Talented Knox adjusting to life in the spotlight

With each passing day, Bears rookie receiver-turned-cult hero Johnny Knox is growing increasingly more accustomed to all the recognition he’s receiving from fans and media.

“It is kind of hard to believe,” said the fifth-round pick from Abilene Christian. “But I’m starting to get used to it, starting to feel a little bit more comfortable with all the attention as the weeks go by.”

Knox has burst on the scene in his first NFL season. He leads the league in kickoff returns with a 33.7-yard average. He also has become only the third Bears rookie to score touchdowns in four straight games since at least 1963, joining none other than Gale Sayers (1965) and Walter Payton (1975).

“It feels real good just to be in that category with those Hall of Famers,” said Knox, the 140th overall pick in the draft. “I’m just going to try to keep doing what I’m doing.”

Knox is also getting noticed by his peers. Bengals star receiver Chad Ochocinco told Chicago reporters during a conference call Wednesday that he was looking forward to meeting Knox Sunday in Cincinnati and that he likes the rookie’s game and “thinks the world of him and what he’s doing out there.”

Hillenmeyer returns to practice, hopes to play Sunday

Hunter Hillenmeyer practiced Wednesday on a limited basis for the first time since sustaining a rib injury Sept. 27 in a Week 3 win in Seattle. The Bears linebacker thinks the chances he'll play Sunday in Cincinnati are “pretty high.”

“Today was the first day I practiced in [almost] a month,” said Hillenmeyer, who has missed two games. “It was great to get back out there. It’s amazing how fresh the rest of me feels. I guess it’s the kind of thing where I’ll do a little more each day and eventually I’ll have a pretty good idea [whether he’ll play] later in the week.”

With Pisa Tinoisamoa scheduled to undergo season-ending knee injury, it appears likely that Hillenmeyer and Nick Roach will start at the strongside and middle linebacker positions, though it’s unclear which player will be plugged into which spot. There’s also a chance that Jamar Williams could start.

“Regardless of where everybody lines up, we’ll know what we’re doing,” Hillenmeyer said.

Lovie Smith was happy to get Hillenmeyer back on the practice field, but the Bears coach declined to divulge any details Wednesday about which linebackers would start against the Bengals.

“All of our linebackers that we have all seem to have played different positions, so we have flexibility,” Smith said. “We’re just going to let it play out. As much as anything, it was just good to get the guys back out on the football field. We have a little time to make some of those decisions.”

In other injury news, Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris (knee) and running back Adrian Peterson (knee) did not practice; and safety Josh Bullocks (ankle), defensive back Corey Graham (ankle), and defensive tackle Israel Idonije (knee) were limited.

For the Bengals, defensive end Antwan Odom was placed on injured reserve after rupturing his Achilles’ tendon in last Sunday’s loss to the Texans. Odom ranks second in the NFL with eight sacks.

Defensive tackle Domata Peko (knee) and safety Roy Williams (forearm) did not practice; offensive tackle Andre Smith (foot) was limited; and tight end Dan Coats (shoulder), defensive tackles Tank Johnson (foot) and Pat Sims (biceps), running back Brian Leonard (groin) and defensive end Frostee Rucker (ankle) were not restricted.

Coaches, players feel Cutler deserving of deal

Jay Cutler’s coaches and teammates were happy that the Bears signed their franchise quarterback to a two-year contract extension Tuesday night that runs through the 2013 season.

“I’m pretty excited about that,” coach Lovie Smith said Wednesday. “By making a move like that this quick, that’s really saying what we feel about Jay. We’ve been giving it a lot of lip service before now—all of us—but to make a commitment like that—we want Jay to be our quarterback for a long time. 

"We think he’s one of the best in the league, [and] we paid him that way.”

Cutler has passed for an average of 240.2 yards per game and has completed 64.0 percent of his passes, both the highest in franchise history. He is also just the third Bears quarterback to throw at least two TD passes in four straight games since at least 1963, joining Rudy Bukich (1964) and Erik Kramer (1995).

“My thoughts on Jay getting a new deal are that he deserves it,” said center Olin Kreutz, who's in his 12th season with the Bears. “He’s got the best arm I have ever seen. Some of the throws he makes are unbelievable. He makes our offense go. He’s a great leader and a great teammate.”

According to Smith, Cutler didn’t act any differently on Wednesday after signing the new deal.

“It was just another day at work for him,” said the Bears coach. “He really didn’t even want to talk about it. [He was] almost embarrassed a little bit about it. Again, we’re excited that he’s going to be around for a long time.”

Tinoisamoa to miss rest of season with knee injury

Bears strongside linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa will undergo arthroscopic microfracture surgery to repair articulating cartilage damage in his right knee and miss the rest of the season.
 
The seventh-year pro sustained the injury in the first half of Sunday night’s loss to the Falcons in Atlanta. Tinoisamoa, who’s in his first season with the Bears, had missed the previous three games after spraining the same knee on the first defensive play of the year against the Packers in Green Bay.

“It’s a shame that you didn’t get a chance to see Pisa really play for an extended period of time,” coach Lovie Smith said to reporters. “He’s a heck of a football player. But it’s about rehab now until he gets his surgery.”

On Sunday night, Tinoisamoa registered four tackles and forced a Michael Turner fumble that was recovered by Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. The 6-1, 230-pounder is the second starting linebacker the Bears have lost for the season. He follows Brian Urlacher, who dislocated his right wrist in the opener.

“He knew what type of football player he is when he’s healthy, and he was really excited about playing with that linebacker group being on this team,” Smith said. “It’s disappointing. But injuries are part of it, and he realizes that.”