Knox no longer a wide-eyed rookie

Rookie wide receiver Johnny Knox was in awe when he saw the size of the crowds the Bears draw - at training camp in Bourbonnais.

His reaction to the several thousand fans he saw at Olivet Nazarene University?

"I was terrified," the slender speedster said. "I've never seen that. Everybody was laughing at me because I was saying I saw more people at our training camp than we saw during a home game."

Coming from NCAA Division-II Abilene Christian, Knox didn't have a lot of experience playing in front of big crowds. But he has been anything but a star-struck youngster so far, as he proved Sunday with 6 catches for 70 yards, including a game-tying 7-yard TD catch in the victory over the Steelers.

"We put No. 13 (Knox) in there, and he's been turning out great," quarterback Jay Cutler said. He's in the right spots, and he's making some adjustments on the move. He's just out there using his ability, and I told him, 'Congratulations, you're no longer a rookie, you're out there playing with the rest of us. You did some good things for us.' "

Despite stepping up from a small stage to the big time, Knox never doubted the ability that helped him catch 118 passes for 2,227 yards and 30 touchdowns in two seasons at Abilene Christian. Having 4.4 speed hasn't hurt either.

"I always thought I could play at this level," he said. "I just try to be confident in everything I do. "The veterans taught me just to confident, to stay calm. That's been helping me out a lot."

Bears coaches felt confident in Knox's ability early on, and he's repaid that faith with 8 catches already for a team-high 152 yards and 19.0 yards per catch.

"He's been very impressive from the first day he got here," offensive coordinator Ron Turner said. "A lot of times young guys come in, and it takes them a while to learn to play fast. He did it from Day One. He hasn't gotten big eyes or anything else. He just goes out and plays and plays with confidence."