Johnny Knox faces long road to recovery from back injury

[Scoot26]

Bears receiver Johnny Knox cracked a facet joint in his spinal column when he was bent backward awkwardly during a December game against the Seahawks, and when initial reports said he would need 3-4 months to recover, that sounded like good news compared to how ugly the injury looked.
But now comes word that the 3-4 months estimate may have been overly optimistic.
When a fan asked Knox on Twitter last week whether he thinks he can play next season, Knox didn’t answer the question directly, saying only that he wants to get to 100 percent before he thinks about that. And Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com, citing multiple unnamed sources, reports that there’s doubt about Knox’s potential availability for 2012.
According to Wright, Knox had a vertebral fusion and will have to wear a back brace for another month, and his timeline for recovery could be more than six months.
For Knox, who hinted in a reply to another fan on Twitter that the injury nearly paralyzed him, getting his health back is the most important issue. For the Bears, it may be a long time before they know whether the man who emerged as their best wide receiver last year will be back in the fold at all in 2012.

Johnny Knox faces long road to recovery from back injury | ProFootballTalk

 

[nwfisch]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt-YSHAr7c0]The Long And Winding Road- The Beatles + lyrics.flv - YouTube[/ame]

 

[bears12th]

I just hope Knox recovers fully so that personally he is healthy. Forget football for a second. Lets just hope there are no long term health issues for the guy outside football.

Now here is the fan in me talking, irregardless of health and personal well-being. I hope this make the Bears sign a top FA WR and draft in the first two rounds a stud to compliment the #1 through FA and #3 we have in Bennett. Draft a solid #2 or 1A and hope Knox comes back healthy about week 12 or so (earlier would be great, but then I think the Bears wont pick up a FA and draft top WR thinking they have depth). Imagine a #1, #1a or #2, #3 (bennett), and #4 in Knox with hopefully a strengthened O-line and Forte back with a healthy Cutler. That offense will now be serious.

Alright, fan in me is put away to focus on Knox's health and long-term well-being. Here's to Knox getting healthy.

 

[onebud34]

Coming from someone who recently had a compression fracture in his vertebrae...I didn't need surgery, but the recovery is at least 3 months before you can lift anything over 20 LBS. I'm sure it's pretty doubtful that we'll see Knox in a Bears uniform.

I'd much rather see him fully recover than try to rehab and have mupltiple setbacks.

And yes...my intial reaction was "I think I'm paralyzed." It's took a minute until I realized I could move my legs, although it hurt like a mutha.

 

[Uman85]

The Bears need to draft a WR in the first round AND sign a top-tier WR in free agency. Having those two guys along with Bennett is a solid receiving corps. Get rid of Roy Williams and sign another decent WR and do a platoon of Hester/Sanzenbacher until Knox is ready to go. Let Knox take as much time as he needs to get healthy.

 

[onebud34]

The Bears need to draft a WR in the first round AND sign a top-tier WR in free agency. Having those two guys along with Bennett is a solid receiving corps. Get rid of Roy Williams and sign another decent WR and do a platoon of Hester/Sanzenbacher until Knox is ready to go. Let Knox take as much time as he needs to get healthy.

Knox is an UFA after this year. I just have a weird feeling that he will be out at least this next year.

Personally, I think they will do an injury settlement.

 

[BNB]

Sam Hurd obviously won't be back
Roy Williams won't be back
Knox could potentially not come back
Devin Hester is coming back, but shouldn't be playing WR
Dane Sanzenbacher may or may not be coming back... but he isn't anything special
Earl Bennett is coming back.

Yeah... I think we can say for certainty the Bears will be targeting a WR this off-season.

 

[BNB]

As for knox, hopefully he can recover to the point where he's able to play football again, even if it's not with the Bears

 

[thedude33]

Yeah I wish the best for Knox but they would need help at WR even if he is healthy.

 

[ChiTeez.com]

Praying for a quick recovery for Knox. He is a great reciever and I love seeing him in a Bears uni!

 

[Uman85]

His health is my #1 concern at this point. Football is secondary in the long run.

 

[Scoot26]

Sam Hurd obviously won't be back
Roy Williams won't be back
Knox could potentially not come back
Devin Hester is coming back, but shouldn't be playing WR
Dane Sanzenbacher may or may not be coming back... but he isn't anything special
Earl Bennett is coming back.

Yeah... I think we can say for certainty the Bears will be targeting a WR this off-season.

Yup, basically we're going to see a whole new WR corps. Hester will stay at WR, but I hope he gets pushed down in the depth charts. He should be the #4 WR and basically you bring him out there for the occasional deep route or decoy. I'd throw him a few WR screens too, but those get old fast.

 

[Jysen]

For his sake, I hope he can recover completely. That was a nasty hit he took. That said, now we have a chance to obtain some Real fucking WR's. I liked Knox, but he isnt what we needed. Speed is great, but no point when they cant catch the ball or are to timid to go after it, and after that hit, he may become even more cautious now. Bennett should be our #2 guy or #3 max. Cutlers most reliable target, with great chemistry. Im also willing to keep Sanzenbacher 1 more yr, because you never really know.

 

[Scoot26]

For his sake, I hope he can recover completely. That was a nasty hit he took. That said, now we have a chance to obtain some Real fucking WR's. I liked Knox, but he isnt what we needed. Speed is great, but no point when they cant catch the ball or are to timid to go after it, and after that hit, he may become even more cautious now. Bennett should be our #2 guy or #3 max. Cutlers most reliable target, with great chemistry. Im also willing to keep Sanzenbacher 1 more yr, because you never really know.

I see Bennett at best as a #3. Whoever we sign as a free agent should be #1, and if we draft a WR in the 1st round like we should, he should be the #2 until he gains the experience to be a #1 WR. Either way, I really hope the Bears can right ship this year at WR, as they clearly need a major overhaul there.

 

[nwfisch]

I see Bennett at best as a #3. Whoever we sign as a free agent should be #1, and if we draft a WR in the 1st round like we should, he should be the #2 until he gains the experience to be a #1 WR. Either way, I really hope the Bears can right ship this year at WR, as they clearly need a major overhaul there.

What about Luol Deng.

 

[Jysen]

Bennett can move the chains, best hands out of them all, and again, great chemistry with Cutler. The problem is will we go after a true #1 WR And draft a potential prospect? With the change in the FO, Im optimistic that at least one of the 2 will happen. Unfortunately we dont have the luxury of only focusing on one or two positions as we need a solid OL and depth on defense for the future. All I know is Im really looking forward to how things unfold the next couple months.

 

[Bear06]

The Bears need to draft Michael Floyd and get Marshall or Jackson in FA.