keeps friggin Rodgers off the field too ).

Originally Posted by GrizzlyBear91

quitting on a route, and not being good at them are two different things.

Knox's problem has been quitting on the short slant. He could very well be what Bowen says "best pure route runner".... like when he actually runs them.

kinda like Moss being stellar at reciever "when he wants to be"... Not comparing talent, just it's the same concept.

That makes perfect sense Grizz. At least it fits with what Martz is saying his demotion is not about his lack of talent but rather his consistency. We all know Martz requires precision almost to an obsessive level so it makes sense that if Knox is being a little sloppy at times that would not earn him points. Good point Grizz I hadn't been looking at it quite that way.

Originally Posted by Bear Goggles

Knox tweeted earlier:

This is a whole lot easier to buy than "there may be some truth to it because of what happened over a year ago with Olsen". Knox is just entering his 3rd year in the league so demanding a trade just because he got taken down a notch wouldn't go over big with other coaches. It's true that he was our best WR last year but he's nowhere near an all-pro at this point in his career and those are about the only guys who could get away with that kind of a play me or trade me attitude.

I don't believe that it was ever said in any kind of terms that anyone could have taken him seriously over. This was all just one big Brad Biggs crap stir as far as I'm concerned.