Chicago Bears fans always develop strong connections to former players they loved watching. Not all of them had to be stars, either. It was Emery Moorehead in the 1980s. It was Chris Zorich in the 1990s. If there was one player that captured the love of younger Bears fans, the name that comes up most often was Johnny Knox. Not only did he have a unique and cool-sounding name, but he also provided plenty of highlights with his thrilling style of play centered around blistering speed.
Every time the Bears had a big play through the air, it seemed Knox was making it. For a brief period in 2010 and 2011, it felt like he was morphing into a legitimate star. Then a horrific back injury against Seattle ended his career, leaving Bears fans to wonder what-if. Well, they may have a second chance. Adam Hoge of CHGO spoke with former Chicago fullback Jason McKie at training camp. McKie was teammates with Knox in 2009. He knows what the former receiver was capable of.
That made it all the more interesting when he stated rookie Tyler Scott is a carbon copy.
If Scott is another Johnny Knox, the Bears are in business.
It would be easy to make this comparison. After all, Scott wears #13, which was Knox’s number, and is really fast. However, it goes deeper than that. The way they run routes and create separation is also similar. Knox never got enough credit for the little things he did well. Now there are some differences. Scott is two inches shorter and eight pounds lighter than Knox was. That leads to questions about whether he can handle the physical demands of the NFL. Still, it’s not like Knox was injury-prone. His disastrous event was merely bad luck.
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Think about this. Johnny Knox was effective at a time when the Bears paired him with guys like Devin Hester, Earl Bennett, and Roy Williams. Imagine what he could’ve been flanked by D.J. Moore and Darnell Mooney. That is basically what the Bears could be looking at if McKie is right about Scott. Reports out of training camp have mentioned the rookie multiple times. He makes a positive impression almost every time he steps on the field. When that happens, it usually translates to snaps on game day.
